Inspirational Six-Year-Old Girl Raises $226K To Save Oakland Zoo

Aug 14, 2020

In July, six-year-old Andrea "Andy" Soulard from Castro Valley launched a Facebook fundraiser to save Oakland Zoo amid the pandemic. The fundraiser has raised over $226,000 as of this writing.

A health crisis and global pandemic affected almost all businesses, and the Oakland Zoo is no exception. If people cannot get to the zoo, then there will be no revenue generation as time passes by.

Taking good care of the animals and paying the staff who dedicate to look out for the animals requires money. The courageous little Andy decided to do something when she learned that the staff would go home and leave the animals with no one to take care of them. As her seventh birthday was approaching, Andy spoke with her friends and family to donate towards the Oakland Zoo. She preferred donations instead of birthday presents.

For those who donated $25 and above, she would gift them with a homemade bracelet in return. Little did she know that the campaign would turn out soo good. To her surprise, she has raised over $226,000. Kelly is the little girl's mommy, and naturally, she is proud of her daughter. In a Facebook post, she lost words to express her joy, but she made everyone know that they were very much touched with generous support.

Even before the lockdown, Andy's family would visit the zoo often. Oakland Zoo has been going at a monthly loss of approximately two million dollars due to the scaling back of operations. Dr. Joel Parrot had communicated at the beginning of July that they were falling short of cash. He told NBC that they had about three months before ran out of money. He also mentioned that most of the zoo's revenue comes from being open to the public.

This is not the first time Andy is making an occasion for activism out her birthday. According to her interview with ABC7, for her birthday every year, she asks friends and family to donate to charities, instead of spending money buying her gifts. This exceptional year, Oakland Zoo would be the beneficiary.

"Andy loves the Oakland Zoo and was heartbroken to hear they may need to shut down permanently. She’s starting off the fundraiser by donating the $5 she received from the Tooth Fairy this week. 100% of your donations will go to the Zoo! She is also making bracelets for every donation over $25," wrote Andy's mom.

Andy raised $46,000 in the first 14 hours after a local news organization saw the video and shared it. Andy's mom says that since then, the whole activism began growing. She also clearly expressed how they are not having an easy time due to the impact their little child has created. Kelly added that there was a woman who got a bracelet and then promised to use it as Christmas tree ornament. This would act as a reminder of a great thing that happened in 2020.

You can also extend this good work of Andy by donating to the fundraiser and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones!