Mother’s little helper
Four-year-old raccoon fan Ollie Toderovitz shows Steph Davidson that it’s never too early to become an activist like Mom
He has a natural passion for it, and his heart is in it. When he sees an ant being stepped on, it really hurts his feelings ...
SHADIA TODEROVITZ
When asked why he spent his fourth birthday holding a bake sale to help raccoons, Ollie Toderovitz has a simple answer: “Because I love them.”
He and his mom, Shadia, raised more than $400 on June 6 for Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue & Rehabilitation. Mally’s, located in Kawartha Lakes, has been working for more than 11 years to capture, help and eventually release sick and injured raccoons.
Ollie’s activism didn’t start with selling homemade treats. At two years old, he attended a climate-change march downtown, having been inspired by another youngster, the Swedish teen environmentalist Greta Thunberg. “We learn about her, we talk about her,” Shadia says. “Even at that age, he wanted to get involved.”
Her son comes by it naturally since Shadia is herself a volunteer. “A lot of my free time is spent doing advocacy for animals and the environment,” she says, “so he just learned from me and wanted to get involved. He has a natural passion for it, and his heart is in it. When he sees an ant being stepped on, it really hurts his feelings, so I wanted to take that opportunity and run with it for him.”
Ollie’s work extends to his North York neighbourhood as well. After an oil spill threatened a nearby ravine, the community, including children, stepped in to help put things right. “It was harming a lot of the wildlife,” Shadia says. “It started with a goose who was in someone’s front lawn, asking for help. He went on to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, and after that, we started cleaning up.”
Ollie also keeps an eye out for litter. “I like to put garbage in the garbage can,” he says, “to make (the animals) feel better.” When his mom clarifies that it’s so they don’t eat the garbage, Ollie is quick to remind her trash is for “only raccoons!” since his favourite animal has a reputation for getting into the bins.
When it rains, Ollie has a different job. “A snail will come out, I pick them up and put them in the bushes,” he says, noting that otherwise “they will get smushed or get sick.”
It should come as no surprise what Ollie wants to be when he grows up. “A vet,” he says, “because I want to help animals.”
“I’m super proud,” Shadia says. “I love the path he’s taking, and we just want to help guide him as much as possible.”