Young donors support animal shelter

Donations are essential for animal shelters to operate successfully in communities they serve, and West Milford residents have proven to be extremely supportive.

In 2022, the West Milford Animal Shelter Society (WMASS) received almost $5,000 in cash and supplies, including blankets, sheets, food, treats, wellness products, leashes and cleaning products, in addition to memorial gifts.

Especially gratifying to the all-volunteer organization is the commitment of young people individually and from schools, Scout troops and other organizations. They have helped the shelter care for the cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits and other animals in their care.

“Our young people are making a major contribution and positive difference to what we do at WMASS,” said Paul Laycox, the society’s president.

“From individual contributions to group efforts, youngsters are especially thoughtful and creative in finding ways to help the shelter and out furry guests. Their efforts are greatly appreciated and meaningful, and they seem to have fun in the process.”

During the recent holiday season and throughout the year, West Milford’s young people have turned ideas into action often with creativity.

In December, Brayden Bobrowski, 11, a member of the Oak Ridge Martial Arts Academy was working on earning his brown belt in karate. He stood outside Tractor Supply on a stormy day to collect more than $1,000 in cash, cat and dog food, and treats for the shelter.

On Jan. 4, he visited the shelter to donate an additional $27 collected at his Oak Ridge dojo in a self-decorated West Milford Animal Shelter container.

“The first thing I thought of for community service was the shelter because I like dogs and to help animals,” he said. “I was outside for four solid hours in the bad weather. Collecting the money and products to donate was very important to me despite the storm - never give up. I wanted to raise as much as I could to donate to the shelter, get it done for my brown belt and contribute to our community.”

TREP$ projects

Several local elementary school students are active in TREP$, short for enTREPreneur$, a nationwide project-based learning program that teaches children in grades 4-8 how to start their own businesses.

The West Milford Township Public Schools program is for grades 4-5.

Noelle Reaver, 10, handcrafted and sold custom dog toys as a project for the Westbook School TREP$, while Teagan Slufik, 10, held a fundraiser at the Maple Road School TREP$ Marketplace. Both donated all their proceeds to the shelter.

Noelle said, “I wanted to help out the animals who don’t have homes in West Milford and make sure they are cared for. I want to be a vet when I grow up to continue to do so. I felt like this was a great idea to combine TREP$ and helping animals.”

Teagan said, “I did it because I love dogs. Lots of people love dogs because I sold out (of dog treats) in a half-hour.”

Jenna Sokolik, who teaches art at Westbrook and Maple Road schools and oversees the local TREP$ clubs as an extracurricular activity, said, “TREP$ presents an excellent opportunity for creative thinking. I always encourage the kids who join TREP$ to think outside of the box, but these girls went above and beyond, as well as the other TREP$, to pick a cause to donate their profits to.

“The whole community came out for this event to support the students, and the students in turn recognized their ability to give back to the community as well.”

Scouts and others

Ten Girl Scouts, ages 8 to 10, from Troop 97670 spent a year learning about animal care and animal rescue, then worked a full month to collect more than $1,000 in products and $615 in cash for the shelter.

In addition to receiving a donation from ShopRite of West Milford, the troop held a “canning” fundraiser to collect change from residents at the Dunkin’ Donuts store, all of which went to the shelter.

Emma Morgan, who was working to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award, with friends made blankets to donate to the shelter.

Local Cub Scout troops also have supported the shelter.

In July, for her eighth birthday, Eve Cardona asked family and friends to replace presents with donations from the list of supplies posted on the WMASS website. One girl donated several bags of supplies and $230 in gift cards to celebrate her 12th birthday, while another donated all money she received from Christmas to the shelter.

A trio of young girls made and sold colorful bracelets from their driveway to donate $166 and several bracelets to the shelter, while another donated $40 raised selling lemonade. And the team at Camp Hope donated $110 and supplies from their autumn “Dog Pool Pawty.”

Early last year, students, parents and teachers from Paradise Knoll and Apshawa elementary schools gathered and delivered supplies worth hundreds of dollars to the shelter. Students at A.P. Terhune Elementary School contributed with a fund drive.

Community support

“The donations of young people and all in West Milford enable the shelter to get our job done,” Laycox said. “Absent these contributions, we would not be able to operate or care for our animals that come our way toward adoption. In 2022, more than 150 cats, dogs and other animals found new homes while being cared for at the shelter.

“WMASS has outstanding support from our community, including residents, local government and Animal Control, the police and fire departments, businesses and civic organizations,” he said.

“Not all shelters in New Jersey and our nation are as fortunate, especially in these challenging times, so we never take for granted the support we get from the West Milford community and make full use of the contributions that come our way. Our furry friends, too, are grateful for the help!”

Information on donating to WMASS as well as volunteering and adopting can be found online at http://westmilfordanimalshelter.org.

WMASS is a tax-exempt charity and all donations are tax-deductible.