Life with Dylan

Category: Make a Difference

  • Happiness is being someone's Hero

    I’ve said it many times and I will probably continue to say it a few more times … being a single parent is no easy task. Heck, in today’s world being a parent period is no easy task, married or single. There are so many things to think about, questions to be asked and answered, problems to solve, and so on. The last thing any parent needs is to be second guessing themselves as a parent. As difficult as things may get, the one thing I really love about being a single mom is the relationship I have with Dylan. I can honestly say that we are friends and talk about almost everything.

    Last week I was going through one of those times where nothing I was doing seemed right. At least not in my eyes. All I could see was failure and disappointment as I compared myself with others around me. Better jobs, bigger houses, nicer things.

    As usual, I was not able to hide how I was feeling from Dylan. He sees right through my “I’m fine, nothing is wrong” responses. I guess that only worked when he was younger. So I proceeded to tell him small tidbits of what was bothering me and asked him if he was really happy. Was he happy living in a small apartment with hand-me-down furniture? Was he happy with his school? Was there anything he wanted or needed that I wasn’t providing him? I was making the biggest parenting mistake of all and questioning my worth as a mother.

    It didn’t take long before the roles were reversed and I was sitting across from my son (who became the parent) listening to words much wiser than his 11 years.

    He began with “Mom, listen to me …”  
    For the next five minutes I sat in awe of my child and just listened.

    “Mom, I am proud of you. You work really hard for what we have and I love you. Sure, those other people might have a big house or a successful career, but there is something that none of them will ever have. They don’t have you as a mom. You have taught me so much about conservation and philanthropy. You have made a difference. You inspire me to save animals and make the world a better place. (This is where I fought back the tears) I know it cost millions of dollars to build Tiger Trail and we only raised $1300, but still, we made a difference and helped build a new home for the tigers. That is something they don’t have. Mom, you are my hero.”

    I felt the tears rolling down my cheek. All this time I thought he was inspiring me and come to find out that I inspire him. He told me I was his hero, just like Rick and that I should be proud of that. Heck yes, I’m proud of that! My son just put me in the same category as Zookeeper Rick – top that!

    So the lesson that I learned from my 11 year old son is that it doesn’t matter what my job title is or how much money I make. Living in an apartment doesn’t make me any less of a person than someone who owns a home. Money cannot buy happiness and sometimes the little things really are the big things in disguise.

    What does matter is that I am someone’s hero …
                         and nobody can take that happiness away from me.

  • The Compassion and Determination of a Child

    There are times when Dylan makes me proud and then there are times when he leaves me speechless. Like when he writes something for a school assignment that brings tears to my eyes.Today was one of those times.

    Dylan


    I am compassionate and determined
    I wonder will poaching ever stop
    I hear animal calls
    I see me saving animals
    I want to stop all poaching
    I am compassionate and determined


    I pretend animals will always live in peace
    I feel for animals losses
    I touch the hands of many future conservationists
    I worry poaching may never stop
    I cry for the animals faced with poachers
    I am compassionate and determined


    I understand I’m going against the odds
    I say I’m doing what’s right
    I dream of a better world
    I try to stop the madness
    I hope I will reach my goals
    I am compassionate and determined




    “I am”

    By: Dylan Fryer, age 11




  • 5 Simple Ways to Help Your Local Zoo or Aquarium

    Spending the day at your local zoo or aquarium is a wonderful way to learn more about animals and the conservation efforts being made to ensure these animals are around for future generations. No matter how often you visit the animals, there is always something new to learn about them. Zoos and aquariums have so much to offer –  listening to fascinating keeper talks, seeing a new fact on an exhibit sign, or reading about progress made on a conservation issue.

    Most zoos and aquariums are non-profit organizations and depend on us, the general public, to keep the doors open. Everything we purchase, whether it be admission tickets, food, or a stuffed animal, is helping to give the animals the best care possible. There are so many ways that you can make a difference and help, but not everyone knows how or where to start. 
    Here are few simple things you can do to help your local zoo or aquarium:
    1. Get a membership. Instead of just buying a ticket for the day, why not buy a ticket for the entire year? Annual memberships are often the lifeblood of these organizations. If animal conservation is something you feel strongly about, why not upgrade from the basic membership? Check with your local zoo or aquarium and see what types of membership options are available. 
    2. Adopt an animal. Most animal adoptions start at only $25 and make great gifts for birthdays and holidays. Animal adoption can be done through the mail, or from my experience, many offer digital adoption certificates. This makes it very convenient when adopting an animal for someone who lives out of the area. 
    3. Give your change. That’s right, give away all those loose coins that get lost in the bottom of your purse. You would be amazed at how fast those add up and every little bit helps! Next time you visit, look around for a donation spot by the exit or near your favorite animal exhibit.
    4. Support them online. Nine times out of ten, your favorite zoo or aquarium is on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumbler … do a search and start following them, spread the word. Sharing a post or a picture goes a long way. You probably aren’t the only one who thinks that baby panda is adorable!
    5. Think globally. Many zoos and aquariums are a small piece in a very big puzzle working together to end extinction. Do your research and check out their website. I bet your local zoo or aquarium is affiliated with a much larger global organization that could use your help too. For example, the Tiger Conservation Campaign was started by the Minnesota Zoo, but is supported by many other zoos.   
    Whatever you decide to do, know that you are making a difference for the animals. 

