Help Seniors Provide For Their Pets
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ComPETnionship: Help Senior Citizens Provide For Their Pets
Hi. I’m Andrew and I’m 13. I’m fundraising for ComPETnionship, an initiative to help senior residents in need provide for their pet companions.
79% of senior residents say their pets help reduce stress. 86% of them say their pets make them feel loved. 89% of them say their pets help them “enjoy life”.*
Yet, many senior residents with fixed income have to choose between caring for themselves or for their companions - a heartbreaking choice I can’t imagine having to make as a pet owner myself.
I founded ComPETnionship to bridge this gap, by providing those essential items for pet ownership such as food, as well as personalized notes for the residents and their furry friends.
I still remember the first time I went to the local senior residence to drop off the goods. I met Cia’s owner, who was eager to introduce me to her cat friend. As she described Cia’s morning greeting and various personalities, her eyes lit up the way a grandmother’s eyes sparkle when she talks about her grandchild to her friends. I also met Caesar’s owner, who described how her chihuahua friend had been with her since he was a puppy. I learned that Caesar didn’t have most of his teeth, which required a special kind of rather expensive food. Cozmo’s owner pulled me aside to tell me he would be taping the personalized note I’d written him to his fridge.
Following this first visit, I received the following email from Cozmo’s owner “…..especially during this time, when in person human company is not so available…. I feel, with her, that I have purpose: to take care of her. This helps me to keep going even on days that I am feeling down & don't really want to do anything. In fact, she helps me to not feel down on most days.”
This first visit reinforced what I knew: that pets are important to many senior citizens and that, to some, they are the only companions they have. That is why I founded ComPETnionship: to help our senior citizens continue to enjoy the close companionship that pets provide with one less worry. I hope you will join me in brightening up their days in these extraordinary times.
*https://www.seniorsbluebook.com/articles/caregiving/the-health-benefits-when-a-senior-cares-for-an-animal
Hi. I’m Andrew and I’m 13. I’m fundraising for ComPETnionship, an initiative to help senior residents in need provide for their pet companions.
79% of senior residents say their pets help reduce stress. 86% of them say their pets make them feel loved. 89% of them say their pets help them “enjoy life”.*
Yet, many senior residents with fixed income have to choose between caring for themselves or for their companions - a heartbreaking choice I can’t imagine having to make as a pet owner myself.
I founded ComPETnionship to bridge this gap, by providing those essential items for pet ownership such as food, as well as personalized notes for the residents and their furry friends.
I still remember the first time I went to the local senior residence to drop off the goods. I met Cia’s owner, who was eager to introduce me to her cat friend. As she described Cia’s morning greeting and various personalities, her eyes lit up the way a grandmother’s eyes sparkle when she talks about her grandchild to her friends. I also met Caesar’s owner, who described how her chihuahua friend had been with her since he was a puppy. I learned that Caesar didn’t have most of his teeth, which required a special kind of rather expensive food. Cozmo’s owner pulled me aside to tell me he would be taping the personalized note I’d written him to his fridge.
Following this first visit, I received the following email from Cozmo’s owner “…..especially during this time, when in person human company is not so available…. I feel, with her, that I have purpose: to take care of her. This helps me to keep going even on days that I am feeling down & don't really want to do anything. In fact, she helps me to not feel down on most days.”
This first visit reinforced what I knew: that pets are important to many senior citizens and that, to some, they are the only companions they have. That is why I founded ComPETnionship: to help our senior citizens continue to enjoy the close companionship that pets provide with one less worry. I hope you will join me in brightening up their days in these extraordinary times.
*https://www.seniorsbluebook.com/articles/caregiving/the-health-benefits-when-a-senior-cares-for-an-animal
Organizer and beneficiary
Andrew Chang
Organizer
Kirkland, WA
Silvia He
Beneficiary