When Olivia Bouler heard about the Gulf oil spill and how the oil was harming wildlife, she cried. Then, after getting all her tears out, she got to work. She wrote a letter to the Audubon Society, asking how she could help. In the letter, she included a drawing she did of a bird. The Society liked the bird and told her that she should sell her drawings in exchange for donations for charity. She agreed, and now this fifth-grade girl has raised $70,000 to help with bird rescue in the Gulf of Mexico regions affected by the oil spill.
“I’ve always told students you can make a difference, and I pretty much believed it,” says Olivia’s mother, Nadine Bouler. “But now I know it is truly possible.” The Audubon Society plans to use the money to clean up and rehab injured birds, then move them to Florida and release them in a safer location. A little hard work and creativity goes a long way, doesn’t it?
To spare Olivia’s hands and time, the first 500 donors got hand-drawn pictures, and the rest receive prints. You can find out more information by checking out Olivia’s Bird Illustrations on Facebook. Judging by the above drawing, this girl has a future as an ornithologist. I can’t draw that well now!
Tags: Olivia Bouler, 11-year-old raises k for charity, Gulf Coast oil spill, Audubon Society, Long Island, New York, unusual charities, fundraisers, girl sells pictures of birds to raise money for charity, Nadine Bouler, oil-soaked bird rescue