  • Dylan made a difference in 2013!

    As 2013 comes to an end, I can’t help but think about everything Dylan did this year. Reading for Wildlife, adopting animals, volunteering his time at the Safari Park Half Marathon, hosting his own summer camp, raising almost $1,000 for the Snow leopards and Amur leopards, and most importantly … creating awareness for all endangered species.

    The year was filled with philanthropy, conservation, and making a difference. Thank you for letting us share our journey with you. We hope you come along for the ride again in 2014!

  • How you can make a difference and have fun at the same time

    So often I hear people say that they don’t know how to help or they don’t have the time to do a big fundraiser.  They say the small amount they have to give wouldn’t make a difference, so why bother. Well, this is where I usually get on my soapbox and start talking about how one person can make a difference and that you don’t need to give thousands of dollars to help save endangered wildlife or the habitats they live in.

    My family is by no means wealthy. In fact, for many years we lived paycheck to paycheck – just barely getting by. However, I always managed to do something to make a difference, even if it was only recycling the cans and water bottles we used. It was better than them ending up in a landfill right? As I learned to stick to a budget, I was able to give more monetarily. Still not a lot, but something. It felt good to give and know that I was making a difference and helping to save an endangered animal. I taught these values to my son and as you may know, he has become quite the little philanthropist.

    Making a difference in the world can be fun too – Just get creative!

    Dylan currently has three different San Diego Zoo Global fundraisers going on and I was getting very confused with what money went where, so we grabbed some jars (re-purposed from our kitchen), some mailing labels and our Sharpie pens. Not only do the jars make it easier to keep the money separated, but they make us smile and look pretty darn cool on the counter!

    Cans for Critters is a recycling fundraiser that will help Dylan meet his conservation requirement for Cub Scouts. All the money he gets from recycling gets put in this jar for the critters.

    Animal Care Wish List is a monthly list of wishes from the keepers at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park for the animals. Sometimes it’s feeding the animals, buying special toys for animal enrichment, or helping the conservation projects around the world. This jar collects all of our spare change and pays for monthly items on the wish list.

    I Read for Wildlife is the latest and greatest fundraiser where Dylan has promised to read 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts in 100 days. Money from his sponsors or that he has raised gets put in this jar.

    Now that you see how easy (and fun) it can be to help endangered species, what will you do to make a difference? Will you start a fundraising jar?

    Remember, there is no time limit and no rule that says you need to raise thousands of dollars. Find something that you are passionate about and start saving your spare change. Coins add up quickly and many items on the Animal Care Wish List cost less than $10.

    EVERYONE can make a difference – YOU just need to pick a day to start – Why not TODAY?

  • Endangered Species Monday – Making a Difference with Social Media

    When most people think of social media, the first things that come to mind are Facebook and Twitter. However, there is another platform that is quickly creating a stir within social media circles – Google Plus

    I will be the first to admit that when Google Plus first came about I was skeptical. What was wrong with Facebook? All my friends were on Facebook so why switch to something new where I didn’t know anyone … makes sense right? Well, I created my profile and then really didn’t do much.

    Recently I have become very, how do I say this – bored? frustrated? over it? with Facebook.
    Sure I like seeing pictures of my friends kids, but Facebook seems to have become one big advertisement or sponsored post.

    I want to be informed. I want to interact with people that have the same interests as me. People from all over the world who have the same aspirations and concerns as I do about conservation. The answer – Google Plus communities. I can’t say enough about how wonderful these communities are. The interaction between people is so much more than what I have experienced on Facebook and the people seem genuinely concerned about the topics.

    My favorite community was started by +Rick Schwartz and it is all about conservation, endangered species, making a difference, and more. The community is called Conservation: It’s about Making A Difference and I can tell you that it is doing just that.

    Social media is so much more than a tweet of 140 characters or a status update on Facebook. Thanks to Google Plus I have found a new means of creating awareness and making a difference. I still love getting news through my twitter account and sharing stories there – I mean the power of a re-tweet is undeniable in making a difference for endangered animals.

