Medical Lake Middle School sixth graders Brianna Fisher (left), Audrey Stigall (center) and Kylie Pepperman created two GoFundMe accounts to help raise money for organizations that work to protect endangered animals and their habitats.
Three Medical Lake Middle School sixth graders have taken it upon themselves to save endangered wildlife.
Audrey Stigall, Brianna Fisher and Kylie Pepperman have started two GoFundMe pages in October to help raise money for efforts to help animals on water and land. The girls hope to raise $1,000 for each account.
The movement started when Stigall and Fisher were in reading class and thought of the idea to start a fund for helping endangered animals.
"At first we wanted to try to make a webpage, and then we met up with Kylie," Fisher said. "She really wanted to help."
Pepperman's involvement in the movement stems from her passion for animals.
"I wanted to help them in some way," Pepperman said. "I've always loved animals and I want to work with them when I get older."
The girls explained that part of the project is trying to help people understand that animals who are on the endangered species list are not extinct, but rather are on the verge of dying out.
The two GoFundMe accounts help raise money for two different organizations. "Project Save the Animals," which Pepperman manages, raises funds for the National Wildlife Federation. According to its website, National Wildlife Federation is a voice for wildlife, dedicated to protecting wildlife and habitat and inspiring the future generation of conservationists.
"The National Wildlife Federation helps with animals habitats and you can adopt an animal too," Pepperman said.
The adoption Pepperman is referring to is the NWF's wildlife adoption program, which lets anyone "symbolically" adopt a species of animal with adoption kits ranging from $20 to $250.
The other account, "Save the Endangered Ocean Animals," which Stigall runs, raises money for Ocean Conservancy Inc. The organization protects vital habitats of marine animals, funds major beach clean-ups in coastal communities, spearheads cutting-edge ocean solutions and advocates for the protection of the ocean's most extraordinary places for future generations.
"There are all kinds of endangered species in the ocean in addition to the ones on land," Fisher said.
All three students conducted a lot of research on various endangered species prior to creating the accounts. While they've done most of the work themselves, they've had help from their parents and fellow classmates. With the accounts up and running, the girls are going to let things settle for a while.
"We plan to distribute more flyers when we get things going again," Stigall said. "If it's OK with our parents, we might do a bake sale. I've got a sewing machine and I'm planning to make pillows and bracelets. We're thinking of many ways to raise money."
After the current projects gain more momentum, they plan to create accounts to raise money for endangered plant species.
"We're trying to help out as much as we can," Pepperman said. "It's worth it."
"This project has shown that how hard work pays off if you try," Fisher added.
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
Reader Comments(0)