Long-time Good Mews Volunteer Wins 2014 Family Choice Award

Maria Dominguez, a resident of Cobb County, GA, and long-time volunteer with Good Mews, is part of the Happy Kids-Happy Pets team whose boxed sets of collectible cards and CD has been named the 2014 Family Choice Award for Best Toy in the Pet Category.

The prestigious Family Choice Awards, now in their 19th year, are one of the most coveted, family-friendly consumer awards in the nation, recognizing the best in children's and parenting products. It was established in 1995 by the Family Magazine Group, America's largest free parenting publication.

The Happy Kids-Happy Pets’ animal-loving team, led by founder Betty Delman of Buford, GA, wrote, designed and produced 5 sets of collectible cards aimed at children 4-9 years old. The process took more than 2 years from concept to completion, and it was only introduced one month ago.

Each boxed set has 55 cards and a read-along CD with fun sound effects to help early readers—or for playing in the car or on the go. A full color picture of a pet is on one side; on the reverse is a story “written” by that pet. Many of the stories conclude with a probing question that relates to the story. A parent/teacher/adult can generate an insightful conversation by asking the teachable moment question.

The 5 sets are organized by theme and include Caring for your Dog, Caring for your Cat and Cat Facts, Selecting the right Breed of Dog for your Family, Learning to counteract Bullying, and Life Lessons.

Happy Kids-Happy Pets donates 50% of its profits to spay/neuter programs and animal welfare. The company’s goal is to teach children important lessons about character building, humane treatment of animals, personal responsibility, self-esteem, and respect for both people and animals…and to have fun while they are learning.

The sets are available online at www.HappyKids-HappyPets.com, and cost $17.95 + shipping.

In addition to writing the cat cards for Happy Kids-Happy Pets, Ms. Dominguez is the Youth Services Librarian at the East Cobb Library. She reviews teen novels and blogs about them for the Library system. She also writes children’s books and is a member of The Society of Childrens’ Book Writers and Illustrators. In her spare time she volunteers at the Good News Cat Shelter in Marietta and has volunteered at Our Pal's Place also in Marietta.