| |
Meet Courtney and Michael
Courtney
and Michael, (shown in this picture with their Puppy Mill Project
Display) have been friends since childhood. They have been working
together on animal projects since they were very little.
They
wanted to help at the local shelter but the County requires that all
volunteers be at least 18 years old. They then approached Animal
Advocates and ask what they could do to help. Our response was to
educate their friends and fellow students about the evils of puppy
mills and their connections to stores that sell pets. They decided to
make a display that could be shown in their schools and at different
events.
They also went a step further by visiting the Howard
County Animal Control and Adoption Facility at 8576 Davis Road,
Columbia on several occasions. There they learned about the excellent
care the shelter works take of the pets that come into their shelter.
They learned that the pets are not just handed over to anyone.
Potential adopters are interviewed and screened to make sure they have
the ability to be responsible pet owners.
The shelter also
vaccinates and sterilizes all pets prior to adoption. You should never
adopt from an organization that does not provide this service prior to
adoption.
Courtney (unfortunately Michael couldn’t make it)
presented their display at Animal Advocates’ March meeting. During
Courtney’s presentation all the members of Animal Advocates had smiles
on their faces because they were so impressed by the quality and depth
of their research. THEY GOT IT! They understood that you should always
consider adopting a homeless pet first and should never buy one from a
pet store.
We have no doubt that these two young people will
continue with their efforts to raise public awareness of the cruelty
and abuse to animals that takes place every day right here in our own
back yards.
P.S. Michael and his family recently adopted a kitten from the shelter!
Meet Seth
On
May 12th, Seth, the young man pictured above celebrated his Bar
Mitzvah. Mazel Tov! Seth decided that instead of focusing on gifts to
himself, he would perform a Mitzvah (a good deed) by having his friends
and family donate to Animal Advocates. In Seth's Bar Mitzvah speech he
explained why he chose Animal Advocates-
"Some
of you may be wondering why exactly I chose to support Animal Advocates
for my project. Since the age of one day, I’ve been around pets,
including cats, fish, rodents, and pretty much everything else. I’ve
always felt that animals should have just about the same rights as us
humans, despite the fact that they have more legs then we do. After
seeing a video from one of my favorite bands, I realized how horrible
animal cruelty actually was. I felt that, because I loved animals, it
was my responsibility to do whatever I could to help these pets, and
companions, in need. Therefore, I teamed up with a local organization
with the same goals, helping maltreated animals, to try and put a stop
to animal abuse locally."
Animal Advocates is very grateful to Seth and his family.
Meet Jakob
After reading Animal Advocates' Kids Who Care,
Jakob decided "to donate my Christmas money, because I love animals so
much. The picture is of me and my cat Crookshanks who died last year. I
miss her but we can't have a cat where we live now. One day I want to
get another cat from the shelter!"
Animal Advocates is so
grateful to Jakob and his mom not only for his donation but for
understanding that you should always go to your local animal shelter
FIRST when considering bringing a companion animal into your home.
Meet Marianna and Christopher
Twins
Marianna and Christopher asked their friends to bring them donations
for the homeless pets at the shelter when they had their 10-year
birthday party. Happy Birthday Marianna and Christopher! Thanks for
caring!
Meet Max
Max designed and printed notecards of cats and dogs then sold them and gave the proceeds to Animal Advocates.
A talented and compassionate teen. Another creative way to help the animals.
Meet Colleen, Erin and Mary Katherine
Colleen,
Erin and Mary Katherine teamed up for an awesome findraising event to
help homeless animals. They held a bake sale, and raised $120! They
chose to use the quote "Just to be alive and to be of service to
somebody is a reward." Well, they were of service, and the rewards will
be enjoyed by the cats and dogs we help on a daily basis. Thank you to
these special girls!
Meet Lauren
Hello!
I’m 13 years old and my name is Lauren. I collected pet food, treats,
toys, and other pet items for the shelter and for pet owners who can’t
afford these things. I did this by typing out a letter explaining what
I was doing. I gave this letter to my neighbors, relatives, and friends
asking them to donate pet items to my cause. The next step was to set a
goal: 100 items. I found out how many generous people I knew. I have
collected 163 items….and counting! Wow! It felt so good to be helping
animals less fortunate than my dog Honey; animals that don’t have a
loving family and warm home to live in or animals who have a loving
family that can’t afford to take care of them.
