Waggoner Creek Elementary students participated in a school-wide Volunteerism in Public Schools (VIPS) program that commenced a drive for Jeff Tarpley Rescue Inc. The drive ran from March 5, 2018, to March 9, 2018. All donations stay directly in Texarkana as part of a contest to raise donations for homeless animals.
Three-hundred-and-twenty-one students collected resources to distribute. Several students were excited to help animals in need and see how many donations were collected. Others recalled seeing stray animals or rescuing their own adopted pets.
“We have a rescue dog, Roxy, that my dad found off the street,” explained student Katy Turner.
Victoria Pearcy and Mystee Bennett spoke about why this type of activity is so important for young students, saying it instills a sense of responsibility in their classes who enjoyed tracking the progress of the drive.
“We just want to teach the kids to give back. They were just really excited to help all the pets who aren’t as lucky as theirs,” said Mystee Bennett.
Pearcy explained that Waggoner Creek Elementary hopes to carry out a community project yearly.
Ms. Callison’s 4th grade class won the competition, collecting eighty-eight items total. The school collectively donated three-hundred and fifty-one items, along with over eighty-four dollars, to Jeff Tarpley Rescue Inc.
