Escape to Chimp Eden

Escape to Chimp Eden
Courtesy Animal Planet/Discovery Comm,

Friday, July 18, 2008

Is That the Bugle Tones of the Cavalry?

I am back home in Coral Springs, FL (northwest of Ft. Lauderdale) after a few days in Key West. Did you know that if you're driving south in the eastern U.S. on I-95, then on to U.S. Route 1, Key West is the southernmost tip you can reach? But I digress...

After our last post earlier this week, I heard from a wonderful lady named Theresa. She is a member of "ChimpNet" which is part of the http://www.chimpeden.com/ web site of the Jane Goodall Institute. Thanks to a
"Google Alert" our blog has come to the attention of the many members of "ChimpNet"
who are getting on board to help our cause. So to Theresa and members of the "ChimpNet"
team, many thanks for your support and your efforts.

If you're just joining us, those efforts are quite clear and concise. We are NOT asking
for money or cash. Rather we are contacting fire apparatus manufacturers and
people of "renown," i.e. Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah, Jay Leno, Gene Simmons, etc.,
asking them too, to write to anyone who can help us procure the donation of one, rather
small, "brush truck" fire apparatus, so that Ms. Goodall, Eugene, Philippe and all the humans,
as well as the chimps and other animals at the Institute stand a chance in beating back
a fire.

I will be adding a few more links later today. Please make sure you write either an email
or a "snail mail" and add your voice to the cause.

Till next time...

Monday, July 14, 2008

SAVE CHIMP EDEN FROM FIRE!: Attention!!#links

SAVE CHIMP EDEN FROM FIRE!: Attention!!#links
http://www.piercemfg.com/Home.html
http://www.e-one.com/
http://www.ferrarafire.com/
http://www.smeal.com/
http://www.fama.org/
http://www.crimson-fire.com/crimson/default.asp
http://www.americanlafrance.com/

Attention!!

It is July 14th and I happen to be on a mini-vacation in Key West, FL. We (my lovely wife & I) were supposed to go fishing this morning, but in Florida, Mother Nature rules all. A brief but powerful rainstorm delayed our departure and then 90 minutes later, a large thunderstorm cell moved in and we headed back to our hotel. (More info about the above will be found at my personal blog, http://greenesaga.blogspot.com/)

Naturally I bought along some reading material, including the latest edition of Firehouse(R) magazine. I've been a long-standing subscriber for almost the entire span since I first joined a volunteer fire department in 1977. When I began this campaign to help Chimp Eden, I emailed a "letter to the Editor" at the magazine. I quickly received a very courteous and professional response that asked me if it could be used editorially. I quickly agreed. Now bear in mind, Firehouse(R) received numerous letters every month and I assume, due to space requirements only prints a very few.

When we returned to the hotel this morning, I grabbed the magazine, plopped myself down into a chair and began to read. There, at the head of the letters column was my story about Chimp Eden and the plea for assistance. So to Firehouse(R) Magazine, its long-time editor, Harvey Eisner (himself, a volunteer firefighter for many years) and to the entire editorial staff at Cygnus Business Publishing, a big thank you for supporting this very important cause.

At this juncture, it appears that I must make one point absolutely clear: We are NOT soliciting, requesting, begging, etc., for ANY donations! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ATTEMPT IN ANY WAY TO SEND US MONEY! WE ARE NOT SEEKING PUBLIC FUNDS IN ANY MANNER, FOR THIS PROJECT! Get it?

So, you must be asking yourself, "If he doesn't want money, what does this crazy guy want?"

What I want and desperately need, is your help and assistance. I have written to all the major manufacturers of fire apparatus in the U.S. and in South Africa. And I am sure that most of my emails were met with a quick press of the "delete" key. But there is power in numbers and position (rank).

You do not even have to invest in postage (at least, not yet!). All we are asking for is for you to read through this site and send an email to the various manufacturers listed. Just the fact that Firehouse(R) and Cygnus have provided us with this exposure and wonderful and a great boost to this campaign.

In this age when the average family sees the need for one or both parents to work two jobs just to get by, the price of oil and gas soaring so high that many folks are leaving their "four-wheeler" at home, but many large corporations are making unheard of billions of dollars in profits, it's time to put some of those profits to better use than lining pockets. What better way than to truly live up to the standards advertised in every edition of "Firehouse(R) and every other industry magazine, and help this campaign provide a small, yet effective, brush truck that will save lives and property for many, who have no way of saving themselves.

A year ago, fans of the television show, "JERICHO" were so outraged that the show was canceled after just one season, without any resolution, that they organized a massive online campaign and sent over FOUR TONS of peanuts to the CBS offices in New York and Hollywood (most of which were donated to our brave men and women fighting overseas).

Now, I am not asking you to bombard these vehicle manufacturers with old boots, hose and turnout gear. I AM asking you to invest a few minutes to learn all about Chimp Eden and the TV show, "Escape to Chimp Eden(R)" on Discovery's Animal Planet (http://animal.discovery.com/tv/chimp-eden/chimp-eden.html), write some emails to the manufacturers and talk it up with your family and friends.

Once you learn about The Jane Goodall Institute and Chimp Eden and watch a few episodes of the show (Animal Planet posts a TV schedule on the website), you too will want to join this very important effort. Listen, we're the crazy ones, right? We run in when everybody else is running out. Once on scene, we do everything possible to save lives and property, often with the ultimate cost. This is your chance to perform those same tasks without taking a step close to any fire emergency. Please remember that we're not talking about just saving the lives of the chimps, but also of the many people who live in and work at the Institute, as well as countless other wildlife that has been brought to the Sanctuary for various reasons.

Listen, I know, because I've been there. Then men and women of the fire/rescue service of every single country are some of the best people in the world. When someone needs help, we show up. We fix, we repair, we replace, we install, we comfort, we cry, we laugh, we care.

Please, please, help us now. I'm sounding your pager; I'm ringing your alarm bell. I'm toning your alerts. It's time to respond. Together. Thank you.

Pierce Brush Truck

Pierce Brush Truck
Pierce Brush Truck