IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stouffville, ON (Sept. 3, 2024) – As the kids head back to school, the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is recruiting volunteers to join its team of AnimalSmart volunteers to deliver humane education to classrooms across the province.
The Ontario SPCA offers free AnimalSmart presentations for Grades 1-8 in its animal centre communities, with the goal to foster empathy, promote responsibility and inspire a connection with animals. A new theme is launching this fall – Animals in the Community – and more volunteers are needed.
“Hearing the students’ enthusiasm when they talk about their pets, seeing their faces when they realize that animals have emotions too, and listening to how they can be caring to animals is very fulfilling to me,” says AnimalSmart volunteer Cory Philip, who has presented to 17 classes, reaching over 325 students. “It gives me hope when young children talk about being kind to animals as an extension of being kind to each other.”
As a registered charity, the Ontario SPCA depends on the support of volunteers to make programs like AnimalSmart possible. Volunteers don’t need to be teachers or have a background in education; they will receive one-on-one coaching, as well as in-classroom mentoring with an experienced educator.
“We want to create a brighter future for animals, which is why it’s so important to show kids how special animals are and how to treat animals with respect and kindness,” says Nina Alexander, Humane Education Manager, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “The Ontario SPCA’s AnimalSmart program is a fun and engaging way to get kids thinking about animals and what they need to be happy and healthy.”
If you’re passionate about animals, want to make a difference in your community and enjoy working with and inspiring children, visit animalsmart.ca to learn more about becoming a volunteer.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Media Relations
Ontario SPCA and Humane Society
905-898-7122 x 375
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity that has been changing the lives of animals for over 150 years. The Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario. It values all animals and advocates to treat them with respect and kindness. The Society strives to keep pets and families together and do so through a variety of community support services, such as sheltering and adoptions, including emergency sheltering, feral cat management programs, animal transfers, food distribution, humane education, animal advocacy, and spay/neuter services.
The Ontario SPCA does not receive annual government funding and relies on donations to provide programs and services to help animals in need. To learn more, or to donate, visit ontariospca.ca. Charitable Business # 88969-1044-RR0002.
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society Provincial Office sits on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of Scugog, Hiawatha and Alderville First Nations and the Métis Nation. This territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. The treaties that were signed for this particular parcel of land are collectively referred to as the Williams Treaties of 1923.
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