HOWELL – A Howell girl’s love for animals has gone beyond adopting rescue dogs, as she created her own fundraiser to help hundreds of shelter animals in need.
Amanda, 11, made the decision to hold an annual fundraiser over her summer break in order to collect money and donate it to a local shelter.
“We have two rescue dogs ourselves. Actually, we have a third now. She loves dogs so much,” Kelly Tryonas, Amanda’s mother, said. “I’m always trying to teach her to give back. A lot of the shelters don’t allow her to volunteer because she’s too young. So, we just wanted a way to help the animals.”
Each year, Amanda plans on choosing a different organization/shelter to donate her earnings to.
“The first year, 2022, it went so well that we decided to do it every year from now on,” Kelly said. “She picks a different shelter every year. Last year she donated to a shelter in Tinton Falls, and this year she chose the Husky House.”
The Husky House is a shelter located in Matawan that rescues abandoned Siberian huskies as well as all breeds of dogs in the tri-state area. Kelly said Amanda wanted to donate to the Husky house because they just adopted a dog from them back in August.
During her fundraiser, Amanda had a special visit from several Howell Township Police Officers. (Photo courtesy Kelly Tryonas)
Amanda raised nearly $300 and used the money to buy items and supplies the shelter needed. After shopping, Amanda and Kelly dropped everything off at the shelter and got to meet all the dogs currently at Husky House.
“She did take $50 of the money to donate to Rocky, a dog at Husky House that is battling lymphoma and needs treatment,” Kelly said.
During her fundraiser, Amanda had a special visit from several Howell Township Police Officers supporting her cause.
“It makes her feel very proud, she loved that,” Kelly said.
Kelly explained how Amanda plans on holding the fundraiser every year and hopes that she gets the chance to volunteer at local shelters once she’s old enough.
“She loves animals and wants to help out in any way she can as she gets older. Whether they need help cleaning up or socializing the dogs, we’re going to look into it and see what she can do,” Kelly said.
“I’m super proud of her. She’s a kind hearted kid, she has a heart of gold and is always looking for ways to help animals and others,” Kelly added.
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