7-year-old Olivia Richardson has dedicated her summer to helping endangered penguins.
She’s raising money to help build a habitat for African penguins at Sylvan Heights Bird Park in eastern North Carolina.
The park is home to thousands of exotic birds.
Richardson, with the help of her mom, Vanessa, has built hundreds of handcrafted bird feeders made out of popsicle sticks as gifts for donors.
“I wanted to help since I love birdies,” she said.
The Richardsons have gone through thousands of popsicle sticks.
Most of the donations that have come in have been $5 and $10, and even at those small amounts, Richardson’s managed to raise more than $2,000.
“It’s impressive,” Vanessa Richardson said. “I’ve always found Olivia fascinating, and she’s got a strong love for birds.”
Brent Lubbock, the director of operations and development at Sylvan Heights, says the Penguin Point habitat cost
“Anything I can say, I don’t think it’s going to touch the enthusiasm [Olivia] has,” Lubbock said.
Richardson was invited to hold a shovel at the exhibit’s groundbreaking in May.
“It’s impressive,” Vanessa Richardson said. “I’ve always found Olivia fascinating, and she’s got a strong love for birds.”
Brent Lubbock, the director of operations and development at Sylvan Heights, says the Penguin Point habitat cost $1 million, but they’re still raising money to expand the exhibit to include other native birds found in Africa with the penguins.
“Anything I can say, I don’t think it’s going to touch the enthusiasm [Olivia] has,” Lubbock said.
Richardson was invited to hold a shovel at the exhibit’s groundbreaking in May.
“You can make an impact,” Lubbock said. “You can actually do something that matters, and she’s doing it. It’s not just raising funds. She loves educating people about these birds.”
Richardson will have to wait until next summer to meet the penguins when the exhibit opens.
Until then, she has her two parakeets, Love and Tweeter, to keep her company at home.
“They’re just so cute and huggable,” Richardson said. “I just really love them, and they’re also very interesting to learn about.”
Richardson and her mom will next be collecting donations behind Summit Coffee in Davidson on September 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Donations can also be made through Richardson’s website at www.nutsandtwine.com.
“You can make an impact,” Lubbock said. “You can actually do something that matters, and she’s doing it. It’s not just raising funds. She loves educating people about these birds.”
Richardson will have to wait until next summer to meet the penguins when the exhibit opens.
Until then, she has her two parakeets, Love and Tweeter, to keep her company at home.
“They’re just so cute and huggable,” Richardson said. “I just really love them, and they’re also very interesting to learn about.”
Richardson and her mom will next be collecting donations behind Summit Coffee in Davidson on September 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Donations can also be made through Richardson’s website at www.nutsandtwine.com.
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