Hi! My name is Lily and I love Giant Pandas! I think that they are fascinating animals and their cubs are adorable! Like so many other panda-lovers, I do not want to see them go extinct. The cause of conserving Giant Pandas in their natural habitat is very important to me.

Last year, I started 7th grade. When I was tasked to create a project about a topic that I am passionate about, I jumped straight to pandas. After long hours of pondering how I would convert my love for pandas into a project, I discovered the Pennies 4 Pandas program. I set a goal of raising $350. I would try to reach my goal through two different methods of fundraising. First, I used an online platform to design and sell my own panda-themed shirts. I was so excited to see members of my community wearing my shirts and supporting the cause of protecting Giant Pandas! Thirteen weeks and 48 sales later, I had raised $270.32. But I wasn’t done yet!

The second method of fundraising that I used to raise money was donation jars. I set up four donation jars in businesses across the Lehigh Valley, and returned to check on the progress of each jar once every seven to ten days. By the time my jars were taken down around the beginning of May, they had collected $185.83.

In total, I raised $456.15, exceeding my goal by over $100! I had a great time raising money for Giant Pandas, and an even better time sharing my experiences with others when I presented my project at school!