Paws For Reading
In early November, I posted an article about Paws for Reading on the Hillsborough NJ Facebook page, and it blew up. Paws for Reading is a program in which children read to SAVE Animal Shelter’s residing cats and dogs to help socialize the animals and to get them accustomed to human voices. Working as an intern at EXPRESEO, I had the opportunity to share my experience as the coordinator of this animal shelter program. Reaching more than 5,000 people, I was shocked to see so much positive engagement on this single Facebook post.
After the post went up, my inbox was flooded with eager participants seeking more information. With so many new children interested in reading to the animals, we were able to double the number of monthly sessions and recruit new high-school-aged supervisors as well. The program has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings.
Paws for Reading was established at SAVE by a Montgomery High School graduate who simply had an idea and a passion for helping animals. I began working with her at the shelter two years ago, where we fostered an environment for elementary and middle schoolers to gain confidence in their reading skills while simultaneously comforting the cats and dogs. Today, we maintain the same mission, but on a slightly larger scale. Our sessions fill up only a few days after announcing the date, and we are hoping to increase the number of monthly sessions in the near future.
My original Facebook post demonstrates how social media can have such a powerful, positive impact: on a page with 2,500 followers, we received comments, shares, and positive feedback almost instantaneously. I have seen Paws for Reading bring joy to so many local families’ lives, and with the prospect of growing the program through social media, I am excited to see plenty of new faces walk through SAVE’s doors in the upcoming months.
If you are interested in participating in this program, feel free to reach out at savepawsforreading@gmail.com.