Over $12,000 in grant funds to be used for humane education

Animal control professionals and humane educators agree that teaching children compassion, respect and responsibility for animals at an early age is far more effective in preventing animal cruelty and irresponsible pet ownership than trying to correct these issues in adults and teens through law enforcement.

Have a Heart Humane Society is excited to announce that Build a Bear Workshop and the Build a Bear Workshop Foundation have awarded Have a Heart Humane Society a $10,660 Youth Humane Education Grant to provide more humane educational programs in Tehachapi public, private and charter schools for children ages 6-14. This grant was facilitated by the Petfinder Foundation and its board of directors.

Have A Heart is reaching out to Tehachapi’s educators in our public, private and charter schools to help us utilize this grant. Time is of the essence as final reports on how funds were used and what results were achieved must be submitted by mid-January 2016.

Following are some of our already existing programs and/or projects that teachers may choose from:

Classroom presentations on a variety of subjects (with or without pets) such as dog etiquette (how to approach dogs and safely interact with them), dog grooming, dog obedience training, animal abuse and humane issues, including puppy mills, dog fighting, pet over-population and pet adoption.

Fun-filled writing projects that promote pet care and/or other humane issues.

Instruction of volunteering/fundraising to help animals.

Mini-grants for innovative teachers to buy art or other supplies for humane education programs within their own classroom.

Class field trips to CALM, Thunder Paws Dog Training, Kern County Animal Shelter.

Presentations by older children to younger children on a variety of humane issues.

And more good news! Union Bank has awarded us a grant for $1500 to provide classroom subscriptions of “Kind News”, which is published by the Humane Society of the United States and teaches kindness and respect for animals and natural habitats. “Kind News” is an 8-page magazine for kids in grades K-6. It features profiles of amazing young people, stories about rescued animals and species in trouble, pet care tips, how-to pieces about backyard wildlife and fun games and puzzles. The cost is $30 per year, per classroom. Each child in the selected classrooms will receive 6 issues per year.

If you are a Tehachapi educator and you are interested in humane education for your students and/or “Kind News”, please email us at: [email protected] and provide a phone number where you can be reached easily.

We remind you that the first grant has a 3 month deadline by which all programs must be completed.