What the Wildthings Means to Us

        The Wildthings is a group of 9 mature, level-headed teenagers who came together for one sole purpose: to help animals in any way possible, from donating money to organizations that help injured or abused animals to volunteering for a week of the summer at the organization itself, doing chores that aren't to die for, like scrubbing dirty turtle tanks to cleaning off an unknown green liquid from the floor of a bird cage. We raise the money for our trips from hard work and determination, not from our parent's pockets. We pull together a garage sale in April and bake what seems like billions of dog biscuits for a Valentine's Sale. We also work non-stop for our Haunted House in October, practicing our lines or making sure we have enough lighting at all the stations. But no matter what we do, we somehow find a way to have fun while doing it. We are all very close and really care about the group and its members. That, I think, is what makes this group unique. If for some reason the group disappeared, we would all continue to be great friends.

           Katherine

        The Wildthings are nine Austin-based girls, all in their teens, who share a common goal. We all want to help protect wildlife, especially after all the damage that our kind have done to it already. We have been to a wolf rescue ranch, where we saw wolves that had been wrongfully taken as pets and then abused, and to a marine animal keep, where we saw turtles that had been permanently damaged by boat motors and birds stuck in or injured by human trash. All of our experiences led us to realize that damage to the Earth is not just something that happens in an environmental magazine or newspaper, as it often seems. All of our actions have consequences, many of them on the world around us. Our goal is to reverse this process of destruction as much as a small group of young girls can.

    Savannah

The Wildthings means more to me than I can even think sometimes.

        I can’t explain how much the Wildthings means to me. It doesn’t fit into words.

The Wildthings means friends who’ll call you when you’re sad.

        Everyone here comforts others and me when we’re down. If I’m crying out my eyes, or just having a bad day, I know one of my friends will try to cheer me up.

The Wildthings means helping the wildlife that was here first.

        We know that all of Earth’s creatures need to be respected and helped. We are conscientious of the environment and animals and making sure we help to clean up the mess mankind has made.

The Wildthings means people that love you no matter how weird you are.

        I can be whoever I want around my friends, and they don’t judge me. They don’t talk about me and they don’t think of me any different. They love me no matter what, even I am embarrassing.

The Wildthings means giving something back to the Earth.

        Life was the gift this Earth gave us. There is nothing we can do to repay it other than give it just a little bit more life by helping its creatures.

The Wildthings means friends that will support you forever.

        Anything I do, you will all support me. You might not agree, but won’t try to interfere with my choice. You all respect that I have to make my own decisions, even if I end up falling on my face in the end.

The Wildthings means love.

        Love of yourself. Love of your surroundings. Love of your friends. Love of your perfections. Love of your flaws. Love life in general. The Wildthings have taught me to love every aspect of life. Even the parts that seem there just to bring you down at first, I’ve learned that they are all part of life that will lead you to be a stronger person.

    Alex

        I guess what the Wildthings is is just a group of girls who love hanging out with each other but also wanted to help out animals. It's cool raising all of the money and then finally planning out our trip. It actually feels like we're contributing to something and having fun doing it. Well, long live the Wildthings!

    Micaela

        To me, the Wildthings is about many different things. First and foremost, it is about making a difference. To make a difference, you don't have to do something big, as I've learned over and over again in my experiences with the Wildthings. It really is amazing what just a group of just nine girls can do!! The Wildthings is also about preserving the environment. It's our world, and we have to keep it clean . And last, Wildthings is about relationships, not only with friends and family. We help each other, and most importantly we are always there for each other no matter what.

    Mindy

        As a teenager, my friends are one of the most important things in my life (who could have guessed?), and, all though we have tried our hardest to stay so close, we have found this impossible. Some close friends have drifted away, but new, great people have turned up as well. The one thing to pull us together is our group. Even if we don't see each other much, the trips and meetings we have are a great way to pull us together. We learn each other's quirks and personalities like they are merely another side of ourselves. We have struggled and fought, but in the end, our friendships are only strengthened.

        Not only are our friendships improved, we have learned about our surroundings, about the environment, and about nature. I have come to love animals more passionately than before, and always find myself emotionally attached to at least one of the creatures we have met. I have come home from each of our trips with a feeling of accomplishment, feeling that I have actually made a difference.

        To me, our group is not only a group of girls trying to help the environment. It is a group of friends striving to change the world.

    Leslie

        Wildthings is a group of girls all 14 and 15, who are dedicated.   Every school year, we hold many different fundraisers, which include a Haunted House in October, Valentine cookie sales in February and a HUGE multi-family garage sale in April.  With all the money we raise, usually during the first week of summer, we go on a trip to help an endangered animal.  While at a place, (usually a rescue center of some kind) we do everything from feeding the animals, to cleaning their cages to cleaning the animals themselves...  Usually sometime during the middle of the trip we get tired, or bored with some of the projects, just because we've been doing them for around 4 days, and we end up turning it into more fun than work.  But after a while, we remember why we're there, to help the animals, and as soon as that hits us again, we get back to work.  We're just a group of friends, doing what we love to do.... help animals.     

    Christina

        Wildthings is all my happy memories and all my favorite places and the best people and beautiful things worth loving: seashells, mountains, and outhouses.

    Katie

(To see an essay about our first trip that was also written by Katie, click here.)

We came, we saw, we helped.