When it comes to wildlife conservation, even the youngest of volunteers can make an impact. Take the example of Sydney Wheeler (age 9) and Lilly Lachmuth (age 8), who recently went door-to-door through their Doylestown, Pennsylvania neighborhood collecting donations in support of red pandas.
Sidney and Lilly Collecting Donations.
Sydney’s father, Jeff, relays the story: “Sydney has always loved red pandas, and we always make a point of visiting them when we’re at the zoo. Last week, she informed me that she, along with her friend, Lilly, wanted to go around our neighborhood and raise money for the pandas. The girls spent the bulk of their Sunday knocking on doors and collecting cash donations. After four hours of pounding pavement, they had raised over two hundred dollars! Their perseverance and dedication to the red pandas shows in the money they were able to raise.”
The $217 collected by the girls will go toward supporting the PIT Red Panda Protected Forest—the world’s first protected area dedicated to red pandas. With the ongoing efforts of passionate volunteers like Sydney and Lilly, the Red Panda Network will continue to make great strides toward red panda conservation and awareness worldwide.
Interested in joining Sydney and Lilly in supporting the establishment of the PIT Red Panda Protected Forest? Want to help us stop the illegal trade of red pandas? It’s quick, fun and easy to start an online fundraiser and there are many ways to get involved! How about running a marathon or starting your own yoga challenge for red pandas? Or you can do something extra special for your upcoming birthday by Donating Your Birthday to help us save red pandas!
James Florence
Writing and Communications Volunteer
Red Panda Network