Kids like you can make a difference for wildlife and the environment. Meet some inspiring young heroes who have turned their love of animals into action! 

Addy Barrett, Ape for Gorillas

What would you do to help save an endangered species? Would you let someone throw a pie in your face? How about a whole bunch of pies? That’s what 12-year-old Addy Barrett did—all to help protect mountain gorillas.

For decades, people have destroyed the mountain gorilla’s Central African habitat and illegally hunted the big apes. Now only about 1,000 survive in the wild. Addy read a book about mountain gorillas and knew she wanted to help them. So in 2018, she started a project called Gorilla Heroes. As part of an online challenge—sort of like the “ice-bucket challenge”

from a few years ago—she and her family made a video of Addy getting “pied” in the face. In the video, she asked people to please donate money to a conservation group called the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Later, she helped her grandpa design Gorilla Heroes T-shirts. Each time someone bought a shirt, she filmed herself getting another pie in the face! People watched the videos and donated even more money. Eventually, Addy was “pied” more than 100 times!

Addy has started several conservation events and projects, but her favorite is the annual Gorilla Gala fundraiser—a party where people play games, make crafts, and learn about mountain gorillas. Altogether, Addy has raised more than $4,500 for groups that help protect gorillas. Addy hopes other kids will realize that they, too, can help gorillas. “The most important thing kids can do is tell other people about the importance of protecting these gentle giants,” says Addy. “No one is too young to make a difference.”

Meet more kid superstars!

Do you have a story to share about helping wildlife and the environment? Email us at buzz@nwf.org. We love hearing everyone’s stories, but we are able to feature only a few of them. All submissions become the property of the National Wildlife Federation.