This summer, local nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws invited students K-12 in Santa Barbara County to participate in a Pawsitive Thinking Youth Project. Students were asked to create an art piece or poem on the concept of “kindness to all living beings” and received more than 70 great projects from kids all the way from Carpinteria to Guadalupe. On September 1, a team of 10 judges, hand-picked by C.A.R.E.4Paws, met at the Narrative Loft to select 10 finalists, including one "best in show" piece. The selected projects range from whimsical sculptures and drawings to thoughtful collages and poems.
The students will receive prizes and diplomas on stage at C.A.R.E.4Paws' Wags n’ Whiskers Festival, September 13 at Girsh Park in Goleta. The stage presentation takes place at 1:30pm, and all of the submitted projects will be featured during the event at the "Pawsitive Thinking Youth Center."
C.A.R.E.4Paws has been working in Santa Barbara County since 2009 with the mission to promote animal welfare, reduce pet overpopulation and keep animals out of shelters. The nonprofit offers many different programs, most of them geared toward low-income pet owners, such as free spays/neuters, low-cost or free pet vaccines, delivery of pet food and help with vet assistance. C.A.R.E.4Paws takes an active approach to helping pets by intervening before animals get abandoned or relinquished to a shelter; its bilingual community outreach is key when it comes to creating awareness and ensure pet owners have access to the services they need. The group's Pawsitive Thinking program focuses on kids K-12 with the goal to inspire kindness to all living beings so that children grow up having empathy for others.
For more information about C.A.R.E.4Paws, visit www.care4paws.org. And check out the new Wags n' Whiskers video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Y9brN3f1k. The festival is a pawsitively purrfect place to get your cuteness fix.