Advocacy has no age limit.
Written by Kate Gilman Williams, Youth Author & Animal Advocate
Today we introduce you to another youth change-maker, Kate Gilman Williams, who devotes most of her time with her Kids Can Save Animals initiative. Kate will tell you in her own words below, what this is all about. Thank you for sharing your story with us today Kate, so more children can think about ways that kids can save animals too!
My name is Kate Gilman Williams. I am 10-years-old and live in Austin, Texas. I will be in 5th grade this school year. When I was 7, I traveled to South Africa and met an incredible safari guide named Michelle. Michelle taught me so many things about animals. She also told me that humans were the biggest threat to animals, causing many of them to be endangered and even face extinction!
When I came home from Africa, I was determined to do something to help. I asked Michelle if she would write a book with me, and she said yes! We exchanged cross-continental emails for months. These emails became our book called, “Let’s Go On Safari!” Today, I am the youngest author in history to launch a global title that is 100 percent philanthropic!
The goal of my book is to raise money for African animals and to inspire kids to take ACTION to save wildlife and wild spaces. You see… every single time a kid buys “Let’s Go On Safari,” they make an automatic contribution to save animals. ALL sales (not just royalties) from my book support: The Jane Goodall Institute, The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Global Wildlife Conservation! When I delivered the checks you see below (representing the first 6 months of sales) to my conservation partners in February of 2020…it’s important to know that I did not raise this money…KIDS ACROSS AMERICA raised this money!
You can purchase a hard copy of my book on Amazon or you can download the book on your kindle. Links can be found on my website: www.kidscansaveanimals.com
Advocacy has no age limit!
YOU can be an animal advocate too!
Launch a campaign at your school!
Kate Gilman Williams, Youth Author & Animal Advocate
When fires broke out in Australia and killed 1 billion animals, I raced at the beginning of 2020 to figure out a way for kids my age to help. With the belief that “quarters can add up quickly,” I launched a campaign at my school called “Quarters For Koalas.” With a $1000 kick-off donation from Emmy-Award Winning Actress, Debra Messing, I inspired kids at my school to raise $4,671.40 for The Adelaide Koala Rescue. My Marketing Director at “Kids Can Save Animals,” Magdalene Ryan, also got her school involved and they raised over $2,000!
I was supposed to travel to Australia in March and hand-deliver the check to The Adelaide Koala Rescue AND visit the fire devastation on Kangaroo Island first hand. Unfortunately, this trip was postponed for safety reasons due to the Corona Virus. But we didn’t let a pandemic stop us from making a huge impact for koalas! We sent all of the money to them via their website. I will be traveling to Australia in the future to visit the koalas that we donated to, AND I get to fly drones on Kangaroo Island to help determine healthy habitat areas that are re-growing after the fires!
When schools resume to “normal” I hope more kids will launch a Quarters For Koalas Campaign. My website offers all of the tools (including a presentation on how climate change made these fires so devastating) to help any advocate get started! You can research and pick any organization that works to rescue, rehabilitate and release koalas!
Here is a video that highlights how we launched Quarters For Koalas!
MORE ABOUT KATE!
Kate Gilman Williams is a 10 year old published author. She is also an actor with representation with Allegory Creative Talent. She is also an animal advocate and is the founder of Kids Can Save Animals & Quarters For Koalas. To date, she has raised for $20,000.00 for her causes! You can learn more about her initiatives at www.kidscansaveanimals.com and follow her on Instagram at @kidscansaveanimals.
Thank you Kate, for inspiring us today. We look forward to following your career and to having one of our youth reviewers write about your first book, Let’s Go On Safari, soon! And here are some final words of wisdom by Kate.
“Every kid has a natural love for animals. When this love is turned into advocacy – our generation will help stop animals from going extinct! We may be young, but we are the future and our animal friends are depending on us to take action.”
Kate Gilman Williams, Youth Author & Animal Advocate
