Saints on Safari: Adventures in Conservation

We are so excited for our second Saints trip to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Isiolo, Kenya. We have an incredible group of adventurers this year. The trip will be led by me, Laura Bays, and returning chaperone Shawn Cotter. Also with us will be tour guide Kate Spencer from Honeyguide Safaris. Chase Cohen, Mackenzie Cogar, Allison Vuono, Lily Smith, Olivia Newsome, Grace Crawford, Christian Williams, and Mackie Wainstein will be traveling approximately 20 hours to Lewa, one of the oldest and most private safari venues situated at the base of Mount Kenya. Here we will go on daytime and evening game drives, visit conservancy waterfalls and canopy walks, watch tracker dog demonstrations, learn about fundraising efforts, meet the conservancy vet and research teams, explore Isiolo, deliver soccer balls, school supplies, and greeting cards from our Saints to Leparua, as well as get to know the locals. We hope you will join us on this journey by following our posts here on Saints Go Global. "I have always been passionate about wildlife protection, and I would love to have the chance to learn more about what I can do to help the cause and participate in hands-on service in order to support the movement. Additionally, the idea of connecting with the people, particularly the children, in the area struck me as a beautiful and educational opportunity that I hope to take advantage of. Through this experience, I wish to gain a greater understanding of the lives of both the people and the animals of Kenya, and I want to learn as much as I can about what I can do to help keep these precious lives safe." - Chase Cohen "I think it is important that as we go about our daily lives we stop to consider the impact on all living things of our choices and actions. Before making a purchase or tossing something aside, we need to think about how such simple acts affect the world around us. This is a simple thing but maybe the most important thing I can do to live up to supporting the Lewa Mission." -Grace Crawford "I believe that I can make a difference and support through my passion to save the animals and their homes on the earth that belongs to all of us. We cannot just watch our world lose so much of what makes it so great without stepping up to help." - Allison Vuono "It is one thing to have empathy for people and animals that are far away from our lives, but to make it something that is a personal priority to us is what really makes a difference. This support would even extend to something as simple as talking about the endangered species of Lewa with people in our school. We could show the school what the conservancy is doing by making a video that promotes the importance of protecting these animals, or by showing pictures and talking about our experience. Having more conversations about the importance of protecting these animals within our school would transform our relationship to more than just between the people that have been to Lewa, but instead it would be something that everyone in the school could relate to and care about even if they haven’t been themselves." -Mackie Wainstein "I also hope to stir my sense of wonder--by the nighttime game drives under clear, starry skies or when watching the wild animals in their natural habitat, a window into the world in its natural state, before human intervention." -Lily Smith

"May all beings, everywhere, be happy and free. And may the thoughts and actions of my own life contribute, in some way, to that happiness and to that freedom for all"