Life with Dylan

Category: causes

  • Reading for Wildlife update – An awesome journey

    It has been a little over a month since the last update, but if you have been following along on Facebook or Instagram then you know that on day 66 of the I READ for Wildlife challenge Dylan reached his goal of $500 in sponsors.

    This was a great day for Dylan because the hardest part was now done. He had reached his fundraising goal and from here on out all Dylan had to do was continue reading.

    Now on his third and final book – the end was in sight. The goal of reading 15 pages per day increased to 20 pages per day. The boy was on a mission and there was no slowing him down.

    Today is day 89 of the 100 day challenge and I am happy to report that Dylan has read all 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts.

    When I asked Dylan to describe this experience in one word he said … Awesome!

    Dylan was able to combine his love of reading with his love of animals and raise $500 for endangered wildlife across the globe.

    Dylan and I are so grateful that San Diego Zoo Global asked him to be part of this special team. Not only were we able to test and help improve a program that will launch to the public soon, but we made new friends and were able to share our journey with others. I truly believe that the new I _____ for Wildlife program will be a huge success.

    Doing something you love has got to be one of the most rewarding ways to raise awareness and in the end raise money for a wonderful cause. Be sure to check out the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy website and start your own journey … What will you do for wildlife?

    I would like to thank everyone who supported Dylan along the way. Whether you gave money and were a sponsor or were one of the many who commented/liked his videos and fascinating animal fact updates on Facebook … he couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!

    Visit our YouTube channel to see more of Dylan’s video clips from his Reading for Wildlife journey.

  • Reading for Wildlife update – Saving animals one page at a time

    Well, tomorrow will be day 50 of Dylan’s adventure – The half way point to reaching his goal of reading 1500 pages in 100 days to raise money and awareness for wildlife.

    If you follow us on Instagram or on Facebook, then you have seen the pictures, video clips, and tidbits of his journey that we have documented.

    Dylan has finished two of his selected books and started his third book today. So far he has read a total of 750 pages – Right on schedule. He has been very good about reading at least 15 pages a day, or if he has a lot of homework, he makes up for days missed by reading more on the weekends.

    Dylan reads in bed …

    Dylan reads on the treadmill …
    So far Dylan has raised $290 from sponsors, but he still needs $210 to reach his goal of $500. 
    It only costs $5 to sponsor one day of reading – the price of a fancy cup of coffee. 
    If you can, and if you would like to help Dylan on his journey of Reading for Wildlife, please visit http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/goto/DylanFryer where you can sponsor him with your tax-deductible donation. 
    This is Dylan’s latest video from yesterday. You can see more video clips on the YouTube channel. 

  • Reading for Wildlife to help save endangered animals

    So last summer when my son was raising money for the tigers he did just about everything he could to raise money. He recycled, he helped clean out his grandparents garage, he washed cars, and of course gave up birthday presents in lieu of donations.

    So in November when he was asked by the San Diego Zoo to be a tester for a new program that would launched later this year he was more than happy to help. (Basically, he’s a human guinea pig to test the new program and help make improvements before it goes live.) He jumped at the chance -Anything for wildlife!

    Either way, he was so excited to be a part of this and personally,  I was honored that the San Diego Zoo asked him to be one of the 8 team members.

    The new program is I ______ for Wildlife. The idea is that you can pick any activity you want and raise money for endangered wildlife through donations made on your personal fundraising page.
    Since Dylan loves to read and learn everything he possibly can about animals, he will be reading for wildlife.

    Dylan has pledged to read 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts in 100 days.

    I have created an album on the Life with Dylan Facebook page to document his progress and will be posting some video clips there as well. Dylan has a goal of raising $500 and so far he has raised $175 – If you would like to help Dylan reach his goal, please visit his personal fundraising page http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/goto/DylanFryer Any size donation is appreciated and all donations are tax deductible.

    What wouldn’t this kid do for wildlife?
    He is truly an inspiration and his passion shines through in everything he does. Go Dylan go!

  • Endangered Species Monday – Let’s Save the Rhinos in 2013

    I could never choose just one animal. I mean really, let’s face it, if I could save all the endangered species I would. To say that one is more important than another is not right because they are all equally important and needed on this planet. However, sometimes one animal stands out among the rest. For me that animal was a rhino. A special connection was made the moment that I touched and fed the rhino brothers at the San Diego Zoo. I had looked into the eye of an endangered species and I would never be the same.

    In December I made a decision to make 2013 the year that I personally made a difference for the rhinos. After reading recent news articles, I have never been more sure of a decision.

    A record 668 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2012 – that is a 50% increase over 2011. This figure astounds me. I shed a tear for each one of the rhinos lost when I read articles about the killings. We must put a stop to poaching and educate people about what rhino horn really is – keratin – the same thing as out hair and fingernails. Rhino horn is not medicine!

    Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I saw this headline on twitter the other day Poachers hack baby rhino with axe … Wait, was I reading this right? This couldn’t possibly be true. What good is killing a baby rhino? There is no horn to take from a 2 month old baby rhino – this is uncalled for and made me so angry. So angry and so sad that all I could do was cry. This poor defenseless rhino was being attacked because she got in the way of the poachers who were cutting off her mother’s horn.

    2013 is not getting off to a very good start for the rhinos. As of January 11th, the death toll is already up to eight and if this baby doesn’t survive it will be nine. I have no time to spare. The number one way for me to help the rhinos is to create awareness. I will also share stories, photographs and raise as much money as I possibly can. So far I have two ways of raising money for the rhinos …

    San Diego Zoo Safari Park Half Marathon – I will not be able to run the half marathon because I am volunteering to help with the race and with Cinco de Rhino that evening. However, I can still virtually run the race and raise money for the greater one-horned rhinos. Your tax-deductible donation on my fundraising page will help make a difference. $5 or $10 or $25 it doesn’t matter – every little bit helps.

    I have also written a letter addressed to President Zuma as part of the One More Generation letter writing campaign. (Our letters are #557 and #558 – letters are listed alphabetically so scroll down to Fryer) These letters are a way of creating worldwide awareness and bringing our pleas to stop the poaching to President Zuma himself. I would love it if you would write a letter too!

    Something has to change. This needs to be the year that wildlife poachers are stopped before it’s too late. There is not much left that we can do for the Northern White Rhinos and the Javan and Sumatran rhinos are not far behind. If the numbers keep climbing at 50% increases, then we will be that much closer to another animal facing extinction.

  • The power of one

    A few of the feelings that go through my head on a daily basis … Encouraged. Motivated. Empowered. Helpless. Disappointed. Sad. On top of the world. The world on my shoulders. Strong. Wise. Teaching. Learning. Making a difference.

    It’s a lot I know, especially for me –  A simple girl just trying to save the world. 

    Some days I feel like nobody is listening and feel like banging my head against the wall. Some days I sit crying wondering if I could have done more. Then there are the days when I get that one email, that one comment on the blog, that one retweet – Behold the power of one. Those are the days that keep me going. Keep me fighting the good fight.

    I have always loved animals and wanted to help endangered species, but the day I knew it was more than just a love of animals, the day I I knew I was a conservationist was the day I saw a Blue Whale swimming freely in the ocean. Blue Whales are the largest animals to ever live on the earth.

    They are beyond majestic and their size is incomprehensible even when you see them in the ocean. One Blue Whale can weigh as much as 30 African elephants – that’s huge! Despite their size, Blue Whales are still critically endangered.

    From that day forward, I knew that my purpose in life was to be an advocate for the animals. To save the animals. To save their habitats.

    I have been told by many that one person can make a difference and I have seen the positive results of what one person can do. However, the power of one can be a very lonely place.

    I was discussing this with a friend the other night and they had some very encouraging words. Yes, the power of one can be a lonely place. Yes, it can be depressing and overwhelming. But for some reason we keep on doing what we do. It’s deeper than we understand sometimes. Those last few words resonated deep within my soul and reminded me that not everything is fully understood.

    I do not understand why someone would want to kill a rhino for its horn, or kill an elephant for its tusk, or kill a tiger for its fur and bones, or eat shark fin soup and frog legs. These are living creatures that are massacred and left to die a sometimes slow and painful death. Some people may not understand why I am fighting for a cause that seems so unattainable. A cause that is of global reach – well, that is OK. Sometimes not understanding is how we learn.

    So I will continue to be an advocate for the animals that have no voice. I will continue to fight for their habitats. I will continue to spread awareness – and when I reach that one person, the one person who says Aha, I get it now…

    That is when I will smile and remind myself how great the power of one is.

  • Simple SEO helped me create more awareness

    People blog for various reasons and we all want to share what we write with others. I blog to share my passion about the environment, wildlife, and conservation. As I have said before, conservation begins with awareness. The more people who are aware, the more people who will make a difference. I don’t get paid to blog, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want hundreds of people to see my blog.

    Social media – I love it.
    Facebook – an old friend.
    Twitter – it’s fun.
    SEO – a foreign language.

    I will be honest with you, SEO scared the heck out of me for a long time. Why? Because I didn’t understand it. Then my friend told me about a great e-book from Stef Calvert at Hearts and Laserbeams. An easy to download e-book that could help me increase the traffic on my blog.

    Again, I’m not getting paid anything for my blog. Increasing traffic and page views on my blog serves one purpose – creating more awareness.

    If I can make one person aware about an endangered animal or one person aware about the impacts of recycling on the environment, then I have done what I set out to do. That one person may share a post on Facebook or Twitter, which makes one more person aware.

