John Kay, perhaps best known as the singer and songwriter of the 1960s band Steppenwolf, will be at Anacapa School’s February Open Breakfast Club on Thursday, February 7, 2013, at 7:50 a.m. Kay will be joined by his wife and partner Jutta Maue-Kay to share their passion for preservation.
The couple founded the Maue Kay Foundation in 2003 to provide financial support to individuals and organizations that support wildlife preservation and human rights. Since then, they have been focused on two causes in particular: the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which fosters orphaned elephants in Kenya and the Orangutan Foundation International, which is dedicated to the conservation of wild orangutans and their rainforest habitat in Borneo.
“In recent years, whether at home in North America or through travels in other parts of the world, we’ve increasingly come in contact with people whose efforts to protect wildlife, the natural environment and human rights are an inspiration to us,” said John. “The old cliché that travel broadens the mind is very true.”
The Kays’ preservation efforts have recently been featured in the IMAX film “Born to Be Wild,” named for Steppenwolf’s 1967 hit rock single. John and Jutta will be returning from the rainforest in Borneo where they are visiting their friends, human and orangutan, at the Foundation.
Anacapa parents Rick Knowles and Erin Eamer have fostered three orphans through the two foundations:
– a baby elephant “Balguda” who was featured in a CBS News segment
– a baby rhino “Solio,” and
– a baby orangutan “Faisal” whom Knowles and Eamer adopted in the name of the students of Anacapa School.
Each of these orphan animals was in grave danger before their rescue. Their odds of survival are excellent now that they have reached the caring hands of the foundation workers.
Anacapa hosts dozens of expert guest presenters each year. Every month, the school opens its doors to the wider community to honor a special guest lecturer as part of its First Thursday Open Breakfast Club series. Prospective parents who are interested in Anacapa School for their students are welcome to attend to see a Breakfast Club in action.
Anacapa School is an independent, co-educational, WASC-accredited, college preparatory day school for students in grades 7-12. Founded in 1981, Anacapa offers rigorous academics, unparalleled civic involvement, arts and humanities at its historic campus located in the heart of the Santa Barbara civic center.