On December 6th, 2012 thirty-four 8th grade students of the HEART program at Stockton Elementary School in Chicago culminated a ten-week experiential service learning project by travelling across the city to spend the day with rescue dogs at Chicago Canine Rescue.
For this project the students researched companion animal issues including puppy mills, spay/neuter, dog fighting, and animal abuse. After doing their research, the students made toys and treats for the dogs; they organized two fundraising events; they educated the younger grades on the importance of having empathy and compassion for companion animals; and they wrote letters to newspapers and politicians urging them to promote and legislate for more humane treatment of animals.
Here is what a couple of the students had to say about their experiences with the project.
“If I could I would totally go further with this project because I would love to nurture dogs as much as I can just so they don’t feel neglected or sad…Doing this project made me feel better about myself, and I would love to do this project again in the future” – Nasima
“I think that yesterday and what we did for the Chicago Canine was amazing because we got to make a change for animals. Also, I’m happy that we did this project because we were not just helping ourselves but helping others.” –No’lan
This amazing project was made possible by a generous grant from the ASPCA.
Thank you to our amazing volunteer videographer, Chuck Stepner.
