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"Lots of people talk to animals,
not to many listen - that's the problem" Winnie the Pooh
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On 14 March 1998, AWRE had the privilege to
meet with the Junior League of Long Beach to provide a fun yet educational afternoon for
some of Long Beach's youth. We can't begin to describe all the good work and services the Junior League of Long Beach is providing for our community.
We were very impressed with their dedication but more important, the positive support this
non-profit organization has given to the youth of our city.
Kim, our C.E.O., started our story-telling part of the program by reading "Owl
Moon" by Jane Yolen. 
Owl Moon is a wonderful,
award-winning story suitable for all ages. It tells a tale of a young man and his father
venturing out into the winter woods on an owl-watching trip. This is a very good
story with a moral of hope. If you want to know more about this wonderful story, we
suggest checking it out from your local library. The children totally enjoyed the story
and the superb story-telling abilities of Kim; she can really make a book come to life.
When the story had concluded, she introduced Archimedes, 
a Saw Whet Owl, to our young audience. As always, the entire crowd greeted
Archimedes with a unanimous "Ahhh" followed by
silence. She seems to instill a sense of wonderment in children because she is so
cute and tiny. We explained about Archimedes, telling of her history, her species natural
habits, habitats, diets, behaviors and characteristics. We then took Archimedes from
child-to-child letting each child meet her face-to-face and answered the children's'
questions. It is always such a rewarding experience to watch the children's reactions when
they get to meet Archimedes "up close and personal". In a zoo type environment,
children see a fence, bushes, another fence and then cages that separate them from the
animal being viewed. What everyone sees at a zoo is an animal in an exhibit, not the
animal. With the AWRE experience, the children actually meet the animal and leave with the
understanding that animals are not to be feared or killed but to be cared for and
protected. This is one of AWRE's primary beliefs and part of our mission: Education
of community, especially our children. They are the key to protecting and
conserving our wildlife