Students Put PR Skills To Work For Cranford Animal Shelter

CRANFORD, NJ - A seventh grade English teacher turned a persuasive writing unit into a lesson in experiential education to benefit Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption in Cranford.

Kate Friedman has a love of writing and animals and so her class in North Plainfield Middle School is capping their persuasive writing learning by writing persuasive letters, utilizing the skills they learned in class.

"I chose an organization to help and told the kids just a little about it. The students then worked together to create questions they would need answers to in order to successfully persuade," Friedman said. "Then, Lauren DeNoma of Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption came in with some dogs to discuss the organization and answer all questions the students had."

Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption is a 501(c)3 non-profit, no kill, all-volunteer organization. Based in Cranford, they are a small group of people dedicated to giving dogs and cats a second chance at life. According to their website, their mission is to find forever homes for so many of our area's unwanted, abandoned and/or neglected animals.

Donations sent help the organization take care of all their basic needs, including medical treatment, food, shelter, training, socialization and love.

A North Plainfield native who has been teaching there for 13 years, Friedman said the students are now writing persuasive letters to businesses in the Cranford area, each student chose one business, in an effort to solicit donations for the rescue. Friedman said finding the organization was not hard.

"I chose this organization because I volunteer with them. It's not glamorous. Many situations they deal with are heart wrenching and I know how dedicated they are. They deserve all the help they can get to take care of these animals. This is the first time I've done a project like this to benefit them, but not the first time I've done something like this in general," Friedman said. "Many years ago I did this same project to benefit the Plainfield Area Humane Society, and the kids chose businesses in that area. Then in 2010, I did another project in which my students wrote persuasive letters to Rachael Ray in the hopes of helping a dog who had suffered extensive burns."

Friedman said the drafting process is underway, and the students are well equipped for the task.

"They have learned about several types of evidence to include in their writing to persuade, so they'll be including many anecdotes about particular dogs as well as statistics regarding the organization," she said.

According to Friedman, students are excited to have the opportunity to write something that someone other than their teacher will be reading. She also noted that DeNoma's presentation really hit home.

"After Lauren's presentation, they also now realize the importance of this work. They want to make a difference," Friedman said. "The rescue is very appreciative of what we're doing and hopeful for some donations. The more money they have, the more animals they can help."

To piggy back off of that idea, the Student council is going to sell paper paw prints during lunch periods for one week in March. Each paw will cost one dollar and students can buy as many as they'd like. Then their name will be written on the paw print and hung in the hall.

DeNoma has said she'd like to use whatever money is raised to save one dog from a kill shelter.

"Then we'd have a contest and the winning kid would be able to name the dog. I think this is really great. They'd know their donations were going to saving one specific dog's life," Friedman said.

For more information on or to donate to Best Friend Dog and Animal Adoption visit their website.

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