Tchimpounga Youth Campaign
TCHIMPOUNGA YOUTH CAMPAIGN:
A HUGE SUCCESS!
To the Roots & Shoots Community,
The orphaned chimpanzees at the Jane Goodall Institute's Tchimpounga Sanctuary are in need of help, and we, the youth of Roots & Shoots, have worked hard to give them a second chance at life. Through the collaboration of hundreds of youth, families, individuals and businesses around the world, we have surpassed our goal of $50,000 to fund a new chimpanzee care facility to serve the growing population of orphaned chimpanzees at Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Republic of Congo.
The baby chimpanzees, most of whose families were victims of the international, commercial bushmeat trade, will now have a better place to go for refuge. Currently, the Tchimpounga Sanctuary houses 126 chimpanzees, a number that could increase any day. This has been a very exciting awareness and fundraising campaign with stories and donations coming from all over the globe.
Recently we received news that a Dutch insurance company has raised 1,000 Euro (about 1,330 USD) for Tchimpounga Youth Campaign. The Roots & Shoots group at the Furuvik Zoo in Sweden raised $1,672 while the Sweden Chimpanzee Trust jumped in to raise $1,352 for a total of $3,024 from Sweden. All of the campaign stories are equally amazing, and in this campaign, every little action has made a huge difference—even if the contribution was telling one person about Tchimpounga Sanctuary and the commercial bushmeat trade or raising a few dollars to help the chimpanzees.
After we had raised $16,000, we received the exciting news that an anonymous donor would match every dollar we raised up to $17,000—making our original goal of $50,000 attainable. With this new incentive, Roots & Shoots groups and other interested people began to rally, knowing that we now had the chance to make twice the difference!
Two new Roots & Shoots members raised $37.63 by holding a community farmers' market and selling vegetables and flowers grown in their very own home garden. A third-grade class at the Larchmont Charter School in Los Angeles, California crafted over 50 necklaces to sell, raising $430. Other groups held raffles, designed and sold t-shirts and went trick-or-treating for chimpanzees. The Moody Gardens Society for the Advancement of Volunteer Youth group in Galveston, Texas collected $2,042 in donations while teaching people about conserving the world’s rainforest regions.
A Roots & Shoots group in New York hosted a story-telling hour at their local library, displaying books and creative art projects about chimpanzees. Some of the young participants played the game “A Barrel of Monkeys,” while others made chimpanzee sculptures out of Play-Doh. During this festive evening, group members set up a display board featuring Tchimpounga Sanctuary to educate youth and their parents.
Our Youth Leaders also stepped up to a leadership role, coordinating outreach, giving presentations and raising funds. Annika McPeek and I gave a presentation about the Tchimpounga Youth Campaign at the ChimpanZoo Conference in Los Angeles this past fall. Our efforts were well-received by world-renowned primatologists and conservationists. The Youth Leaders also gathered around $400 at their Roots & Shoots Tchimpounga Youth Campaign display table at Peace Day in Los Angeles.
Eight-year-old Brandon, who lives near Eastern Illinois University, reached out to the sororities and fraternities on campus by writing letters and giving presentations to the students. At the end of his presentations, he passed around a jar to collect "chimp change." He also set up a poster and a donation jar on campus, collecting a grand total of $319.26.
Kate and Katie from Salt Lake City, Utah have been raising money for endangered species since they were nine years old. This year they hosted a pet show at a local park where people brought their pets and entered them in different competitions to win prizes. Their pet show raised over $450 for the chimpanzees at Tchimpounga Sanctuary.
When Tchimpounga Youth Campaign was launched in early 2006, we had no idea what to expect, as this was the first official Youth Campaign for the Roots & Shoots network. Created and led by the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council members, this campaign has been a huge success! Each and every individual involved in it can proudly say that they have given orphaned chimpanzees a second chance at life.
With many thanks,
Chase Pickering
National Youth Leadership Council
Tchimpounga Youth Campaign Chairperson
Check out the newest youth campaign- ReBirth the Earth: Trees for Tomorrow
