Students from Waterford High School Manage to Donate Over 1200 Items to Animal Shelters

Ten High school students studying in Waterford High School, Ireland rushed out of a school bus in Quaker Hill early in the morning on December 16, 2021. They carried boxes and bags of animal care supplies and deposited them in the foyer of the Connecticut Humane Society. The children went there to assist in the delivery of donations raised by their classmate, Julia Cameron, and they also got a chance to take a tour of the large animal care organisation.

As part of her compulsory Capstone project, Julia Cameron, a junior at Waterford High School, gathered approximately 1,200 things to donate. The donations will be equally distributed between the Connecticut Humane Society and the Waterford-East Lyme Animal Control Shelter. She stated that she picked this project because she enjoys working with animals. Instead of gifts, she claimed she asked her friends for donations to give to the local animal shelter for her tenth birthday.

Cameron's teacher, Brett Arnold, said “the Capstone project is part of the school's new interactive programme and class for juniors and seniors at the school”. He mentioned that it was a student-driven programme in which they can make use of their interest to help fulfil the needs of society.

Cameron started to formulate her project's aims in September and began collecting donations from the month of November. She put flyers and donation boxes up at the high school, Oswegatchie Elementary School, and Clark Lane Middle School with permission. She also ran social media campaigns and addressed emails to pet retailers in the area.

Petsmart and Pet Supplies "Plus" gave her donations, she mentioned. Cameron admitted that it was a challenge, but after a little more than a month, she found that she had amassed far over 1,000 items to donate. Dog and cat food, toys, collars, leashes, and treats were among the items donated. There were even supplies for small animals like birds and bunnies, which Cameron claims are sometimes overlooked in donations.

The children were given a tour of the Connecticut Humane Society's campus in Waterford by Ashley Marshall, the community engagement manager.  She mentioned that Cameron’s donations will be shared with other animal organizations.