Party for Manatees!
SMC members make their occasions special for manatees
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| Jared Jory-Geiger (center front) asked guests at his 12th birthday party to Adopt-A-Manatee or donate to Save the Manatee Club in lieu of getting presents. He was able to raise $1,000 for the Club! He also designed original manatee artwork for the party (at right). (Photo courtesy Teri Jory) |
What happens when you combine kids, creativity, friends, and a love of manatees? It’s time to party! Meet two special Save the Manatee Club members and learn how they generously turned special occasions into an opportunity to help an endangered species:
Jared Jory-Geiger is a 6th grader who lives in Southern California with his twin sister, mom, dad, and four dogs. One of his greatest passions is his love for manatees, so when he turned 12 last summer, he decided to use his birthday party to help them.
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Jared blows out the candles on his birthday cake.
(Photo courtesy Teri Jory)
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Jared designed original manatee artwork that was used to create the cake design,
T-shirts, thank you notes, and other items for the party, which was held at a local roller rink. In addition to skating, his guests enjoyed activities such as creating dog tags, making build-a-bear stuffed animals, and posing for caricature drawings. Jared asked his friends to Adopt-A-Manatee or donate to Save the Manatee Club in lieu of getting presents, and he was able to raise more than $1,000 for manatee protection efforts!
“People always ask, ‘Where did Jared’s love of manatees come from?" says Jared’s mom Teri. “He first learned about them when a friend gave him a stuffed toy manatee for his 4th birthday. Jared didn’t know too much about manatees, so I got him some manatee books and we read them together. He loved the fact that manatees are kind and gentle and never get mad. He didn’t like that people harm them with their boats, and he became determined to help them.”
In addition to raising funds for manatee protection, Jared created a charity business project for manatees in his 5th grade class, and he introduced the manatee educational unit that is now part of his school’s 4th grade curriculum.
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(l-r) Alix Kohrs, her brother Zane, and sister Andie model their tie dyed manatee T-shirts. (Photo courtesy Alix Kohrs)
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Alix Kohrs, a 15-year-old from Texas, also took an opportunity from an annual family gathering to educate others about manatees, raise funds, and have fun at the same time.
“Each summer, our family has a big Tie Dye Party where we invite our friends to come to our house, tie dye a shirt or whatever they choose, have lunch, and swim,” says Alix. “It is always so much fun and the highlight of our summer. This year, it was our 10th annual party, so in order to make it special, I decided to have a manatee theme.”
Along with the party invitation, Alix sent a letter providing information on manatees. Her family created a special logo and her parents paid for shirts with the logo printed on them. By giving the shirts out to guests who donated $25 or more, the Kohrs family was able to raise $350 to donate to Save the Manatee Club.
“I have been interested in manatees for many years and even came to Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park in Florida to see then when I was younger,” says Alix. “I hope the money will be helpful in manatee research or whatever the Club needs it for.”
“We are truly grateful for the funds we have received from Jared and Alix and also for the work they have done in their community to help educate others about manatees,” says Patrick Rose, Executive Director for Save the Manatee Club. “We are always touched by the love that people – especially children – have for manatees, and we are continually amazed at what kids can do when they work to help change our world for the better.”
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| The logo the Kohrs family created for their Tie Dye party. (Image courtesy Alix Kohrs) |
| Throw a Manatee Party! |
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It's easy when you start with Save the Manatee Club's Party Pack, which comes with invitations and thank you notes, and gifts for your guests. The deluxe pack also includes plush manatee toys.
Basic Party Pack $31.95
Deluxe Party Pack $81.95
Check it out!
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