The #ISTVD2016 t-shirt campaign just ended, at it was by far our most successful campaign ever! We sold 62 shirts, raising a total of $509.99 for the Muskwa Club, Inc. and VIVA Vaquita! Also, everyone who bought a shirt now has an awesome way to spread the word about the species, and of course, the perfect shirt to wear if they host an ISTVD table next year!
I can’t thank everyone who bought shirts enough! You guys made it a great day for the Vaquita!
Want to be a part of the action for International Save the Vaquita Day 2016? Do you want to show your support for the world’s most endangered marine mammal? Do you want to raise money for the Muskwa Club and VIVA Vaquita for #ISTVD2016? Do you want a stylish, limited edition t-shirt that will make everyone around you jealous and curious about this mysterious “Vaquita”?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this campaign is the right one for you.
Only during the month of November, you can purchase a cool #ISTVD2016 t-shirt for only $19! This shirt makes a perfect gift for the holidays, or you can splurge and spoil yourself for a good cause! (Or both!) The more, the better, because if we don’t reach our goal of 50 shirts sold, the campaign will not run!
And the best part is that ALL PROFITS will go directly to the Muskwa Club, Inc. (check out our newly redesigned website) and VIVA Vaquita!
But remember, the campaign ends on November 30, and we need to reach our goal of 50 shirts, or else nobody will get them! Let’s make this ISTVD the biggest and best one yet!
Thank you and Viva Vaquita!
https://www.booster.com/international-save-the-vaquita-day-2016
I am completely shocked by the email I just received from William Whittenbury, Muskwa Club president:
“THIS JUST IN-
During the preparations for National Save the Vaquita Day this year, we reached out to President Obama, asking him to officially declare July 6 to be the National Save the Vaquita Day. While we did not receive a response on the issue, we felt it was a valuable experience to reach out to the White House.
Well…
Today we received a package addressed to Hannah (our publicity director) as “Ms. Hannah Kim, Director of Public Relations, Muskwa Club.” Guess who it was from! Inside was a card with the compliments of THE PRESIDENT as well as a copy of his official proclamation that made June 2013 World Oceans Month. While the Vaquita Day was not officially declared, the White House took the time to respond and make the connection between the Vaquita and the ocean!
So, in short, Muskwa is now recognized as an organization by the President of the United States!”
I was so excited to read this! It is obviously a huge step for Muskwa and an enormous deal for the Vaquita!
Also, today Cheryl Butner received her birthday present from Diane Glim (both of the American Cetacean Society), and guess what it was? My book! I am so thankful to both of them, and they even are purchasing 20 for the ACS’s Christmas fundraiser!
After reading the pages and some posts on this blog, you will know a few things: One, I am a kid with an obsession for a porpoise that I might never see. Two, the porpoise is extremely endangered due to entanglement in gillnets. Three, it will be gone within a few years without the removal of the nets from the only place they live, the northern Gulf of California. That’s really the most important stuff.
Next, you might be thinking, “Well, I would like to help this thing, but I don’t have much spare money, and I don’t live near where all of the cool events take place to help and learn about it. Anyway, what could I possibly do to help it when there are scientists who are actually trying?” Then you might click out of the page.
I had the exact same thoughts. Living almost as far away from it in this country as possible, I felt like I was missing out on all of the booths and fundraisers and such. I donated a few hundred bucks over the period of a year, but I knew in the back of my mind that such money is dwarfed by the already millions of dollars spent by the Mexican government. Don’t get me wrong, donations to groups like ¡Viva Vaquita! are vital, but it doesn’t always feel that way. You want to know the best way to help the Vaquita from your chair that is nowhere near Mexico, right?
The answer is social media. That’s right, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, Google Plus+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, MySpace, DeviantArt, Tumblr, WordPress, and many more. Post something about the Vaquita. Tell your friends and have them do the same. What’s better: one person donating $100, or 200 people each donating $15? Not only does the second one equal 30 times more money for the Vaquita, but 200 people, rather than one, learn about it, and it’s likely they will pass it on too.
So the next time you want to post a status update on Facebook, write about the little Mexican porpoise. As a matter of fact, do it right now. Go ahead, Facebook is waiting.
If you live in the area, join ¡Viva Vaquita! at Hula’s Island Grill and Tiki Room in Monterey, California every Monday night in April for their Mahalo Monday fundraiser! 10% of sales will go to ¡Viva Vaquita! It is open for dinner starting at 4 pm. Hope you can come!
Also, William Whittenbury from the Muskwa Club has asked me to write the script for their informational movie that will be on their YouTube channel, possibly a local news station, and maybe even on a loop in the Cabrillo Aquarium and at a Vaquita Fundraising event at the Hawaiian Waikiki Aquarium, which is still an idea in progress that the aquarium has shown much interest in. Many more ideas are also in the works, and I will update them as soon as they become official.
I just finished my first copy of my children’s book, “Vaquita.” Look for more updates soon. Also, my brother is doing a report on the Vaquita from my book. His teacher is the same one to whom I introduced the idea of a school fundraiser two years ago. Hopefully his report will refresh her interest and maybe the fundraiser idea. An idea is forming in my head about a Vaquita fundraiser (not the school one), and it might include chocolate bars. 🙂 Stay tuned.
My younger brother and sister decided to do their Elementary School Science Project on the Vaquita! I will definitely be keeping a watchful eye on them (I can’t help myself), but it should be a good learning experience for them, and more importantly, the entire school. When I was in that school in 5th Grade, I told my class about the Vaquita and gave them brochures (see ¡Viva Vaquita! website). We originally hoped to do a fundraiser, but the idea kind of drifted away. I hope this project will help teach the kids (I know I’m a kid, too) about this extremely important issue, and maybe get the fundraiser idea rolling again!
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