Hi!  My name is Isabel and I am an 8th grader at a K-8 New York City public school called the Manhattan School for Children.  I am also about to have a Bat Mitzvah and as is customary, I have chosen to volunteer my time for a good cause.  Specifically, I am helping to fundraise for a South American eco system tank for my school that is being overseen by New York Sun Works, a non-profit organization that builds innovative science labs in urban schools. Fauna, a pet store located in NYC, my hometown, is helping to build the tank.

Did you know that 100 acres of rainforest are being destroyed each minute to accommodate living space for humans? I am very interested in the environment and the wildlife that lives in it. Also, I want to help to raise awareness among younger generations about endangered habitats, so I thought that helping to create a South American rainforest ecosystem at my school would be a very meaningful project for me.

Up until now, my school has had a big empty tank sadly taking up space in my school’s beautiful greenhouse (which New York Sun Works also helped build). When it is completed (with the help of your generous donations, of course) there will be fish on the bottom tier of the tank, frogs on the middle tier, and a lizard(s) on the top tier, all co-existing like they would in their native habitat. It will hopefully be up and running at my school by the beginning of the school year. This will be an important asset to my school because it will help to educate my younger peers (K-5) about the dynamic South American rainforest environment and how numerous different types of wildlife are able to live in harmony with each other.