    I’m not ready to leave Facebook completely, but I am definitely spending less time there and more time on Google Plus.

    If you’re on Google Plus you can find my profile here. Circle me and let’s connect.

  • 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.

  • I ignited a spark and now I want more

    After almost a year of talking about conservation and writing about how we can all make a difference, I finally saw that spark in someone’s eye. You know, that spark you see when something you said or did made another person think hey, I can do this too.

    The best part about this story – the spark I saw was in a child’s eye.

    A few weeks before Christmas a friend of mine told me that her son Riley (5 yrs old) saw a World Wildlife Commercial about saving the tigers and that he wanted to help save them, but he didn’t want to have to touch them. When I heard this I knew what I had to do.

    I would adopt Riley a tiger from the San Diego Zoo and give it to him as a Christmas gift. This way he could help save the tigers.

    Riley was so excited when we gave him his tiger. We told him that his name was Christopher from the San Diego Zoo and by adopting Christopher he was helping to save the tigers.

    Now Riley has a very special friend named Bear. Bear has been with Riley since the day he was born. Bear goes everywhere with Riley and there was a day not too long ago that Riley thought he had lost Bear. His Dad captured this beautiful image filled with emotion and a child’s love for an animal. So you are probably thinking what does Bear have to do with the tiger? Well, I had to let you know just how special Bear was for you to understand how special it was when I found out that Christopher (tiger) was traveling alongside Bear.

    Not only was Christopher hanging out with Riley and Bear, but Riley was telling people about his Mommy’s friend who adopted the tiger for him so that he could help save the tigers. A 5 year old boy creating awareness about the plight of the tigers as a result of something I did … you bet I’m on cloud nine!

    Oh, and he sleeps with Riley too.

    I’ve said before that educating children will change the world and when a child starts telling his friends and family about saving the tigers, well that just makes me more confident that I am doing something right. Riley brought Christopher to school today for share day. This, this is what it’s all about.

    iPhone pictures from today

    When I shared the news about Riley and his newly adopted tiger with a friend of mine he said, “Be careful … That feeling, the one you got when you saw that spark ignite because of you, it’s addictive.”

    Man was he right – I love it and want more! Every time Riley’s parents post a new picture and I see Christopher right there with him I get that feeling all over again. Riley is making a difference for the tigers by telling his friends about his adopted tiger and I am so proud of him.

    This is what I want from life – I want to make a difference and inspire others to do the same.

    Thank you Desi and Tammy for providing the pictures.

  • My hopes and wishes for making a difference in 2013

    I woke up this morning with a feeling of inner peace and complete calmness. The house was quiet and still. The first thing I did was open the blinds and look up to the sky. Good morning 2013 … I think we’re going to do some amazing things together. The sky was beautiful.

    I am ready to take on the new year with an attitude unlike those of the past. I’m not sure what happened last night, but somehow we said goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013 as if we were in a bubble with nature. We took a walk down to the bay to watch the final sunset of 2012. Cameras in hand, we were exactly where we wanted to be – with Mother Nature.

    It was as if time was standing still. The air was crisp and the water was glassy. Patches of frost lay along the banks of the bay. The sun reflected on the water giving it a rosy glow. The view took my breath away.

    About this time last year I made some New Year Wishes (because I can never keep resolutions) and recently went back to read them – you know to see how I did. I  must say that I am quite proud of myself. I was able to make 4 of my 5 New Year Wishes come true in 2012. I found the time to read more and get my photographs organized. I think it is safe to say that I stopped worrying about what others think and I have definitely learned some new things. Why just last week I taught myself how to knit. The decorating bug never did bite me, but the photography bug sure did!

    Since I was so successful at making my wishes come true in 2012, I think I will make five New Year Wishes for 2013. Maybe this time I can make all of them come true.

    1. Spend more time outdoors with my camera photographing the world around me. Not just trips to San Diego, but trips everywhere. Day trips up the coast or to the mountains with one thing in mind – to take lots of pictures. 
    2. Volunteer my time at local non-profit organizations. I need to feel like I am doing something that helps the environment and this is one way that I can do it. Some places may even let Dylan volunteer with me.
    3. Continue to read more, explore more, and keep learning more.
    4. Spend more time relaxing and enjoying life and less time stressing about what needs to be done. Less deadlines and more impromptu activities.
    5. Do something that makes a difference everyday because like +Rick Schwartz said, Today, like everyday, presents an opportunity for you to Make a Difference. 
    Dylan and I plan on doing some amazing things in 2013 – we hope you will come along for the ride.
    Happy New Year!