Why Cheetahs? We Asked Paloma and Hank

Two Kids for Cheetahs on a mission to save the species!

Hank and Paloma are crazy about cheetahs. These two northern California kids are working independently to save the cheetah by holding fundraisers in their local communities. They don’t just have a love for cheetahs in common, they are also both talented budding artists who use their skills to create conservation focused art at their events. CCF is incredibly lucky to have support from kids like Paloma and Hank. If everyone shared their earnest love for cheetahs, their industrious nature, and self-determined attitudes then our job saving the species would be easy.

Hank

Aurora: How long have you been doing this event?
Hank: This was our 3rd time in 2 years.

A: What inspired you to start fundraising for the CCF? How did you get involved with the organization?
H: I just got interested in cheetahs and then I did research to find a cheetah organisation.

A: How did you advertise this event? Use of social media, posters, knocking on doors, etc.
H: We put posters up at the end of the street and e-mailed friends and neighbors.

A: What kind of items did you sell at your cafe?
H: We sold hot drinks and baked goods.

A: What item was the best seller?
H: I think it was a tie between lattes and chocolate chip cookies.

A: Was there anything different about this year’s fundraiser that you hadn’t included in the past? Any new items?
H: We added pumpkin pie cake. (Want to make pumpkin pie cake? Follow the recipe he and his mom used.)

A: What was your favorite part of this putting together this fundraiser?
H: Getting everything set up on the table.

A: How much money did you raise for this fundraiser?
H: $751.26.

A: Do you plan on doing this fundraiser again next year? If so, is there anything you hope to add to your cafe?
H: 1. Yes. 2. We’ll have to wait and see!

A: Do you have a goal or amount of money you hope to raise next year?
H: $875.

A: What are some ways that people can contribute to help save the cheetahs? For example, donating money, fundraising, spreading awareness…what are some ways people can help contribute?
H: Fundraising, doing research on cheetahs to find out how to save them.

A: What’s the most interesting thing to you about cheetahs?
H: The tear marks near their eyes.

A: What was your job during the café?
H: I was the cashier.

A: What do you like about being cashier?
H: Counting the money.

Paloma

Aurora: When did you become interested in helping out the cheetahs and how did you find out about CCF?
Paloma: When I was three years old I watched a movie about African cats and I thought they were really cool. I learned that they were endangered and it made me upset. In the movie I saw that they were beautiful and fast. It showed that the population is dropping below 10,000 and I thought “oh no, we have to keep the cheetahs around,” because they are in trouble and also I want to see a cheetah in person. I met Dr. Laurie when I saw her speak at Safari West in Santa Rosa, California.
A: How much money did this event raise?
P: $6,576.57

A: What kind of activities did you have going on at this event?
P: We had an obstacle course, face painting, pin the tail on the cheetah, cheetah masks, we sold food, we had a silent auction, and had a raffle to raise money. CCF also sold merchandise at a table there, too.

A: What was the most popular attraction with the event?
P: Definitely the merchandise. They sold the stuffed cheetahs which people paid about $100 for. I would love to do to it again, but it did cause a lot of stress on my mom. Maybe in ten years I hope to do it again ?

A: How did you advertise this event?
P: We put posters up and the school helped advertise the event. One of my mom’s friends put in on Facebook, we asked stores if we could put posters up in their windows, and Angie helped out a lot.

A: How many people came to this event?
P: About 200 people.

A: What was your favorite part of the event?
P: When Themba the cheetah came out it was super cool. Themba jumped on the table and everyone was like “woah.” It was awesome to see people interested in the cheetah.

A: Is conservation something you want to be involved with in the future?
P: I do want to go to college. I want to learn how to be a doctor like Dr. Laurie. I want to do what she does for cheetahs.

A: What is something that people could do to help save the cheetahs?
P: Donating money to CCF is the best thing people can do for cheetahs. People can run bake sales and do other fundraisers. The most important thing is to raise awareness because most people don’t know cheetahs are endangered.