43
Lakeview 3rd-graders raise $1,600 for homeless animals
Photo
Melissa Kmetz, third-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary, left, stands with Tiffany Minor, a staff member at the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County, as the students present a check for $1,632 that the school raised to benefit the animals at the shelter.
Staff report
BAZETTA
Melissa Kmetz and her third-grade class at Lakeview Elementary School observed a disturbing trend earlier in the school year with the rising number of acts of animal cruelty being discovered in the area.
Kmetz, who has tried over the years to empower her students with the skills to change the world, talked it over with her students last fall.
“We knew we had to help area animals in some way,” Kmetz said.
The plan that developed was for Kmetz’s class of 25 students and their families to raise money to benefit homeless animals, specifically those at the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County shelter in Lordstown.
“We set a lofty goal of raising $1,000 for the project,” Kmetz said. “We knew if we worked hard enough, we could do it.”
Through two fundraisers, one involving Kmetz’s class and another involving the entire school, they raised $1,632.
“Many went door to door with parents to collect money for the shelter,” Kmetz said. “They asked friends and family members for donations, and their parents even brought their donation envelopes to work.
“In these tough economic times, even families struggling the most brought in very generous donations,” Kmetz said. “Their selflessness touched me deeply and spoke volumes about how truly wonderful people can be when they put others before themselves.
“This project not only helped animals desperately in need, but it taught students that they are never too young to make a difference.”
As part of the project, which Kmetz called Change The World, she invited state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, to speak to the students about animal rights and Ohio legislation dealing with animal protection.