Edison students aid animal shelter

Molly Shore

The Burbank Animal Shelter is $1,000 richer, thanks to the generosity

of Edison Elementary School students.

Following a fund-raising T-shirt sale in April, which gave the

school a 50% profit after contributing to a fund to save the rain

forest, students decided to donate to a local organization.

“We thought that we wanted to do something for our environment

globally, but we also wanted to do something for our community,”

Edison fifth-grade teacher Susan Stone said.

Because most of the student council members like animals, they

voted to give the money to the animal shelter, said student council

president Jenna Solis, 11.

Student council vice president Tiffany Ho, 10, said the

environmental T-shirts had animals on them, which gave students the

idea to contribute to the shelter.

Stone and the two girls were at the animal shelter Thursday

morning to present a $1,000 check to police department Deputy Chief

Larry Koch and Lt. Bruce Speirs, who supervises the facility.

Some of the money will be used to help people who cannot afford to

spay or neuter their animals, Speirs said. The money will also be

used to help elderly people on fixed incomes who need critical care

for their sick animals, he said.

Most of the donations the shelter receives are through schools and

youth programs, according to kennel attendant Stacie Levin.

“Plus, we get a lot of donated labor through volunteers,” Speirs

added.

After a thorough background investigation, anyone 18 and older can volunteer as little as two hours a week, Levin said. Volunteers walk

the dogs and clean dog and cat kennels, she said.The animal shelter

is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5

p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The shelter is closed

Mondays.