HINGHAM, Mass. — Some ideas start off small and, in this case, at a young age. A 6-year-old Hingham boy concerned about koalas impacted by the Australian fires is using his heart and his hands to help.
Owen Colley showed one of our reporters how he makes the little clay koalas, his gift for a donation campaign he started to help Australian wildlife.
“Owen’s been making little clay figures for a long time,” said Caitlin Colley, Owen’s mother.
Once Owen, whose dad is from Australia, saw the fires and the devastation so many animals now face, he wanted to do something.
“It was kind of a combination of wanting to help Australian animals and already knowing how to make these clay figures,” Caitlin said.
Related: Dogs deployed to help rescue animals from wildfires devastating Australia
Owen explained how it all works:
“People buy them, then we get the money, then we give it to Australia,” he said.
The idea started off small, making those tiny koalas to raise money to help with Australian wildlife. It’s not only raised some big money, but it’s raised awareness too.
So far the koala cause has raised thousands. Owen’s mom hopes it’ll inspire other kids, just like Owen’s koala connection inspired him.
“What do you like about the Koala?” Boston 25’s John Monahan asked Owen.
“They climb and I love to climb,” he replied.
If you donate $50, you’ll get a koala. Of course, all donations are welcome. The GoFundMe page has raised more than $20,000 in just a couple of days. So far, Australia’s fires have killed more than a billion animals.
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