3/23/2010 1:00:00 AM
On Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m., representatives from the Chemung County Humane Society and SPCA will visit Erwin Valley Elementary School's fourth-grade classes to pick up donations that were raised in a very special way. The students wrote letters to various companies to ask for donations for the shelter. The outpouring of support shocked shelter staff and teachers alike and large boxes of rawhides and Kongs were just the beginning of what turned out to be a successful donation drive.
To fulfill an English Language Arts (ELA) letter writing requirement, the classes took the SPCA's wish list and wrote letters to the manufacturers of some of the items on the list asking for donations.
"We never expected to hear back from the companies," said Sarah Michaelson, the teacher of one of the classes participating in the project. "I wanted the students to have an authentic experience writing a business letter, not a pretend letter to a pretend company. Students learned their words have power."
Michaelson went on to explain how the students got personalized letters from companies who sent donations directly to the Chemung County SPCA. These companies do not usually make donations, but were so touched by the students' letters that they made an exception.
"We were delighted to receive these donations,'" said Barbara McLean, Executive Director of the Chemung County Humane Society and SPCA. "It means even more to us that the students took the time to write letters on our behalf and that the companies answered in such a positive way. These students are the next generation of our community and it just goes to show how much of a difference kids can make in the lives of animals."
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