By Clara Moffitt

We all know how it feels to see a sad dog, cat, or other fluffy and adorable animal and think, “How on earth can I be of assistance to this tiny creature?” Tempe Prep Junior Morgan Cryder decided to take the next step and serve her community as well as fluffy animals by working at the local animal shelter, Maricopa Animal Care and Control Center East.

Beginning at a vibrant 13 years old, Morgan worked with the Mesa Mayor’s Youth Summer of Service. “I got to try volunteering at many different places,” Morgan explains, “but the animal shelter was always my favorite.” Morgan currently works as a Kennel Assistant, which means she helps with the adoption of animals. In addition, she gets to walk and bathe the dogs and “clean the kennels of the animals so they have a comfortable place to stay while they are in the shelter.”

While volunteering at the animal shelter is extremely fulfilling, it has its difficulties. “Sometimes it is hard,” Morgan says. “I want to take all of the dogs home!”

Despite the challenges, Morgan has found purpose in her service: “Even though I can’t take them all home, I know I am making a difference in their lives by volunteering!” Volunteering for the animal shelter is not only an extraordinary chance to meet lots of cute little friends, but also get a good number of service hours and valuable leadership experience!

Volunteering at the shelter requires a day-long class and one day of shadowing another volunteer. Seems like a simple requirement that pays for itself in service hours and awesome experiences helping the community and animals.

Morgan concludes, “It is really worth it when you have the chance to play with the dogs and cats and see how happy it makes them.”