"Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." Jane Goodall

In my roundtable discussion I will provide examples of individuals who have improved their local environment, contributed to the wellness of themselves, others and animals, and in doing so, created a healthier community that became involved in the cause. As I speak of my examples, I will encourage the discussion participants to talk of people they know who are working to improve their community through helping the environment and creating a sense of wellness. I would like the group to brainstorm ideas so the people in the discussion may improve their own local environment, wellness and community. Examples I will discuss are Jack Ewing who reforested a portion of ranch land in Costa Rica and in doing so, gave the local community a sense of self worth in the natural world. Jack has published two books: Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate, Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica; Where Tapirs and Jaguars Once Roamed, Ever-Evolving Costa Rica. He is published monthly in Queptolandia and Ballena Tales. I will show a film: "Regrowing Paradise; The Jack Ewing Story".Ila Loetscher, who once flew with Amelia Earhart and the 99's, opened her home and heart to endangered sea turtles in need of rescue on South Padre Island, Texas and inspired others in the cause so today we have Sea Turtle Inc, an internationally recognized non profit, run mostly by volunteers who rescue hundreds of sea turtles each year. I will show a film that chronicles the history of Sea Turtle Inc, Ila Loetscher and her successor, Jeff George. If time permits, I will tell of Environmental Studies students of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who ran semester long campaigns that inspired elementary school children to be kinder to animals in their community; they also contributed to a charity in Mexico, our next-door neighbor, that trys to cure children with cancer. 

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