MILTON — Becca Shaw, the sixth grade King middle school student who founded the Animal Protection Program (APP), and her group have been busy with their first fundraiser. They have been painting portraits of adoptable animals from Santa Rosa County Animal Services all week for a Barktoberfest silent auction.
The 17th annual Barktoberfest festival is scheduled for Oct. 27, at the Community Maritime Park, Pensacola, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shaw, teacher/sponsor Joni Edmunson and A HOPE for Santa Rosa County founder Brandi Winkleman greeted each APP member with a package art supplies. Those included a desk easel, paintbrushes, acrylic paints, paint palette and a canvas. All items were donated by A HOPE.
Never missing a chance to educate people about animals, Winkleman read descriptions of the animal's personality. Students whose personality matched the dog’s personality got to paint that animal. The lesson – that is how people should adopt an animal, by personality not looks.
Shaw's tutelage continues, as Winkleman has become her mentor. They recently took a trip to Tallahassee to send two husky dogs displaced by Hurricane Michael to other shelters in the country. Winkleman then took Shaw to the Alaqua Animal Refuge in Freeport for a private tour of the facilities. The refuge believes that every abused, neglected and homeless animal deserves a second chance.
Something close to Shaw, APP’s goal is to help prevent animal abuse, and to encourage people to report it when they see it. The field trip ended at the Save Our Cats and Kittens no-kill cat shelter. SOCKS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding forever homes for unwanted cats and kittens in the Fort Walton Beach area.
"I really enjoy seeing these kids care," Edmunson said as she worked on her own painting. Edmunson is in her first year teaching at King Middle School and is not required to take on sponsorship, but said she could not resist Shaw's request.
"Why not? It's fun," she said.
As it happens, both Brad Baker, director of the county's animal services and Winkleman inspired Shaw when Baker had lifted the dog breed discrimination practice in animal adoptions. That sparked the King Middle School 12-year-old to pursue educating people on stopping animal abuse. Edmunson and Winkleman have been friends for years. When Shaw approached the teacher about APP, her first instinct was to call Winkleman.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: APP kicks off first fundraiser