Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month!

Each month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.  We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. 

"The rainforest is an important element on Earth.  Its trees purify the oxygen we breathe. People get medicine from its plants.  And it gives different animals a place to live.  We should do anything we can to save it."

In honor of this year's Earth Day, our April 2003 Amazing Kid! of the Month is an amazing 13 year old environmentalist, Janine Licare, who co-founded her own non-profit organization, Kids Saving the Rainforest, along with a friend to help save the rainforest in her country, Costa Rica.

Read Janine Licare's story below and find out all the amazing activities she has been doing to make a difference in her own "backyard," the Costa Rican rainforest.  Who knows?  You may get inspired to get involved in a project that will help improve or restore the natural environment in your area too! 

And don't forget, if you, or a young person (or persons!) you know, has an amazing project you are involved in, or a special skill, talent or ability you want to tell the world about, be sure to let Amazing Kids! know about it!  Teachers are invited to nominate their entire classroom and the amazing projects they are working on too!  Simply complete a nomination form for an Amazing Kid! of the Month award, or email us! 

To all who love our planet Earth and its amazing, beautiful natural environment:  Wishing you a very happy Earth Day from all of us at Amazing Kids!!!

Table of Contents 

Amazing Janine and Kids Saving the Rainforest 
Saving Baby Animals
For More Information
Related Links

Amazing Janine Licare with a rescued baby animal

In 1999, when Janine Licare and her friend were just 9 years old, they decided they wanted to do something to help make a difference in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, where they live. Manuel Antonio is home to a national park with a large and varied animal and bird population, including 109 species of mammals and 184 of birds!  The rainforest in Manuel Antonio is in danger of being torn down for development, so the two girls decided to start their own organization to help save the native rainforest.  So they founded Kids Saving The Rainforest (KSTR), a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization. 

Because Janine's friend moved away 2 years ago, Janine, now age 13, is the sole founding member still working on the project.  But she has over 200 volunteers and students, as well as her mom, Dr. Jennifer Rice, helping her reach the goals of her organization! 

The goals of Kids Saving the Rainforest are to:

1.)  Educate children about the rainforest
2.)  Preserve and protect rainforests through the reforestation program
3.)  Ensure the survival of the critically endangered Titi monkey
4.)  Care for abandoned and injured baby animals until they can be adopted or reintroduced into the wild
 

Kids in the KSTR environmental camp,
exploring the amazing Costa Rican Rainforest

Janine has accomplished these goals by doing the following:

1.)  Working with sister schools internationally.

2.)  Hosting an environmental summer camp that has been in session each summer for the past 3 years. Janine is a junior counselor of the camp.

3.)  Creating and maintaining an educational and informative 26 page website: 
www.kidssavingtherainforest.org

4.)  Doing public relations work - The advantage of public relations is that many kids will learn about the rainforest, it's destruction,  and how they can help to save it.  Kids Saving The Rainforest headquarters is in the heart of the rainforest so that kids can see direct results of their work.

For example, Janine Licare and Kids Saving The Rainforest have been featured in the following magazines:

• National Geographic Explorer, (a two page article in the Nov/Dec 2002 issue) 
• Teen People (Janine was "Person of the Month, and headed up the "Real Life" section in the June/July 2002 issue) 
• Wild Magazine (with a full page picture of Janine on the cover --the first time ever that they had a human and not an animal on the cover! --and a 4 page article in the February 2003 issue.)
• OWL Magazine, Janine was one of three environmental heroes featured from around the world in the Oct. 2002 issue. 

National Geographic TV Channel filmed Janine Licare and Kids Saving the Rainforest for the TV show, Earth Pulse, which will be seen sometime this summer, 2003!  This show will be seen by 130 million households, in 60 countries and in 26 languages.  Be sure to watch for it!

5.)  Creating a reforestation program where 4,250 trees were planted last year, and 16,000 more will be planted in the next 2 years.

6.)  Working with the community and National Park system of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica where the only surviving Titi monkeys are.  Great strides have been accomplished in preserving the 1200 monkeys that are left, including erecting 39 monkey bridges that cross the roads so that they don't get hit by cars, nor get electrocuted by live wires.

7.)  There is a program where abandoned baby wild animals are being rehabilitated. Janine and
KSTR have rehabilitated 4 baby sloths into the wild, with 1 more in the process of release, as well as a baby kinkajou, a baby kingfisher bird, a baby crab eating raccoon, an agouti, and 2 monkeys. They have rescued and adopted out many abandoned kittens and puppies. 

8.)  KSTR has established a successful gift shop that donates 100% of its profits toward their initiatives, and the kids make some of the art work for sale, that is why it was called "The Amazing Arts Art Gallery" in the beginning and the title of the non profit organization has that name in it.  There is also an online catalog at the website: www.kidssavingtherainforest.org

9,)  KSTR has maintained an environmental library and resource center with over 1200 books

10.)  Janine and Jennifer, her mom, have published two children's books, that are educational and informative books for children. 
 

Janine hugging two rehabilitated 3 toed sloths

But Janine doesn't just excel at her work in helping save the rainforest; Janine is the number one student, academically, of all the classes in her high school, The Ecological High School of the Pacific!  She was also ranked number one academically for her last 3 years of elementary school at The Private School of Quepos.

Way to go, Janine!

Little Buddy, the first 3 toed sloth rehabilitated by Janine and Kids Saving the Rainforest

KSTR has a very successful program of saving and rehabilitating animals. Some of the baby animals they are helping include 3 toed sloths, (see photo above), baby kinkajous, baby Titi monkeys.  Titi monkeys are endangered; there's only about 1,200 of them left!

Here's what KSTR says on their website about the rehabilitation program: 

"We have rehabilitated and released 2 baby squirrels and Little Buddy, our first 3 toed sloth. We are currently rehabilitating 3 baby sloths, a baby kinkajou, and a baby parrot. We use a costly tracking collar to track the animals when they are released into the wild to assure a safe release! We also take in young abandoned domestic animals and adopt them out when healthy and neutered. We only rehabilitate young animals because of the 'kid' concept" [of Kids Saving the Rainforest].

Janine's amazing mother, Dr. Jennifer Rice, and Janine holding 
a kinkajou and a sloth they are rehabilitating 

Check out the online photo album on the KSTR website, with pictures of some of the adorable baby animals they have rehabilitated!  You can check out the baby animal photos at:  http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/newalbum/KSTRPhotoAlbum/index.html

Back to Table of Contents

For more information about Kids Saving The Rainforest, contact Janine's mother by email:

Jennifer Rice Ph.D, President of Kids Saving The Rainforest:
jennifer@kidssavingtherainforest.org

RELATED LINKS:

Kids Saving the Rainforest website: www.kidssavingtherainforest.org

Read more about Kids Saving the Rainforest on their website: http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/about.php

They have an online photo album on the KSTR website, with pictures of some of the adorable baby animals they have rehabilitated!  You can check out the baby animal photos at:  http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/newalbum/KSTRPhotoAlbum/index.html

There's also a fun kid's activity page on their website, with a kids' art gallery and activities like a "find the hidden animals" page, connect the dots, and coloring pages:  http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/kidpg.php

Your can read about the KSTR projects here: http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/projects.php

Check out their excellent Links section, with links to more information about rainforests:
http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/links.php

Want to help KSTR in their efforts to save the rainforests?  Be sure to check out their "How to Help" page, for both students and teachers: http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/howtohelp.php

Manuel Antonio National Park: http://www.manuelantoniopark.com/