Texas teen beats cyberbullying by aiding Save the Whales.

Two women from two states who grew up in two very different cultures share one thing in common: They are passionate about protecting whales.

What initially brought the two together was the horribly humiliating experience of a high schooler.

Dannie McMillan, “Dee” to her friends, is a 16-year-old from Lampasas, a small central Texas town.

Earlier this year McMillan was the target of a Twitter account created to taunt her anonymously. The username “@fatwhaledee” posted unflattering photos and mocked her weight.

McMillan became aware of the Internet insults as they spread through the hallways. As the Twitter page gained followers, McMillan’s sense of self worth went the other way.

With the comfort of friends, family and a personal hero, McMillan converted the slander into inspiration. That hero was Laura Lee, a plus-sized model and weight-acceptance activist.

“I told Laura part of me wanted to cry all day and part of me wanted to wear a whale T-shirt to school,” McMillan says.

Encouraged by Lee to embrace her humor, McMillan started a fundraiser for ocean conservation efforts on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.com. She dubbed her GoFundMe campaign “Dee the Fat Whale Saves the Whales.”

McMillan’s campaign went viral. Its initial goal of raising $3,000 was quickly surpassed. As of today, McMillan’s GoFundMe has collected more than $10,000.

McMillan, who plans pursuing a career in marine biology, chose Save the Whales, based in Monterey, as the foundation her fundraiser would benefit.

“I am so glad to work with Save the Whales,” she says. “They have been supportive before I raised a single dollar.”

The admiration is mutual.

“I’m absolutely in awe of how strong she is,” says Maris Sidenstecker, co-founder of STW.

Sidenstecker was also a teen when she felt compelled to stand up for the safety of sea life. At age 14, Sidenstecker designed and printed T-shirts with the phrase “Save the Whales” and sold them through Rolling Stone magazine and at animal rights conventions.

In 1977 Sidenstecker, along with her mother, founded STW. Later STW initiated the “Whales on Wheels” program, which traveled through Los Angeles and later across the country, teaching students the significance of protecting ocean life. Now Sidenstecker’s efforts are based on the Monterey Peninsula, where she and the STW staff focus on delivering presentations to students.

STW instructors set up mini-museum exhibits so students can learn at their own pace. Items used in the program include real sperm whale ribs and a diorama depicting a cityscape of streets, buildings and produce fields, and how their wastewater, represented by different colors of Kool-Aid powder, makes its way into the ocean.

Ten service-learning students from CSU Monterey Bay aid Save the Whales. Many of the them share Sidenstecker’s passion, which has them helping long after their service requirement ends.

One of them is Amanda Good. Good began volunteering in 2011; now she leads presentations in schools and at farmers markets in South County.

“A lot of people living there are landlocked,” she says. “They aren’t aware that what runs into the storm drains can reach the ocean.”

STW’s major effort outside of classrooms involves marking drains to remind people runoff from pet waste, motor oil, plastic and litter are among the leading sources of ocean pollution.

“People need to know even a small plastic bag in the ocean can kill a very large whale,” Sidenstecker says.

On a clear Friday, Sidenstecker, Good and two other volunteers place a new emblem over a storm drain by the Orchard Supply Hardware store in Sand City. The baby-blue-and-white emblems include an image of a dolphin and a message, both in English and Spanish, reminding readers that what flows through the storm drain has a direct impact on ocean life.

“Our programs are hands-on,” Sidenstecker says. “Data-crunching isn’t as inspiring as going into the community.”

With the donations from McMillan’s GoFundMe, along with around $3,000 raised through Monterey County Gives! last year, STW will purchase a life-sized inflatable humpback whale to use as an interactive exhibit during presentations at schools. The inflatable whale, which will educate a generation of Monterey County students, will be named in honor of the inspirational high school girl who made it all possible – Dee, the self-determined beautiful whale.

SAVE THE WHALES is at 99 Pacific St., Suite 200D, Monterey. 899-9957, www.savethewhales.org. More on Dee McMillan’s campaign at www.gofundme.com/deesavesthewhales