Animal Welfare Society: Build-A-Bear Youth Humane Education Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We used the funding to support our current educational programming at the Animal Welfare Society. Currently, we offer a number of programs to the children in our communities, including:
*AWS Summer Camp: week-long workshops for children ages 7-13.
*Humane Action League: an after-school program for students ages 9-11 and 12-14.
*Furry Tales: story and adventure hour for preschoolers and their caregivers.
*Jumping for Joy: pairing high-school students on the autism spectrum with AWS alumni dogs for an hour of agility training. Sessions last for six weeks.
*School Vacation Camps: held during the weeks that school is not in session, for children ages 7-10.
*Classroom Visits: a variety of programs are conducted throughout the school year in our various community schools, including lessons in dog-bite prevention, respect and proper animal care.
The grant enabled us to continue our programming and reach more children in our area in need. We were especially fortunate to receive this grant in the year that we kicked off our Jumping for Joy program for high schoolers on the autism spectrum.
How many pets did this grant help?
N/A - the grant was for humane education.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Wyatt has been involved in Humane Education programs at AWS for four years and is a huge contributor to our Humane Action League, which meets after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In the four years that Wyatt has been coming to AWS, he had never met a ferret until now. Derek the ferret is about as friendly, curious, and sweet as any pet. And he loved Wyatt and his multi-colored bracelets. Derek the ferret is currently available for adoption and resides in our adoption center lobby.
Isabelle, our Cleo Fund office cat, loved it when AWS Humane Education campers came over to the Boston House to learn about feral cats and spay/neuter. As soon as the kids sat down Isabelle walked to the center of their circle for love and attention and stayed until they left. Isabelle loved it and so did the campers! She would be a great cat to adopt if you have calm, compassionate kids. UPDATE Feb. 3, 2017: Isabelle has been adopted!
