East Grand Rapids — “It’s not about you — it’s about the love that you give to the animals.”
So said East Grand Rapids Middle School student Jayden McGee, as he and a throng of other sixth-graders wrapped up two hours of volunteer work at the Humane Society of West Michigan in Walker.
The students found themselves at the humane society for the middle school’s annual Day of Caring, which splits up the student population and sends groups off to volunteer at various community organizations.
The students filed in for a tour of the facility led by Ashley Dahl, the humane society’s director of community programs. They learned about the society’s various kids programs, like summer camps and camp programs during the fall and winter and its work with schools.
‘Our goal is to teach each student that they, as an individual, play a role in their community, and can make a positive impact through their actions.’
— teacher Meredith Bonner
Dahl then introduced students to her dog, Franklin — a shepherd and Goldendoodle mix who stole the show for much of the morning — before walking them through various ways they could help out, including putting together snuffle mats to stimulate dogs, drawing fun designs on the cardboard crates that adopted cats travel to their new homes in, and just engaging in some good, old-fashioned play with dogs and cats waiting for future families to find them.
‘A really nice place to help out’
They didn’t get to pick which of the 20-plus Day of Caring spots they were sent to, but like Jayden, the other sixth-graders who ended up at the humane society were thrilled to be there.
“I like animals in general — especially cats,” said student Samantha Crowley. “And it seemed like a really nice place to help out, just to see all these animals and help them while they’re still here waiting for someone to adopt them.
“It’s really important to take care of animals if they’re abused and hurt, and it’s really important to help them and give them a better place to live so they can have a happy and healthy life.”
Some of the students can even see themselves working with animals in the future.
“When I grow up I’d like to be a veterinarian,” said Nora Fitzpatrick. “I want to do anything I can to help (animals).”
“I really like being with animals, and I honestly want to work with animals,” said Avery Wells, who recently enrolled at East after moving to Michigan from Oregon.
“This is special,” Avery said, “because I want to help out with my community. … I just moved here and I really like it.”
Dahl said the humane society has been involved in East’s Day of Caring program for years. She said the students’ help is much appreciated, and that when they leave, they often play a critical role in spreading the word about the organization and what it does.
“The kids are going to go home and tell their families about what they experienced, so hopefully that could lead to adoptions,” Dahl said. “And it’s just more people out there talking about our mission and kind of telling people what they’ve learned here.
“It’s great for them but it’s also great word of mouth for us.”
Giving Back
Jayden’s “it’s not about you” statement lines up pretty well with the philosophy of the middle school’s Day of Caring. Meredith Bonner, a Spanish teacher who helps organize the event, said it’s about fostering a sense of altruism in students.
“The overall goal of this day is just to expose students to service, and teach them about the importance of giving back to the community we live in, especially without the expectation of something in return,” Bonner said. “Some students are working with people or animals, some students are doing environmental or outdoor work, and then a group of students is also working on various tasks supporting nonprofits with their individual needs.”
Each year a different organization is highlighted during a Day of Caring assembly ahead of the students’ outings to area organizations. This year, the middle-schoolers heard from Damon Boukamp at Kids’ Food Basket.
Bonner estimates that each Day of Caring leads to around 1,500 hours of volunteer service, all told, when the time of students, teachers and parents is taken into account.
“Our goal is to teach each student that they, as an individual, play a role in their community, and can make a positive impact through their actions,” Bonner said.
She added that the experience benefits students as well.
“It teaches students so many important skills and life lessons and exposes them to experiences they might not have in a traditional school day.”
Christina Zink, a sixth- and seventh-grade teacher who was on hand to supervise during the humane society visit, said it’s a perfect spot for students to learn about service.
“So many kids are just naturally drawn to animals, so I think that’s a really good way for them to get engaged right from the get-go,” Zink said. “And this is also nice because they have so many different stations you can go to, where you can learn about the toys, interact with the animals, and learn about how the whole process works.”
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