For her donation recipient, Jennifer chose SaveNature.org in honor of her friend Illena Clifford Takahashi, who passed from cancer this past year.
“I met Illena at Psychic Horizons, a school for meditation and psychic healing in the Mission district. I loved her honesty and kindness. We became friends and did things together like going to art openings, listening to live music and dancing. When she was diagnosed with cancer, I never really understood how severe it was. I was dismayed to read her husband’s announcement on social media of her passing. He wrote that any remembrances of Illena be contributions to SaveNature.org where she had worked as an environment educator.”
SaveNature.org believes that we all have a stake in the future, and that only by working together can we give people hope, keep wildlife wild and conserve nature for the benefit of all humanity. Their mission is to create awareness and inspire participation in the preservation of fragile ecosystems. They partner with schools, universities, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, natural history museums, and science centers worldwide, and provide opportunities for personal direct action to save the diversity of life on Earth.
Jennifer has lost three other close friends around her age to cancer in the past few years. “It’s so jarring and saddening when this happens. I wonder what I can do to keep their memories alive. At least with Illena I have her husband’s suggestion for donations in her honor to SaveNature.org. Illena was dedicated to climate justice and justice for all beings. I think she would have approved of my working for a company dedicated to the care of cats! Thank you, Tales of the Kitty, for giving me the opportunity to donate in a such a personal meaningful way.”