The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Fourth-grade girls plan events
to help local animal shelters
* Net proceeds just over $400

By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
CUMBERLAND, April 1 -- Stop. Just for a moment, stop and consider giving.

A group of six fourth-grade girls from Frankfort Intermediate School are asking anyone and everyone to do just that. By giving even a few dollars to the Allegany County Animal Shelter and the Mineral County Humane Society, dogs and cats will be helped. And maybe even saved.

The girls' first effort, under the group name Paws For A Cause, was a success on Thursday night as they coordinated a Spirit Night at the Chick-fil-A in downtown Cumberland. The restaurant donated 20 percent of the proceeds from purchases between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. back to the cause. Net proceeds from the night totaled about $200 from the spin wheel and about the same amount from the 20 percent deal.

Countless kids took their turn on a Chick-fil-A spin wheel. For a $1 apiece, they could win a free Chick-fil-A drink or sandwich. Every dollar spent on the spin wheel goes directly to the cause.

Parents said the whole thing was the girls' idea - as is a planned two-mile fun run later this month.

The group's mission is the brainchild of Alexandra Griffith, 10, of Short Gap. An animal lover and owner herself, her father also is a local veterinarian.

In December, Griffith said she went to visit a local shelter and was unpleasantly surprised to see how little space each animal has.

""It just didn't look like they had enough space to move around, and it just kind of broke my heart," Griffith said.

Alyssa Raley, 9, of Fort Ashby, said through their efforts and community support, the girls can provide a little relief to animals waiting to be adopted by donating blankets, food and other much-needed supplies.

"Helping animals is important to us," said Alexandra Rozas, 10, of Ridgeley. "They have feelings. They should deserve to be treated just like us."

Group member Gracie Hill, 9, of Ridgeley, seemed to agree.

"I love animals," Hill said. "I don't want to see them get hurt."

Taylor Layton, 10, of Fort Ashby, said the best thing that can happen to an animal placed at a shelter is to be adopted. She's witnessed the process when the Mineral County Humane Society conducts off-site adoptions at places like Tractor Supply in LaVale on scheduled Saturdays.

"When I see somebody adopt a dog, it's kind of happy that they're taking care of an animal," she said.

The group's first effort went so well that they're already planning a second event. On April 23, they will coordinate a two-mile fun run in Mineral County. Specifics have not yet been. Check back on PhDispatch.com - as soon as details become available, the event will be posted on the Community Calendar.