Local Girl Sells Artwork for Donations to Buttonwood Park Zoo

As cool as it is to see all of these adults doing kind things during the coronavirus emergency, I think it's way more amazing to see little kids recognize that doing something nice for the community during difficult times is important.

Harlow Urban lives in Somerset and her family has a membership to the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Her mom, Bre'anna Rousseau, told us that they received an email from the zoo requesting donations. Harlow overheard the conversation about it wanted to help.

She decided to sell her custom artwork to help raise money for them. We asked her why she wanted to support the zoo and she said, "I love animals so much and I never want them to get sick and be hungry and I want them to stay alive and happy forever.” She posted this sign on a table outside of her house:

"Hi! My name is Harlow and I'm 5 years old. I hope you love my drawings. Please donate anything. You can even just donate just the change in your pocket. Other ways to donate: Buy a zoo membership or donate online at BPZoo.org. Thank you!"

Rousseau supported her daughter's ambition and attempt to bring joy to others. "She loves spreading joy with her drawings and we are so proud of her. My boyfriend is a nurse at a local hospital and we are doing our part for him and everyone else by staying at home and social distancing," said Rousseau. "We tried to set this up in a way that people didn’t feel obligated to donate, as everyone is on hard times, but they could drop some change in the box and pick a drawing off of the table to take home.

Harlow's mom posted an update on her Facebook page on  Saturday, March 28. "A giant THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by, donated and shared! Together, we raised $77.55 for Buttonwood Park Zoo today!"

Buttonwood Park Zoo posted this photo on its Facebook page on Sunday, March 29 and thanked Harlow for her kindness. "Amidst this crisis, it is stories and actions like this that get us by. Our community is so very important to us and it's heartwarming to hear that our community loves us back. According to mom, 'She loves spreading joy through her drawings and helping when she can. Thank you! And give all of the animals virtual snuggles."