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Jane Goodall passed away today at 91.
Aside from the waters herself, Jane Goodall was the biggest influence on me. I had the exceptional opportunity of serving on her board in Beijing, being her companion on several trips in China, and spending evenings with our feet up, sipping on the drink and telling jokes. I watched her treat every person- be it a five year old child or a high up government official- equally.
She was always Jane. She broke barriers for women, she changed the way scientists studied animals, and she developed a vast educational program for young people called Roots and Shoots. She never gave time to petty squabbles. I learned from her to be enormously flexible, always generous and kind, and to never lose track of working with our communities to preserve all aspects of the living system.
My dream is to start a small but steady grant fund in remembrance of Jane Goodall which could fund conservationists under 30 in education and research efforts. I'd like to raise 10,000 dollars every year for the next three years, awarding grants to two recipients per year. This project would be under Keepers, which is not for profit.
Please contact me if you'd like to help in any way or brainstorm this. Collaboration is the way forward. Let's see what we can do.
Much love,
Betsy Damon
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