Archive for March, 2011



I met this wonderful girl named Kennedy from one of my school presentations! Kennedy makes bookmarks and sells them to purchase school supplies for orphans. I visited her and asked her some questions about her project, HOPE – Helping Orphans Planet Earth. Here are my questions and her responses:

C:  How did you get started?

K:  After you visited my school and shared all the awesome things that you are doing by helping sea turtles, I decided I wanted to do SOMETHING to help make the world a better place, too. I just wasn’t sure what that was. Around Thanksgiving, I learned that I would be getting a new cousin, a six year-old orphaned boy from China. I was told that he didn’t have a mom and dad and I thought that was sad. I soon had a dream and awoke knowing what I was going to do… I was going to help orphans all over the world.

C:  How did you find a place to donate the money/supplies to?

K:  My mom and I researched different groups on the internet. I found Develop Africa and learned of their school supply drive. I thought that was something people my age could appreciate – having pencils and paper to use at school. So I decided to use all my proceeds to purchase school supplies for an African Village (Develop Africa has informed me that my school supplies are going to a school in Sierra Leon). I hope to have a school supply drive next year at my school.

C:  What’s your favorite part of HOPE?

K:  I really love being creative and making the  bookmarks. I also love thinking about the reaction of the children when they receive the school supplies!

Great job, Kennedy! You are making a difference! Contact Kennedy for more information on her bookmarks at .

National Week of the Ocean encourages activities to create awareness of the oceans. This national observance is April 3-9. We’re kicking it off with a 10k/5k Trail Run & Nature Walk along with a Great Bake for Oceans’ Sake bake sale.

I gave my sea turtle presentation to a youth group last night – what a fun group! Afterwards, we had dinner together and I shared turtle sugar cookies that I baked for them.

I’m baking turtle cookies for a presentation to a youth group tonight.

There will be turtle cookies for sale on race day – Great Bake for Oceans’ Sake event!

March 22 is World Water Day. This year’s theme is Water For Cities: Responding To The Urban Challenge. What will you do to help make a difference?

According to the Chinese calendar, this is the Year of the Hare. However, American conservationists have identified this as the Year of the Turtle. This is an important opportunity to recognize the dangers facing these slow-moving, shelled reptiles and help educate the public.

Handcrafted, stained glass medals for the Love A Sea Turtle Trail Run winners!

I’ll be kicking off the Great Bake for Oceans’ Sake in April and featuring ocean conservation organizations that need our help to protect the oceans and marine life. You can make a difference by holding a bake sale in your own community!

While I was in DC, I spoke to 100 fifth grade students at Waples Mill Elementary. They were awesome! I showed them my sea turtle slideshow, told them about upcoming events and they shared some of their turtle stories and asked important questions. Afterwards, they asked me for my autograph! My hand was hurting by the end of that. I was glad that I got to see Mr. Duffy and his daughter, Susan.