Why did I do
this project? 2 reasons. Reason #1: I love animals and want to help
them as I have already expressed. Reason #2: I am preparing for my Bat
Mitzvah and wanted to choose a project. My Torah portion talks about
charity, so charity about my passion (animals) is the perfect project.
I really shouldn’t be taking all the credit. If it wasn’t for my dog
Honey, I wouldn’t love animals the way I do now.
Meet The Girl Scouts Troop 2009 
These
dedicated girls did a research project and display board on
"Responsible Pet Care." The girls participated in this year's Walk For
Paws and their display board will be used to show other students how
they can help educate others as well.
Meet Amy & Lauren 
Amy
wanted to help at the shelter, but since Animal Control (the shelter)
is run by the police department, the minimum age requirement is 18 for
volunteers. That didn't stop Amy. She came up with the idea of
collecting items and money for the homeless animals.
Amy
along with 9 other students posted signs around the school that they
would be collecting donations on certain days during the different
lunch shifts. Everyone took turns working the shifts and they presented
the shelter with food, toys, leashes, bowls, $, etc. Good work! They
all enjoyed the project so much they are inspired to repeat it again
next year.
Meet Robby... My
name is Robby and I became involved with Animal Advocates of Howard
County last spring. I chose to do a community service project for my
bar mitzvah involving the help and rescue of animals. Animal Advocates
holds a large yard sale in the spring to benefit their organization. I
decided to clean out my room and the basement and donate all my old
toys to the event. My dad helped me and it was so much fun, I was
hooked. I was then contacted about an event called "Walk for Paws." I
was so excited to participate that I immediately started collecting
donations from all my neighbors, friends and family. I was able to
collect $725. I went with my sister, my mom and with my two dogs and we
walked the almost 2 miles around Lake Elkhorn. I
believe this is a great organization because of all the work they do to
help the dog and cat population issues. I love working with this
organization and plan on continuing throughout my teenage years...
Job Well Done Katie!
Here
is a school project done by a young woman named Katie. Because she is
an animal lover she wanted to research animal protection. Asking
students to get involved in animal related issues is very important.
Education is the key to preventing animal cruelty.... [CLICK HERE TO READ THE REPORT]
Meet Elena 
Elena
decided that instead of presents for her 10th birthday, she would like
her friends to give her items needed by the shelter. She collected
toys, food, bandanas, towels, litter, treats and even un-used medicine.
Elena serves as a "shining" example to other students. Thank you Elena!
Meet Chase 
Chase
and his sister, Alex (who unfortunately was not available the day we
took this picture) help Animal Advocates in many different ways. When
their mom volunteers at one of our events they come along and pitch in
and help us with whatever it is we need that day. They are always very
helpful. They
also help their mom when she is walking and training one of our rescue
dogs. Needless to say, the dogs love Chase and Alex. They always bring
lots of good treats!
Meet Girl Scout Troop 142 
Girl
Scout Troop 142 did an outstanding job of collecting blankets, toys,
treats, collars and leashes for the homeless pets in our shelter. They
are still going strong and will be bring in more donations later this
month. What an awesome group!
Meet Monica (mom), Carmen and Alex 
This
wonderful family have been loyal supporters and volunteers of Animal
Advocates for years. In this picture they are helping us at our annual
yard sale.This is just one of the many events we can count on them to
be there to help with. It's a family affair!
Meet Owen and his family's latest rescue, Nickey 
Owen
and his family joined Animal Advocates 5 years ago. The family clean up
a local reservoir of trash and fishing hooks on a regular basis. Over
the years Animal Advocates has rescued geese and ducks with hooks and
wires attached to their legs. We then provide medical attention and
rehabilitation before releasing them. We can always count on Owen and
his parents to help with our fundraisers, like the Walk for Paws held
in October.
Meet Matt 
Matt,
the young man on the right, is the Founder and President of his high
school's Animal Awareness Club. One of the primary missions of the club
is to increase awareness of the connection between cruelty to animals
and violence against people. Matt and other students from his high
school volunteer with Animal Advocates and recently held a fundriser
for the animal shelter. They collected food, toys, blankets and towels
for the homeless pets. Great work! Back to Kids Who Care
TOP
| |
