Last Friday, I had the privilege of joining Holyoke Elementary and High School students as they participated in a Neighborhood Service project at the Colorado Humane Society. The Penny Harvest Student leaders granted $500 of their roundtable grant-making budget to the nonprofit, after identifying animal welfare as an issue in their community, and chose to combine the funds with a day of service.
The day was wonderful--all of the staff were very helpful and friendly, and provided many opportunities for the students to interact with the dogs and cats. And how powerful it was for the students to see where their funds had gone, and the animals they were directly benefitting! (And also for the organization to see the powerful young individuals who are funding them).
As we all ventured out for a nice (very long) walk with the dogs, staff members began to pair up animals with small groups of students. A shelter employee handed the leash of a small,very cute, dainty pup over to two young boys and explained that the dog’s name was Florence Nightingale. Minutes later, the students began telling their friends: “This is Florence Nightgown, isn’t she so cute?”.
Animals are one of the top issue areas identified by our Penny Harvest Students in the "Wheel of Caring" which is composed by the entire student body during the first few months of the program. For a list of other grants made by students participating in the Penny Harvest, please visit our website: http://www.ypfoundation.org/
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