A tiny human in the US is helping raise money for the recent Australian bushfires in the purest way possible. 6-year-old Owen is making mini koalas out of clay in support of the fires. His parents donate the money earned from the little koalas to the Rescue South Coast wildlife organisation.
Little Owen and his family have raised over $250,000 in under 2 weeks.
A 6-year-old from the other side of the globe is creating tiny clay koalas to raise money for Aussie bushfire relief and it’s absolutely adorable.
Owen’s family share the origins of the clay koala idea and Owen’s passion for animals. His mother told Bored Panda:
“Like so many of us when Owen first heard of the bushfires in Australia, he was devastated. He went away and drew a picture that he later told us was “a wish for Australia” – it was a picture of a koala, a kangaroo, a dingo, and rain”
Bless him.
“He’s a huge animal lover and has been making clay characters for a while, so together we thought up the clay koala and offered it to friends and family as a “thank you” for donations for bushfire-affected animals”.
Owen’s family set up an Instagram to sell the tiny koala’s, with an initial goal of $1000. Members of Owen’s extended family then shared the story with the local newspaper, compelling others in the community to donate.
“Knowing that our local community would want to donate, we set up a GoFundMe campaign with an even more ambitious goal of $5,000. And that’s when the story of a little boy doing big things started making its way across the world.”
Owen and his little koalas soon went viral, he and his family still have thousands of koalas to make. They’re still encouraging the world to contribute, “Together, we can make a big difference and we hope the clay koala serves as that reminder every day.”
I love this little boy and I love this idea. If you’re interested in donating, head on over to their Instagram page and take a look at the pictures and Owen’s handwritten letter. Trust me it’ll make you so happy.
