Madison Exclusive Student Humanitarian Scholarship

French poet Anatole France wrote, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” Since I was a little girl, I have had a deep care for all animals. I joined my school's Humane Society Club in sixth grade, and have remained a part of the club for six years. My involvement within the club is driven by my love for animals and my passion to advocate for them. When the club sponsor left our school prior to my ninth grade year, I took the initiative to propose the club to several teachers and administration, and found a new club sponsor. This action led to me being named Vice President in grades nine, ten, and eleven. As one of the only two remaining members for the original club, I took the responsibility to organize and build the club from the ground up, to where it is now at about 20 members. I ran the advertising booth at club rush, directed fundraisers, and organized supply drives and volunteer dates. The club president often had to be absent from meetings, so I stepped into his position and began running the meetings as well. Although this was a challenging and overwhelming position to undertake, it is a position I cherish, and one that has taught me countless leadership skills. Since I have been a part of the club, we have raised thousands of dollars through fundraisers. One of our most popular fundraisers is the selling of chocolate bars from Old Kentucky Chocolates. My responsibilities within this fundraiser include: working with the treasurer and school administration to purchase the chocolates, picking up the chocolates and distributing them to members, and organizing who has turned in money, as well as the money itself. Another fundraiser we typically do is a bake sale at our school’s Spring Fling, although this has been limited due to coronavirus restrictions the past two years. During my ninth grade year, we were able to successfully run the booth, during which I organized who was bringing goods and the shifts each person would work, decorated the booth, and managed and carried the money. I also stepped in to cover shifts of those who were unable to attend. Currently, I am working with the other club officers to organize events for this year. We are once again organizing a fundraiser selling chocolate and brainstorming other events. This year, we are hoping to return to volunteering directly at the Madison County Humane Society, which we were unable to do for the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions. This will allow me to give back directly through service instead of just charity. Although when thinking of "humanitarian acts" supporting animals in need may not immediately spring to mind as fitting the definition, I believe that by supporting animals in need I am directly promoting the welfare of my community, both human and animal. I hope that my work in the Humane Society Club inspires my community to care for each individual life, big and small. I know that supporting an organization like the Humane Society positively affects my community by caring for the smallest members: the animals in need of homes. These animals are taken off the streets to create a safer urban area, and in turn bring joy to the families who adopt them. The leadership skills I have gained from this experience include decisiveness, problem-solving, and dependability. These are skills that will allow me to flourish as I continue finding new ways to give back to the members of my community, including those with four legs.