UPDATE (8/23):  A $25 donation was made in my honor on August 22, 2014, raising the total amount of funds raised (see below)!

Hello everyone.  First, let me begin by saying thank you to everyone who supported Cause an Uproar, The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and Save the Elephants this week, in honor of my birthday.  Last year, we raised a total of $175 for wildlife conservation.  It was my goal to exceed that amount – and I’m happy to announce – we did!  See what we raised per charity, then see the total below.

Cause an Uproar – for National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative, between three confirmed donations, we raised $55!  Last Sunday, I vowed to donate 25% of my income – however, a slow day meant an actual donation of 50% ($20) to commemorate World Lion Day!

The David Shedlrick Wildlife Trust – for the Kenyan orphanage run by world renowned author and environmentalist Dame Daphne Sheldrick, between three confirmed donations, we raised $100, including the fostering of an elephant orphan!  As a gift to myself, I made a $50 donation on Wednesday to foster Rorogoi, a beautiful elephant orphan rescued by the trust in 2012. A milk-dependent Rorogoi survived for over a month on her own and found refuge on a compassionate farmer’s land before her rescue.  Born August 10, 2012 (the would-be birthday of my Grandmother), she touched a special place in my heart and I’m extremely proud to be part of Rorogoi’s journey moving forward!

Save the Elephants – Save the Elephants is a notable charity because 100% of donated funds are transferred to the field.  So the money we raised, $125 between three confirmed donations, goes directly to the front-line in the battle against the Ivory Trade.

That’s a grand total of $280 raised to save elephants and big cats!  Oh, and there’s one other thing I forgot to mention – I’ve been vocal on social media (notably twitter) this week about these causes.  I tagged The Olive Garden in one of my tweets this week – and have captured their attention.  They’re interested to learn more about saving big cats and elephants.  This coming week (Tuesday, August 19), I’ll be discussing my goal and these causes with Olive Garden’s media relations!

Again, THANK YOU all!  Together, we are helping to make this world a better place for our majestic and iconic cohabitants of our planet.