Eleven year-old Haley Stern, president of Kids Save Apes, had an incredible journey to Boston in May where she met Jane Goodall, our very own Mathea Levine, and James Brooks - an incredible young man who has also done so much to raise awareness and money to help save great apes (and bonobos in particular). The reason for the trip was that Haley was chosen (with James as her co-pres) to present the great work that she’s doing as a member of Jane Goodall’s youth organization, Roots & Shoots. In her own words, here is the story of Haley’s adventure:

The weekend had finally arrived - I’d be meeting James Brooks, Mathea Levine - and of course - JANE GOODALL!

My dad and I drove into Boston with all of the Kids Save Apes material. “There it is!” I called up to the front seat. “Legal Seafood!” We walked in. I had only seen small photographs of James, but he was easy to spot. He was wearing a t-shirt with a gorilla, and a Great Ape Trust baseball cap. I sat down in between James, and Mathea’s kind daughters, Isabella and Delilah. I was not used to this… and I was thinking “Wow, this trip was arranged by me!? I was the one who was the advocate and talked with Roots & Shoots, and met James, and got every one together!”

So I had my meal, Mathea signed I’m Lucy for us, and we chatted a bit longer, and James, Neil (his dad), my dad and I walked out of the restaurant thinking about our next event - the Jane Goodall lecture.

It was great!! She receieved a standing ovation before she spoke a word. Of course, we were VERY proud of her accomplishments as well, being the advocates that us kids are.

I guess I expected the lecture to be long, boring, like most talks are! But Jane blew us all away. She talked about her unique experiences and the reasons for hope. She talked about kids, and how we ought to make a difference. To sum it up - you won’t regret it.

In the morning, we had a lot of fun. We presented our projects, gave a speech, and then…..met, and took pictures with Dr. Jane. It wasn’t like meeting someone famous, it was like meeting an old friend. She signed my book “Through a Window” and we were off. It was a great moment…and I hope to meet her again in the future.

After that, we went to the Franklin Park Zoo with James and Neil. We got face to face with gorillas ( a topic that I’ve reflected on through school reports ) and wow - that changed my life. When you get to know them for a while, the bonds really show!

Over all, I had a really amazing time, and I hope to have more events like this in the future !!

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