Whether you have pets or not, we should all care about their well-being. It’s important to recognize that at the end of the day, animals have feelings just like humans do.
According to the Humane Society, in the United States, animal cruelty cases are reported every day. However, most cases aren’t reported, so it is hard to know how common animal abuse cases are.
The Human Society also states that “in one survey, 71 % of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.”
Furthermore, according to Sec. 343.21 Minnesota Statutes, overworking or mistreating animals is never allowed.
To prevent this occurring in our community, students at Prior Lake High School created the Animal Welfare Club. This club strives to create a safe environment for all animals.
The Animal Welfare Club, also known as AWC, is a group of students interested in animal cruelty awareness and volunteering at local animal shelters. By volunteering 3 to 5 times a week at animal shelters, especially the Windmill Animal Shelter, these students make the animals feel loved and cared for.
“During the 2022-2023 school year, AWC members completed different projects like tie blankets that were donated to the Warrior Dog Rescue,” said Bella Elert, a junior at PLHS and Vice president of AWC. “We also focused on recent important animal issues.”
Sometimes, they have fundraisers during lunches, in which a majority of funds go directly toward animal shelters. A small portion of a recent fundraiser went to AWC, which will fund future projects like tie blankets.
Even donating one dollar could dramatically help these animals, which could lead to a better life for them.
“I created the Animal Welfare Club because I wanted to help both local and nationwide animals,” said Hermela Bereket, a junior at PLHS and President/Founder of AWC. “The Animal Welfare Club helps these animals by fundraising for them, volunteering at local shelters, and advocating for animal welfare.”
Clubs like the Animal Welfare Club are time-consuming, but in order to make an impact on the community, it is going to take time out of the day. In addition, the more effort that people put into these clubs, the more impactful they will be.
Even though we have multiple clubs at PLHS that create change, the more clubs that we have at PLHS that make a difference in our community, the better off our community will be.
