My name is Joe Kirkham  (Kirk-um)  and I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I love animals and nature. Ever since I was a baby I would always carry those little plastic animals with me. Instead of a security blanket or a stuffed animal, I had to have my “guys” with me. I called them “guys.” I always had to have two or three in each hand, too. Sometimes I had to have three of the same animal in both hands and sometimes I had to mix them up.

For about four years now I have been trying to raise money for animal conservation. At first I tried to raise money for some of those big organizations that always ask for donations by mail and to thank me for big donations they send me return address stickers with MS JOE KIRKHAM not MR JOE KIRKHAM . Then I started to raise money for smaller places that are in Texas. I decided that those smaller places don’t get as much money as the big places — and they really need help.

My two places that I have been raising money for are The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (www.fwnaturecenter.org) and the Center for Animal Education & Research in Bridgeport, Texas (www.bigcatcare.org). You should check out these sites.

In a few days I will write more about what I have done and what I am doing now to to help the FWNC&R and CARE. I want to show you pictures and tell you some facts about these places and about animals. Right now I just wanted to introduce myself.

Talk with you soon!

Joe :^)