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CoolieNation proudly presents the limited edition “Save What You Love, Panamanian golden frog Mask” to support the continuing efforts of the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center Foundation to keep 8 of Panama’s most critically endangered species of amphibians on the planet.
How does it work? With the purchase of this product, CoolieNation pledges 50% of the proceeds to the EVACC Foundation. You can find the mask on their website, customstylemasks.com
Situated in a dormant volcano crater in central Panama, the EVACC Foundation found business as normal change overnight when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. This year the foundation opened a nature trail, educational center and a small gift shop to help offset the costs of the project. These activities have been temporarily suspended, leaving them to find other avenues of income.
The current pandemic also threatened to shut the doors at CoolieNation as well. They design and create social gathering products, and with no social gathering events there was no need for the products. The owners Stephen and Jenn Crissman adjusted under the circumstances to retool their factory and began printing and sewing facemasks.
The owners of CoolieNation and founders of EVACC Foundation met in Panama over a decade ago. They forged a friendship with a third culture atmosphere, incorporating traditions from both Panama and the United States, bringing forth a celebration of life as they went. In the early days they raised their dogs together and with time, their sons as well. Now they are joined together in a celebration of where their journeys have lead them.
When creating the masks, they chose to use the iconic Panamanian golden frog, as it is a symbol of luck in Panama. During this time of worry and confusion the owners thought it was important to celebrate friendship and a little luck instead of developing a “me first” attitude.
“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will only love what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught” Baba Dioum 1968. Save what you love.
About Coolie Nation:
Inspired by both screen-print pop art and a love of beer, Coolie Nation has been in the custom Koozie and coolie industry since the late 1990s. This American company loves to work with military veterans who served our nation, and has a history of philanthropy, donating product and money to the following causes including American Red Cross, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA of the USA, to name only a few. For more information please write Jennifer at jen@coolienation.com. Or visit their website.
About El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center Foundation: This small grassroots foundation has been around since 2006 with the arrival of the deadly amphibian fungus, chytrid. Frogs had to be taken into isolation and since then have been breeding in laboratories. They currently maintain and breed 8 species of critically endangered Panamanian amphibians in their facilities. They collaborate with many different organizations including universities and zoological societies, along with the Ministry of Environment in Panama in their National Amphibian Conservation Plan. This project has been featured in film documentaries as well as books such as: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall, the PBS nature series The Thin Green Line with Allison Argo as well as Vanishing Frog with Jeff Corwin. For more information about the EVACC foundation click here or write to Edgardo Griffith at egriffith@evaccfoundation.org
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