    Some of the things in Easy S.E.O. for Bloggers I was already doing and some I was only doing part of. As I read through it I thought, ah-ha I knew there was something I was missing. Sometimes it’s as simple as using a hyphen instead of a comma. Other times it’s utilizing an option of my settings that I just skipped over – simply because I didn’t know what the option did.

    Sure, adding SEO to a blog post takes me a little more time, but isn’t it worth it? Since using the tools and tips from Easy S.E.O. for Bloggers, I have increased the pages views and overall traffic to my blog. What does this mean? It means that more people are reading my blog – more people are learning about conservation – more people are aware.

    So whatever your cause may be, I am sure you want more people to be aware of what your cause is. If you are not already using SEO, or even if you are and want to learn some simple ways to make it better, I recommend buying this e-book from Hearts and Laserbeams. You won’t be sorry.

  • The conservation efforts of non-profit organizations depend on our help

    The cornerstones of conservation efforts are the numerous non-profit organizations that depend on our donations to survive. We all get the mailings, the emails, see the shares on Facebook, and the tweets on twitter. Save the planet, save the oceans, save the rain forests, save the animals.
    They are all doing good and it can be hard to choose just one. $25 here $10 there … does it really do anything?

    Some may argue and say yes, that $10 does help an organization. However, after many years of spreading my money to a variety of non-profit organizations I decided to make all of my contributions to just one this year. To help conservation efforts on a local level, where I can see what my money is doing, and also on a global level where I can help make a difference for animals across the globe was my goal. There are so many great non-profits and I want my money going to an organization that I can personally relate to.

    Ultimately, my decision was based on the local level. When I saw first hand what my money was doing, there was no doubt in my mind. My monthly contributions would go to San Diego Zoo Global.

    This amazing video shows all that San Diego Zoo Global does for the animals, planet, and the people who come to visit the parks.

    Each month I give a specified amount to San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy as a Wildlife Conservancy Hero.  When extra funds are available, rather than give $10 to another organization, I help out by buying something on the monthly wish list. This is a wonderful way to make $5 – $10 go a long way because the wish list will tell you exactly what the money will buy. Items tend to go quickly, so I always check within the first few days of the month for the best selection – toward the end of the month the items left on the list are a little higher priced than I can afford.

    I have fed a condor for a week, fed a Manchurian brown bear for 3 days, and supplied various enrichment toys for animals. My donations have helped in conservation efforts across the globe. So sure, that $10 does make a difference – but think of the difference hundreds of dollars can make for San Diego Zoo Global.

    Do you make donations to non-profit organizations?  If so, what organization do you support?

  • 3 simple ways you can help save animals & raise awareness

    Over the years, I have spent hundreds of dollars making donations to various non-profit groups and organizations hoping to make some sort of difference. I went from making the minimum donation of $15 to several places, to now being more specific as to where I donate my money – but that’s another post. My point is that one person can make a difference and you don’t need to spend tons of money doing it.

    Awareness is one of the biggest hurdles faced in animal conservation. Today I am sharing three simple ways that you can raise awareness and help save animals for only a few dollars.

    Even though many of us pay our bills online, there are still times that we need to mail something the old-fashioned way. The next time you buy stamps, ask for the Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp. (cost is 55 cents)

    This is a first-class postage stamp and all proceeds over the current cost of a first-class stamp go directly to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.

    For more information on what conservation funds are supported by this stamp visit the US Postal Service website.

    Do you love having a unique screen lock picture and wallpaper on your iPhone or iPad? Do you admire great animal photographers? If you said yes, then this next one is definitely for you.
    In November 2011, the San Diego Zoo released the officially licensed digital skins through the iTunes store. For only $1.99 you can purchase this app and have some beautiful wallpapers and images on your phone. The app also includes app frames and shelves.

    Here are some screen shots from my phone –

     

    This is a wonderful way to support the San Diego Zoo and show your love for animals – and I can promise the pictures will being a smile to your face too.

    Another great way to support animal conservation and raise awareness is to follow your favorite organization on Facebook and Twitter. By simply sharing a post or re-tweeting something you find interesting may catch the attention of someone and before you know it a domino effect is in place.

    A few of my favorites organizations that I personally support through membership or direct donations are listed in the right side column of the blog. Looking for some organizations to follow? Take a peek at the pages we support on Facebook or who we follow on twitter. Find your passion – whether it be wildlife, parks, or the oceans and start doing what you can to help.

  • Even a Child Can Make a Difference

    After watching the news with me this morning and seeing footage of the East Coast, Dylan said I wish we could help those people Mom. I told him that it’s hard to help people when a natural disaster occurs because we really have no control over it. I told him that unlike earthquakes, Hurricane Irene gives a warning. We can track the progress and estimate where the hurricane will hit. This gives people some time to evacuate and get to safer ground.

    What came out of his mouth next practically put me in tears. He asked what would happen to all of their food and clothes that they couldn’t take with them … what about their new backpacks for school?

    Remember, Dylan is only 8 years old.

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