Did you know that 96 elephants die every day in Africa? According to 96elephants.org, these beautiful animals are killed only for the ivory in their tusks. When the kindergarteners at Meredith Nicholson School 96 heard about this, they wanted to take action.“Several of them wanted to hide elephants in homes, classrooms and cars,” Meredith Nicholson kindergarten teacher Robin Nichols said. “We discussed how that might be a little difficult, but we thought we could help the students take action.”
The kindergarteners designed and sold buttons that said “Save the Elephants.” Each button cost $1.00, and the buttons were available for purchase at the school’s spring carnival.
“The fact that they took it upon themselves, made the buttons and helped raise awareness in their school— that’s really something,” Indianapolis Zoo Major Gifts Officer Sally Zelonis said. “It’s nice to see them wanting to help out and doing a small part.”
The money that students raised will go to the Tarangire Elephant Project (TEP) in Tanzania, Africa. The Indianapolis Zoo has worked with the project since 2006, and even raised over $90,000 for the organization during the 2012 Super Bowl.
We’re proud of our students and their willingness to help out the elephants, near and far!