For over a decade, students in northern Virginia have been coming to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria each summer to learn about animal welfare and how they can make a difference in the lives of animals in need. This year, campers as young as six and up through 13 years of age still spent a week making an impact for animals in their community, but in order to keep campers, their families and AWLA staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, summer camp had to adapt.

From masks to increased cleaning schedules, individual camper stations to physically-distancing foam pool noodles, increased time outside to reduced camp sizes, how campers learned about animals looked different this year, but the message was the same. Campers still met with experts in the field of animal welfare, learning about local wildlife, animal care and how the AWLA helps animals find homes. And campers still worked to help the adoptable animals they met each week.

In July, our youngest group of campers helped give Shnookums the turtle an enriching excursion outside. They selected items to help decorate her exercise area and one by one came to watch her play and explore. Watch their video HERE.

 

The next week, campers made posters to highlight their favorite things about the adoptable animals they had met with the goal of helping those animals meet their future families. Here are some of the posters they made:

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One of the campers liked the cat whose poster they made so much, that at the end of the week they headed home together.

And just last week, our campers helped Coco find his family by making a video sharing all of their favorite things about him. Coco met his new best friend that same week.

 

Camp is our favorite time of year at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and we’re glad another year of campers were able to safely come to our shelter to learn all about the animals in their lives. These are just a few of the many ways students touched the lives of animals this summer, and heading into the school year, the AWLA will continue to provide programs for young animal lovers. Learn more about our youth programs and sign up for new announcements HERE.