Samantha Boehnke, 9, cuddles with a puppy at the Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center in Phoenix after she and two of her friends raised nearly $90 in a penny drive for the shelter. Ashland Daily Tidings/AMY ALONZO

Kids collect cash for shelter

By Amber Fossen

Ashland Daily Tidings

For many, pennies are coins that get lost in couches, shoved in ashtrays, or simply tossed into fountains when making a wish. For three girls attending Lincoln Elementary School, mere pennies really added up.

"We all loved animals so we decided to raise money for them," Bella Krevitz said.

Krevitz, along with her friends Thea Wayne and Samantha Boehnke, started a penny drive to raise money for the Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center. Little did they know, that after only three weeks, pennies could add up to over $86.

So how did these girls turn pennies into cash?

"We put these jars all around and people put money in them," Krevitz said.

"We put them around our schools," Samantha Boehnke added.

Krevitz, 7, Wayne, 9, and Boehnke, 9, are all part of a class known as the "Blenders" at Lincoln. The Blenders is a multi-age classroom which incorporates students ranging from first through fifth grades. Krevitz attends class as a second grader while both Wayne and Boehnke are third graders.

The girls wanted to do something to help out displaced animals, so they decided on a fundraiser. Each night, they collected and counted out the donated change which went entirely to help animals in need.

After three weeks, it was time to spend their $86.36. The girls went out and purchased dog food, puppy treats, cat food, kitty litter and leashes - all for donation.

"All of it went to food," Krevitz's mother Amy Navine said. "They thought this up and did the whole thing."

After unloading their hard-earned goods into the lobby of the Center, they quickly set out to distribute the well-deserved puppy treats to the more than eager animals.

The girls raced around the kennels making sure each and every dog received a treat, if not two or three.

"This is my little girlfriend," Wayne joked to her friends as she cradled a small brown puppy. Wayne's new friend was a recent addition to the shelter along with its two, small, furry siblings.

As of late, private donations have become increasingly popular.

"Kids take it upon themselves to raise money," Donna Patnesky, a representative for the shelter said. "Our animals can do nothing but benefit from this."

The adoption kennel is currently housing about 30 dogs ranging in breed, size and age. The one thing they all had in common was the need for a home.

"Our goal is to not put an adoptable dog to sleep," Patnesky said. "We don't put time limits on dogs who go into adoption."

The Animal Care and Control Center is funded mainly by licensing fees, adoption fees, fines and redemption fees. Public donation in any way helps contribute to the care and maintenance of homeless animals. Through donations and funding, the Center will be opening a new agility course for dogs sometime this April.

The girls wrapped up their visit to the shelter with a message to other locals.

"We just want them to know they should help out," Wayne said.