Finley Elias Raises Money for Koala Hospital in Australia

FEATURED PHOTO: 10-year-old Finley Elias, holding the Australian flag behind her, is wearing a hoodie with the logo she designed in order to raise funds for a Koala Hospital in Australia. CREDIT: Snuggle Bunchkin Photography

Ten-year-old Lincroft resident Finley Elias, in fourth grade at Lincroft Elementary School, has raised $17,000 for the Koalas she dearly loves. Hearing about the raging fires in her mother’s native country of Australia, she wanted to help and decided to raise money for the cause.

“My Mum (that’s how you spell it in Australia) is from Australia so I have lots of family there,” said Finley. “Two of my Uncles, who are brave firefighters, were sent to fight lots of the fires. I knew about the Koalas from them, and also what I saw on the news. I have been to the Koala Hospital before, and also to an animal park called Billabong Zoo which is close to the hospital.”

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia is where Finley decided to make a donation.

“Every time we go to Australia to visit my family, we visit the Koalas at the hospital and say hi to them. We like to see when Koalas have been released back into the wild,” shared Finley. “Sometimes they have been hurt too badly and end up having to live there. One time we even adopted a little Koala that we fell in love with! You can make donations but you don’t get to bring the animal home. You cannot touch the koalas at the Koala Hospital, but you can at the Billabong Zoo because the ones there are not sick.”

In an effort to raise funds for the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Finley designed a logo for t-shirts and hoodies that represented what she felt for Koalas.

“I started with making the love heart out of the colors of fire,” explained Finley. “Then I thought of the word LOVE because I love Australia and I love Koalas. The L is a little sad Koala in a tree, the O is for the smoke and burnt land, the V is for the fire, the E is for what the earth will look like again once the fires have gone.”

The t-shirts and hoodies were sold to family and friends at first. Next, her school allowed her to sell them to the staff and students.

“My Mum, who is a teacher, asked her school district in Monroe Township if they would like to be involved. Next, Bayshore Middle School wanted to help out because of a nice teacher named Mrs. Schlank.”

Finley said everyone really loved the design, and if community support is there she would consider continuing her efforts. For now, she is grateful for all she and the community has accomplished.

“I wanted to show kindness to these gorgeous animals. They are just so cute and cuddly,” said Finley. “I felt so sad that they are not fast animals so many were not able to get away from the fires. I am so grateful to all of the people who supported my fundraiser. It tells me that there are lots of kind people in our community. I think mostly everyone loves Koalas because, well, how could you not?” Katy and Scott Elias, Finley’s parents, are pleased with their daughter’s decision to help the struggling animals.

“It’s hard to put into words how proud we are of Finley,” said Katy. “The afternoon she came to me with the design that she had worked on all day and told me she wondered if she could do something to help, just about made my heart explode with pride. Finley is determined and intuitive and has not stopped for one part of the fundraiser. She has worked for hours after school and on the weekends to make sure everything worked out. Her kindness and empathy for people and animals is evident. I think seeing Finley in this element gives us a glimpse into the young woman she will become.”

To donate directly to the Koala hospital, visit here.