On Friday, May 20, the in-house dogs in the shelter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Israel were treated to a day of fun accompanied by a group of Tel-Aviv University students. This activity was part of a major Volunteer Day promoted by the representatives of the Students’ Union Council to allow interested students to volunteer in a centralized and organized day-long activity, in the hope that this would lead the way to more volunteer activity in the future.
This Volunteer Day was offered to the students who could choose a place to volunteer from a few options including: Cleaning up the beaches, distributing food to the needy, medical clowning for children in hospitals, activities with the elderly and hosting children from the Municipal School G in Jaffa on the University campus.
“The students themselves came up with the idea, and we sincerely hope that the event will become a tradition that will become more widespread and develop”, said Ran Livneh, Chairman of the Students’ Union. “The great interest in Volunteer Day demonstrated the importance that volunteering and contributing hold for the students.” Einat Wolbutter, a medical engineering student and one of the organizers of the activity: “Our aim was to make the various organizations and the concept of volunteering easily accessible to the students. Students are always under pressure and have no spare time, but if a convenient opportunity arises, they will take advantage of it, and so it is important for us to create the opportunity and to encourage the inclination to volunteer”.
The 30 students who came to the Society were given an explanation about the activities that take place there, took part in a guided tour and took the dogs that are up for adoption out for a walk. Brit, a Biology and Management student and volunteer in the Wild Animal Clinic in the Safari: “Help for the elderly is always in the headlines. Aid for animals is something that gets forgotten about, though it is just as important. Many of the animals in the shelter were thrown out on to the street by their owners. We wanted to do something beneficial for them, because dogs usually do a lot of good things for us. I hope that this activity will give the students the inclination to adopt a dog or to come to volunteer on a more regular basis”.
We wish to thank the Students Union for this initiative and for this successful day, and the volunteer students themselves for their readiness, their interest and the devotion that they demonstrated during Volunteer Day.
