This was previously published in our October 2024 issue.
Paws for a Purpose joins the ranks of Emmaus High School clubs as senior Bella Scarlata runs the new club with hopes of following her passion of helping animals. This new addition to the school currently has over 100 students who plan on volunteering and donating to local animal shelters. Scarlata aims to provide for animals in need along with the shelters that care for them through the club.
“My overall goal is to just give back to the animal shelters and we’re trying to keep it more so with the smaller scale places,” Scarlata said.
During the summer, Scarlata spent hours volunteering at a food bank and at the Wildlands Conservancy. She grew up having many pets in her life and their influence has been the foundation for her club.
Along with starting an inspirational club, Scarlata plans to utilize her passion for animals by becoming a veterinarian in the future. Before the school year began, she decided to combine both her love for both volunteering and animals by forming the idea of Paws for a Purpose.
“I’ve always had a lot of pets, so I’ve just been surrounded by that kind of environment,” Scarlata said. “I think the animals deserve just as much help as the people.”
With a vision in mind, Scarlata approached her friends on the cross country team, looking for support in starting the club. From there, she went through the process of paperwork from the activities office in order to bring her idea to light.
Scarlata went to science teacher Kristin Susens and math teacher Kimberly Adams for help on running the club. Adams, who fosters kittens and helps out with two different rescue organizations, was more than happy to advise Scarlata’s club.
“She is going to make a great veterinarian someday because she is so caring and compassionate toward people and toward all animals,” Adams said.
As a senior, Scarlata hopes that the majority of the club’s underclassmen will continue to participate even after she graduates. To keep the club circulating, they plan on hosting elections in the spring to select new officers for the next school year.
The club has sparked interest among many students since it offers many volunteer opportunities. Scarlata welcomes the idea of people logging their volunteer hours to meet any extracurricular service quotas. Her goal is to have a service opportunity sometime in October for club members.
The club has met twice thus far to discuss the actions and duties required for participation and to create posters and donation boxes. According to Scarlata, they plan on doing monthly collections for supplies to donate to some of the local animal shelters. The donations include cleaning supplies, cat and dog food, toys, litter, towels, and more. The donation boxes are located around the school along with flyers advertising the club. Scarlata strives to help animals in any way she can, with the help of her new club she shares her passion with other students.
“I think really where my heart is at is just helping animals, just because that’s what I enjoy,” Scarlata said.
