California fourth graders champion a cause for pets

Grade school students at Crestview Preparatory School in La Cañada, California, take their research projects very seriously.

When their teacher, Jamie Davis, gave them an eight-week group assignment to work on a philanthropic project, they approached it with critical eyes to answer: What can we do for the common good?

As part of Crestview’s service-learning class, they identified causes they cared about. And then they formed teams to research and identify organizations whose work not only spoke to them but also shared their school’s core values: community, responsibility, empathy, sincerity, and thinking (CREST).

[Kids pay it forward to the animals]

Jamie used the opportunity to teach her students how to find information on the internet from trusted sources, collect it, and then prepare slide presentations to make their case. Then, they held a class vote to pick one organization to be the beneficiary of the school’s annual fundraiser, and the winner was Best Friends Animal Society.

“The kids studied various topics, including the ocean, pollution, homelessness, and others, but this group seemed especially interested in animals,” Jamie says. “And then through their own research, they learned about Best Friends helping animals during the fires in January. Our school is just two miles from Altadena, where some of the heaviest damage occurred.”

With their cause chosen, they got to work on their school’s annual fundraiser, the Fourth Grade Market, which is supported by the entire school (kindergarten through sixth grade). The fourth graders designed posters, recruited other students to make items to sell, and gave classroom presentations that included reading Two Bobbies, a story about a dog and cat who survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 after being rescued with the help of Best Friends.

[Young activists doing good for animals]

With supplies donated by fourth grade parent volunteers and the school itself, students created all kinds of items to sell at the market: refrigerator magnets, key chains, origami, jewelry, herbal sachets, potted plants, and even some Harry Potter wands. All the items were priced at $1, and the final sales tally came to $1,371.

The market was a resounding success, not only in terms of fundraising but also in raising awareness of animal welfare. With the event concluded, it was time for the most fun of all.

“I contacted the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in L.A. and asked for their Amazon wish list,” says Jamie. “The kids have had so much fun selecting everything to send over.”

Crestview’s annual Fourth Grade Market reminds us all that you are never too young to learn about showing empathy and kindness to others. And even with memories of the wildfires still fresh, a group of fourth graders rolled up their sleeves, led a successful project, and most certainly contributed to the common good.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.