Marshall County Animal Rescue League
Recycling aluminum cans to help the environment and raise money for homeless animals, planting flowers to adorn the animal shelter, raising money to buy Braille children’s books for the county library. . . these are just a few of the myriad community service projects that the elementary school students of Marshall County, West Virginia, have completed. What sparked these acts of kindness and compassion? A unique collaboration initiated by The Marshall County Animal Rescue League.

Despite limited resources, the Rescue League, which operates Marshall County’s animal shelter and takes in approximately 4,000 animals a year, has developed a comprehensive humane education program that has the full involvement of their community through a number of creative partnerships.

In alliance with the county’s elementary school teachers, the Rescue League helps facilitate class community service projects that benefit animals, the environment, and other people. More than 90% of all elementary-school classes in Marshall County—2,000 children in all—participate. The program is organized as a competition: Classes compete to carry out the most activities, and the winners are recognized on billboards throughout the county. Participating classes are also rewarded with three days of fun, games, and picnics. Funding and support for the program has been garnered from a variety of sources, including the school system, local churches, businesses, civic groups, parents, high school students, U.S. Army and Marine Reserves, and Lions Club members.

Marshall County Animal Rescue League began working to introduce humane education to the community in 1993, when it helped develop a three-credit graduate-level course for teachers offered through West Virginia University. The course focuses on humane education teaching practices and the link between child abuse and cruelty to animals. Teachers completing the course receive subscriptions to the classroom newspaper KIND News, which helps integrate humane lessons in the curriculum throughout the school year. Barbara Scanlon, of the Rescue League, says, "We hope that our success in educating children will inspire other small organizations to place more emphasis on this very important area. Education is the permanent solution for making a difference in the lives of animals and people."