For most nine-year-olds, birthdays are all about parties with friends and lots of presents. For Holly Decker and Amelia Smith, birthdays have become a chance to give back.
The two girls have been friends since the age of two, and according to Decker, it all started out when Smith offered to help her with a puzzle. From there, the friendship blossomed quickly.
Last year, Decker and Smith asked their friends to make donations to Lakeshore PAWS instead of buying them presents. The act of generosity was inspired by Decker’s dog Dexter, who was adopted from Lakeshore Paws.
The girls loved donating to Lakeshore PAWS and decided to do a similar birthday party this year. Decker’s cat Blaze was adopted after the Independent Cat Society treated its medial issues.
Decker said, “My cat had bladder problems and maybe other cats have that too.”
This empathy led the girls to collect supplies for ICS for their 9th birthdays. With eight friends attending their birthday party, the pair were super surprised to see how many items were brought.
“It didn’t look like a lot of stuff in bags, but it’s a lot,” said Decker.
Though Smith does not have a personal connection to ICS, she was equally eager to help out the cats.
“We have enough presents and stuff,” said Smith. “The cats need it more than we do.”
What has turned into a birthday tradition has inspired those around them as well. Decker’s six-year-old sister Carly plans on following suit, only this time for rabbits.
“I thought [what my sister was doing] was really cool and I wanted to do it too,” said Carly. “Rabbits are my favorite animal.”
After having such great success both years, the girls think that other children should donate for their birthday.
“I think it’s really good to donate,” said Smith. “Everyone probably has a lot of stuff. If you like an animal, you should donate to it.”
The girls look forward to dropping off all the donated items soon.
“I think the animals will be very happy because they really want homes,” said Smith.
Next year, Decker and Smith said that they want to donate to pandas.
With great compassion at such a young age, there is no doubt that the two will continue to make a difference in their community in the years to come.
If you would like to donate to the Independent Cat Society, visit http://www.catsociety.org/. If you would like to donate to Lakeshore Paws, visit http://www.lakeshorepaws.org/donate/.
