Support river restoration and our Mussels in the Classroom education program by adopting our mussels! For just $25, you can help us care for these adorable animals. Our mussels were raised and reared in a research facility and were not taken from the wild. Freshwater mussels serve as our rivers' natural filters, straining the water and eating everything from dead leaves to algae. But pollution, habitat destruction and overfishing are taking a toll on these important animals: Nearly half of the 127 mussel species once found in the Ohio River Basin are now considered extinct, endangered or species of concern. Ohio River Foundation’s mussels visit classrooms around the region, serving as ambassadors, promoting a healthy environment and helping enhance student education. Mussels in the Classroom (MIC) is the first program of its kind in the nation, serving thousands of students each year. Symbolically adopting for a friend or loved one is the perfect gift for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. Make Adopt a Mussel an annual tradition for your family! Feel free to adopt one or several mussels. To help you choose, we’ve put together bios of our adoptable mollusks. Individuals who donate at the $100 level or above will be featured on our Adopt a Mussel Donor Recognition Page. Select a Mussel – Once you've selected your mussel(s), click on and highlight “Adopt Me” below its photo. Then scroll down to the donation form to provide your information. Thank you for your support! Select Your Mussel(s) Mariah Mussel The most glamorous of our mussels, Mariah likes to hang out among the fancy rocks on the riverbed, like Quartz. She’s proud that she won ‘Miss Mussel 2018’. ADOPT ME Maverick Mussel Maverick is feisty, and will squirt you if you try to pick him up. He is not afraid of working hard and getting dirty, and is always trying to break his own record for gallons filtered in a day. ADOPT ME Moe Mussel Moe enjoys attending the Cincinnati Coffee Festival as a mussel ambassador, and believes that his filtration makes the best coffee. He also believes the crowds have actually come to see him. ADOPT ME Mandy Mussel A lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, Mandy dreams of being the next Reds mascot. She likes to pretend she is running the bases with her foot, leaving trails on the riverbed. ADOPT ME Monty Mussel Monty is a bodybuilder, and likes to show off his ‘muscles’ to the other mussels. He believes he can bury into the bottom substrate faster than any other mussel. ADOPT ME Maryann Mussel A self-proclaimed nerd about water quality, she always ensures that the water she expels is of the highest quality. ADOPT ME Melody Mussel You will often see Melody with her foot out, freely exploring her surroundings. She enjoys her 100% organic, vegan diet of algae. ADOPT ME Mike Mussel Mike fancies himself a superhero for filtering pollutants out of the water. He secretly calls himself the ‘pollution solution’ when he is pretending to be a superhero. ADOPT ME Matt Mussel A true patriot, Matt loves that he lives in the Ohio River Valley, where the highest diversity of freshwater mussels exists of anywhere in the world. ADOPT ME Michele Mussel Michele is serious about interior design, and enjoys coating the inside of her shell with pearly pinks and whites. ADOPT ME Your Donation Additional donation in support of ORF programs $ Matching Gifts My company will match my gift Gift/Honorarium/Memoriam (optional) Please select Gift Honorarium Memoriam Name of gift recipient: Address or Email Address for Notification: Wording on Card (Max 250 Characters): Billing Information First Name: Last Name: Address: City: State: Country: Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua And Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State Of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius And Saba Bosnia And Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte D’ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island And Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic Of Iraq Ireland Isle Of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People’s Republic Of Korea, Republic Of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States Of Moldova, Republic Of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State Of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension And Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts And Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French Part) Saint Pierre And Miquelon Saint Vincent And The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome And Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch Part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard And Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province Of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic Of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad And Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks And Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic Of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis And Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Zip: Email: Phone: Credit Card Card Number: Expiration Date: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 CVV: (? For Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards, the card code is the last 3 digit number located on the back of your card on or above your signature line. For American Express, it’s a 4 digit number that appears on the front of your card, above and either on the left or right of the card number (see below). ) Age: 35 and under 36 to 65 66 and over How Did You Hear About Us? Website Social Media Newspaper Article a Friend a Member an Event Other: Adoption Details • Your donation will be used for food, aquariums and other supplies to care for your mussel(s). • Funds also support ORF’s work restoring critical habitat for mussels and other aquatic creatures. • As an adoptive “parent,” you’ll receive an email with a Certificate of Adoption, photo and fact sheet. • You will not be able to visit your mussel(s) -- they have demanding work schedules! Donations to ORF are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. If you prefer to mail a check, please address it to: Ohio River FoundationAttn: Membership Department4480 Classic DriveCincinnati, OH 4524 To make your donation by phone, call 513-460-3365.