Our calendar is bursting with school visits, and we could not be happier!
We started this year with the cutest group of preschoolers from First Baptist Church in Aiken.
These kiddos and their teachers are so kind, and their families have donated much needed items from our Wish List.
We visited their preschool with some puppies in January to kick off their donation drive. Volunteer Kathy Samaha and I visited each classroom, and the puppies loved every second! The school’s young readers then came to the shelter two weeks later to deliver donations, read to the dogs and spend some time learning about the pets. So fun!
FOTAS also had an invitation from Belvedere Elementary. I was so happy to take adoptable dog Whitney to visit their students to kick off their donation drive! The kids are working hard to support the shelter. They were so well behaved, so attentive and I was so impressed by their school. Whitney had the best time. She walked around and let every student give her some attention. She would even stop and sit on certain students’ feet!
The Kiwanis Kids group and Builders Clubs also visited the Aiken County Animal Shelter to learn more about what the shelter does and how we want to be a resource for our community, not a destination for unwanted pets. During their tour of the shelter, the young people learned about our high intake, saw how we take care of the animals and met the amazing homeless pets.
The Spanish Honors Club from South Aiken High School visited as well, bringing treats and towels and spending time socializing our puppies. Next week, we have University of South Carolina Aiken students coming for volunteer training and we have upcoming visits scheduled to New Ellenton Middle School, Trinity Preschool and Tall Pines Stem Academy.
FOTAS volunteers and the leaders of Aiken County are so excited to see educators draw attention to the Aiken County Animal Shelter and our specific needs. Education is the key to lower intake, pet responsibility, and helping the homeless and neglected pets in our community.
If you are an educator in Aiken County and you want to join our humane education program, please contact info@fotasaiken.org.
Their lives are in our hands.
By Kathy Cagle, FOTAS Programs Coordinator
