WINTER’S INSPIRATION
Winter’s story has inspired millions of people all over the world! Every day at Clearwater Marine Aquarium we welcome many visitors who have a powerful connection to Winter, Hope and many of the other rescued animals at CMA. These remarkable individuals bring their own inspiring stories and share how these special animals have changed their lives.

CEO David Yates was contacted by Albert Manero, the young leader of Limbitless Solutions, a group of University of Central Florida (UCF) engineering students that were shaking the world of prosthetics by making arms and legs for kids with 3-D printing at a nominal cost. Yates had known Albert and his family for a number of years. Albert and his young team made a prosthetic arm for Annika “Anni” Emmert, who arrived in Florida from California expecting to pick up her 3-D printed arm at UCF, but did not know the students had engineered an extra-special delivery. The ten-year-old (at that time, now 13) was born without her right hand and part of her arm. Anni thought she and her family were simply visiting and spending the day at Clearwater Marine Aquarium prior to picking her arm up at UCF the next day. Anni’s trip to see Winter came with a couple surprises, as actress Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who starred in the Dolphin Tale movies was there to greet her. Then, during a VIP poolside visit with Winter, Anni opened the cooler she thought was filled with fish for Winter, and found that it actually had her new robotic arm, bringing her to tears.