SAFARI Fundraiser

Image courtesy of BBC

Image courtesy of BBC

By ISABELLE FITZGIBBON ‘22

Throughout the week of February 24th, the Wildlife Conservation Club, or SAFARI, hosted a fundraiser for Australian wildlife relief. In total, they raised almost $1,000! SAFARI, Students Advocating for Animal Rights Internationally, is a Milton club led by students Madeleine Cesaretti ‘21, Olivia Dumont ‘21, and Devon Alperin ‘21. The group is dedicated to spreading awareness about wildlife conservation, animal welfare, our ecosystem, and more. Additionally, the club hopes to inspire discussion and passion in the student body. While this was the first time that SAFARI held a fundraiser for a specific cause, they have advocated for organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Animal Welfare Institute in the past. 

During the fundraiser, SAFARI had a table set up in the Student Center where students could make both cash and IA donations. The donations made will go to Wildlife Victoria, an Australia-based charity focused on helping wildlife affected by the Australian Wildfires earlier this year. To promote the fundraiser, SAFARI made an announcement at an all-school assembly, emailed the school, and hung banners in the Student Center. On top of that, SAFARI dedicated one of their meetings to presenting additional information on the fundraiser. In their presentations, the club emphasized the extremity of the bushfires and the damage they have done this year as well as the impact that donations can have. The donations that students make help support volunteers and medical centers working to help the wildlife. SAFARI shared that they are happy with the amount of donations they have received, as the amount that they have raised is higher than expected.

SAFARI decided to donate to Wildlife Victoria because their role in aiding wildlife and spreading awareness has become crucial. They provide a Wildlife Emergency Response team to help suffering animals at all hours of the day. Along with the Wildlife Emergency Response team, Wildlife Victoria promotes awareness of and creates passion for wildlife. The money raised will go toward medical supplies for wildlife shelters. SAFARI supports Wildlife Victoria because of the extreme danger that the bushfires have presented to Australia’s biodiversity. This year’s Australian bushfires have been some of the worst that the country has seen in a long time. Due to the extremity of the fires, the wildlife has suffered greatly and are in dire need of our help by donations and advocacy. 

In conversations with students, many expressed that they had already donated or were planning on donating to the fundraiser. Two of the most prominent reasons for donating were that people are passionate about the cause or are a part of SAFARI. However, some students were not able to donate due to a lack of awareness that the fundraising was happening at all. Regardless, SAFARI’s fundraiser was an overall success and allowed for students to donate towards a notable cause aiming to help Australia rebuild their wildlife after the horrific wildfires. •

Mark Pang