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Press Release : Article : Jane Goodall: Denver Colorado
The Magazine
Jane Goodall in Denver
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On the Road With Dr. Jane Goodall You barely notice the woman who has appeared quietly on stage. The lights dim and the spot light comes on and there before you stands someone you have heard about most of your life. The voice so familiar from endless PBS/National Geographic specials reminds you of simpler times. She asks for the lights to be brought up so that she can see the audience. She then greets us with a welcoming cry that any chimpanzee would understand "Ooo - Ooo -Ooo" escalating in tone and intensity. And then Dr. Jane Goodall began to wrap us in the blanket of her life by sharing her stories. |
It was the adventures of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Bourroughs, that helped to shape Jane's future life and her love of nature and wildlife. And it was the understanding of her mother who reveled in and encouraged Jane's love of curiosity and nature.
When Jane was invited to visit Kenya, she scraped together her waitress tips and set out on an adventure that was to shape the rest of her life. At 23, she unwittingly discovered her future. It was in Kenya that Jane first met Dr. Louis Leakey.
That meeting led to an apprenticeship and a three-month journey into Kenya. And it was that meeting that led to a 40-year study, the longest continuing study of one species -- chimpanzee behavior, in Tanzania's Gombe preserve. Financed by an American businessman and accompanied by her mother, Jane began the journey that we were later to experience due to the foresightedness of the National Geographic Society. As she narrated the slides she had brought, we were reminded of the stories of David Graybeard and Flo and Flint - and the other wonderful chimpanzees who we huddled around our television sets to watch and learn more about. Who ever would have thought that this one small woman could influence so much.
At this point of her life, Dr. Jane Goodall travels 300 days a year speaking endlessly to audiences such as the one at the Denver Distinguished Lecture Series presented by the Rocky Mountain News, Wells Fargo Bank, WB2 Charities and produced by Junior Achievement. Dr. Goodall speaks on behalf of the Jane Goodall Institute whose goal is to "create a more caring, sustainable world." She also speaks on behalf of her international, environmental education and humanitarian program for youth, Roots & Shoots. A program that teaches "care and respect for the environment, animals and for human kind."
Standing before us, Dr. Goodall reminded us that we are all custodians of planet earth and that by joining hands and hearts, we can make a change and live in harmony with nature. "Aren't we prepared to make a little investment in our grandchildren's future?" she asked. Her message is simple -- Each of us matters, each of us can make a difference - every single day. We must remember apathy is the enemy of hope and that we are a hopeful species.
As she reminded us that the planet does not have unlimited resources and that as human beings we must give ourselves permission to use our empowerment for the benefit of all, we came to understand that we have the ability to change our value systems from the stuff that we collect to the choice of how we live.
Indeed as she received the standing ovation from the audience many of us were commenting and reflecting on the last speaker who came to the microphone - a ten year old girl who said, "I want to be just like you. I want to travel to Kenya and help save the animals." At ten, this little girl already has her dreams in place for the future. At ten, she understands that Jane's message is one of hope and the fragility of the planet and its inhabitants. At ten, she already knows that she can make a difference.
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