Dog & Kitty City: A [NEW] Highland Park Tradition!
Last fall, Highland Park High School Freshman Leadership Teacher, Marilyn Morgan, invited Dog & Kitty City to address eight classes at the school.
Last month, Volunteer Coordinator Felicia Kalish and Board Member Andy Steingasser visited the school again and discussed HSDC's mission to provide a second chance to homeless animals.
The groups discussed how the shelter rescues and cares for the furry throwaways of the area, provides sanctuary, promotes population reduction via spay/neuter and fosters a respect for all living creatures.
The students were introduced to volunteer opportunities including Cat and Dog Socializing, Adopt-A-Pets and special fundraising projects and promotions.
Many of the students, as a class and as individuals, jumped at the chance to help the animals.
They became weekend regulars at the shelter walking dogs and playing with cats. Some of them joined off site adoption events and helped with dog care or kitty care at the Luv-A-Pet center at Petsmart. One group made an early morning visit - at 8:00 a.m. - to do the cleaning so they could experience the gritty side of operating a shelter. They dug in to sweep and mop, do laundry and dishes and generally clean up after the animals. Some of them worked in the yard, raking leaves and cleaning plant beds.
The students also teamed up to raise money for a new water heater or for new skylights that open for the shelter. They wrote letters, sold candy canes and drinks, baby sat, had a "mega-bake sale," walked their neighborhoods, approached friends and family and collected almost $2,000 for this project. They also donated some new air filters for the shelter and food, toys and other special goodies for the animals and registered Dog & Kitty City at Petco and other area stores to benefit from holiday giving.
Some of the students have now formed a Dog & Kitty City Club and have as their mission continued support for the shelter and the animals. Shelter staff and volunteers are working with the group, at club meetings and at the shelter to sustain this marvelous effort on behalf of the animals of our community.
This has been a great experience for the students and shelter team alike. We look forward to a long, continuing relationship. One student coined the phrase "Dog & Kitty City/A Highland Park Tradition." We just LOVE the sound of that! Click here for some pictures of Highland Park's newest heroes.
AmeriCorps
Lends Us a Hand
North
Texas AmeriCorps programs came together to host a hands-on
service project on Thursday, September 21, 9am-1pm, at
the Humane Society of Dallas County shelter, "Dog
and Kitty City", 2719 Manor Way, Dallas, TX 75235.
Members took a pledge of service together during the swearing
in ceremony and then served side by side to advance the
Humane Society's current renovation plans.
The
groups included were AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity,
HIPPY, Dallas YMCA and Dallas Red Cross.
The
AmeriCorps' mission is fourfold: Getting Things
Done, Strengthening Communities, Encouraging Responsibility
and Expanding Opportunity. This mission is accomplished
by AmeriCorps members through service. In North Texas,
AmeriCorps members serve through a variety of organizations
including Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, UNT
Texas HIPPY, and the Dallas YMCA. Within these organizations
AmeriCorps members serve to meet the most pressing needs
our communities by building affordable housing, helping
communities respond to disaster, preparing young children
for success in school and engaging teenagers in community
service.
The
HIPPY Program (Home Instruction for Parents of
Preschool Youngsters) teaches parents of preschoolers
to work with their children daily, using simple in-home
learning activities involving counting, colors, letters,
numbers and learning games. Parents receive weekly home
visits and meet monthly as a group to share ideas and
learn about community resources. Home Visitors are members
of the community and are often former HIPPY participants;
they are also part of the AmeriCorps national service
initiative.
YMCA
MAAP (Making Assets a Priority) AmeriCorps serve within
various YMCAs and other nonprofit organizations focused
on a teen initiative. Our members use the 40 Developmental
Assets as prescribed by the Search Institute under the
framework that the more of these assets a youth posesses,
the more productive citizens they will become. Our AmeriCorps
led programs focus on the prevention of high risk factors
for teens as well as resiliency against high risk factors.
We have a total of 12
full-time, 20 part-time, and 10 education award only members.
Click
on the following link to see pictures from this wonderful
day! http://www.unt.edu/hippy/photos/humaneSociety/hmnSctyphotos/index.htm
