Olivia and Carter’s sincere commitment to everything they do was again apparent during the Salvation Army’s Re-Effect conference and we feel confident that our programs are something which will benefit each of the communities the Salvation Army serves.
As we learned more about their mission in South Africa, we found out that IFAW strongly supported an incredible organization called CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare) which began ten years ago with Cora Bailey’s one-woman crusade to personally provide basic veterinary services to one South African township.
While driving to the Cheetah section of the center, we passed by some of the various species that they care for as well including the Caracal, African Wild Cats, Brown Hyena and various types of Vultures, all of which are considered endangered and unless protected, are sure to become extinct in our lifetime.
Additionally, 10 year old Georgia Student Carter Ries and his sister Olivia were selected as Second Place Winners, recognized for a Plastic Awareness Week school curriculum they developed together. Both students are excited to be guests at the Atlanta event. Nine year-old Olivia noted, “This is my first ever Gala … it’s a once in a lifetime thing!” Carter added, “I’m so excited to meet the winner! I’m hoping that I meet some famous people too!”
Olivia and Carter were invited to be speakers at this years 2011 Youth Ocean Summit hosted by the ‘Stow It Don’t Throw It’ organization. The inaugural event was held at the Mote Marine Laboratory in beautiful Sarasota FL.
Director/Producer Kate Miller and Mirror Films have created this exclusive video for Plastic Pollution Coalition. All of the Season 10 American Idol Top 11 have generously donated their time and efforts to the REFUSE campaign – a global strategic initiative aimed at inspiring people to end their dependence on disposable plastic.
Recently Olivia and Carter were invited to be guest speakers at the Lubee Bat Conservancy 2011 Bat Festival. The Bat Conservancy is an international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through the conservation of fruit bats. They work with other organizations (such as OMG) to save fruit bats and their habitats through research, conservation, and education.
Recently we had the opportunity to present our program “Plastic Awareness Week” program to the extremely talented students from the SKA Academy of Art and Design school in Duluth GA. Co-founder of the school Dr. Leng Chee Chang (who is a Graduated with Ph.D. Degree in Pharmacognosy from University of Illinois at Chicago) heard about our program and invited Olivia and Carter to come and teach to several of their classes over the course of several weeks.
The 15th annual Outdoor Learning Symposium was held Friday, October 21, 2011, at Georgia Perimeter College: Decatur Campus. This year’s theme, “Leaving Footprints : Natural Paths to Learning”, evolved from many different modes and methods of Outdoor Learning. It truly refers to leaving lasting impressions or “footprints” in the minds of students and using the natural world as a path to accomplishing the many standards and concepts that must be taught and learned along the way. OMG was invited to feature our “Plastic Awareness Week” curriculum program to the many teachers and educators in attendance.
As we learn more and more about the affects of plastic pollution on our environment and on the many species that share this earth with us, we have become more aware of how much trash is just lying around in our community. If you take the time to look, you too will be amazed to see how much trash we are just throwing on the ground.
Your donations to OMG help support the many initiatives with which we are involved to help our endangered species and clean up our environment.
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