We are all proud of you Joris! Keep up the good work.

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Joris & Wonder, at a wildlife sanctuary in Namibia, 2014.

For as long as the family can remember, 9 year old Joris Hutchison’s favorite animal has been the cheetah. “When he was six, he was reading a book about cheetahs that mentioned that they could go extinct in our lifetime. He asked what extinct meant, and when I explained, he got very upset”, shared Carine Boekee, Joris’ Mother.

His next question was how he could help prevent this from happening. With the support of his Mother, Joris found several organizations in Africa focused on cheetah conservation and he began fundraising.

Joris has sold lemonade, hosted a rollerskating fundraiser, and sold t-shirts. These are just a few examples of how the Cascadia Elementary fourth grader has worked to raise funds. In 2014, the year Joris began fundraising, he raised nearly $1800.  In 2015, he raised $2800 and in 2016 he raised $3100.  All the money benefiting cheetah conservation.

This year, Joris is starting his fundraising campaign right here in Ballard’s West Woodland neighborhood.  His family is hosting a yard sale at 957 NW 63rd Street on Saturday, February 25 from 1:30pm – 5pm and Sunday, February 26 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

“Donations are also accepted. If you have a donation pile you’ve been meaning to get rid off, you can drop it off here. You’ll receive a tax receipt and your donation is tax deductible, just like dropping it off at Goodwill.” shared Carine. “No furniture, monitors or large appliances are accepted though.”

All funds raised will fully and directly benefit www.naankuse.com

In 2016, Joris was one of the Action for Nature Young Eco-Hero Award finalists and flew to San Francisco to make a speech about cheetah conservation, which you can watch below.