A youth club in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is passionate about exotic animals and saving the rainforest. The club, named Wild Over Wildlife or WOW! for short, held a Howl-o-ween Ball to raise money. These dedicated young people raised $520 to save 8 acres of rainforest in Colombia! These acres are home to the endangered Cotton-top Tamarin and Colombian Spider Monkey, species that desperately need help.

The Howl-o-ween Ball was a scary good time, as children dressed in Halloween costumes donated money toward their cause and had a chance to pet and hold beautiful birds.

Landon and Derek Petrisko began the club several years ago out of a concern for exotic animals. The club is supervised by Landon and Derek’s mom, Dana Fahey, a zoologist herself. WOW!’s goal is to educate the youth of Ft. Lauderdale about the need to save rainforests. The club also raises awareness about exotic pets. WOW! has worked with wildlife professionals to find homes for homeless or surrendered exotic pets, like a kinkajou and a sun conure.

WOW! chose Rainforest Trust to receive the money raised by these devoted youth because of its 4-star rating on Charity Navigator.

“While our funds are not that much, they did come from elementary-aged children’s piggy banks, so I do feel a huge sense of responsibility to be sure the money is not misused,” said Dana Fahey about the decision to select Rainforest Trust.

Watch for future updates on WOW! activities as they have plans for holiday events to continue their mission to save rainforest forever!