The Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project, a foundation operated by five students from Oakville Trafalgar High School, was extremely successful in their recent goal to raise money for endangered butterflies.
In total, the local, student-run project sold more than 450,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses.
Last year, after the team saw the path of the 2024 solar eclipse, they realized that it mirrored the major migration route of the endangered Monarch Butterfly. This inspired the group to raise money for local organizations protecting this species.
Read more here: Local teens launch monarch butterfly conservation fundraiser
As the team celebrated the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by watching at a house on Turkey Point in Lake Erie, they were about to realize what a significant impact they'd had through their fundraising efforts.
The group ended up selling exactly 450,000 pairs of their ISO Certified solar eclipse glasses, all the proceeds of which will go to initiatives that protect the habitat and population of Monarch Butterflies.
The glasses were primarily sold online via the Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project website. While some hardware stores also stocked the glasses, Canadian Tire was a key distributor, offering them in stores from Windsor to Quebec.
The exact amount of revenue generated has yet to be disclosed by the foundation. However, the girls will be cutting their first check to BurlingtonGreen as one of several organizations set to receive funding very soon.