Romane Simon - Doing Amazing Things and Giving Back

It’s no secret that taking time out of our busy lives to give back to our communities is a good idea — But for some, giving back is not only second nature but also their life’s work.Meet Romane Simon.I met Romane back in early November when she reached out to Orca Conservancy and wanted to help. Romane has always had a strong passion for orcas after seeing the movie "Free Willy" when she was a child, and it became her dream to see them in their natural environment.In early 2017, finding herself without a job and looking to do something different, Romane decided to go WWOOFing (work on an organic farm in exchange of food and bed) with WWOOF located on Vancouver Island, Canada.During some free time, she made her way to Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island, Washington where she learned about the endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population and how human activities have led to their precarious decline.While spending time at Lime Kiln State Park, Romane's dream came true as J-Pod and L-Pod made a rare appearance. Like many others, seeing members of this population changes us in ways that are hard to define.Every year WWOOF Canada organizes a video contest to promote organic farming and being truly connected. Thus, the idea was born and Romane chose to not only participate in the contest, but to talk about the SRKWs in her video as well.In Romane's own words, "we protect what we love", and it became very important for her to do something to help. "Because everything is connected, what we do impacts animals lives. I want people to understand by changing their behavior, they can help. Otherwise everything will disappear and be our fault. We need to act", she said.We couldn't agree more and are so thankful for Romane's efforts. :)Best,Shari TarantinoPresidentUPDATE: We are pleased to announce that Romane's video was the THIRD PLACE WINNER! Take a moment to watch: