Imagine being able to fish into your pocket for a spare dollar and pay to play with an adorable dog.
You’ll be able to do just that next Friday when the Cattaraugus County branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) brings dogs to St. Bonaventure.
The best part? All the money you pay to pet and play with these dogs goes directly to them. The fundraiser, hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA), is called Operation Toasty Toes and will help the SPCA pay for heat at their facilty .
“The main concern is the heating bill,” SGA vice president and senior childhood studies major Abby Harrington said. “Since our winters are horrible, it’s been really bad the past few months.”
The fundraiser kicked off in October when the Olean police department, local high schools and several others helped the SPCA raise money to purchase fuel oil for the upcoming winter. But with frigid temperatures this year and the high cost of heating, the organization has reached out again for help.
SPCA volunteer and Online Student Success Coach at Bonaventure, Carol Strauch, credited another volunteer, Lila Ervay, as the one who came up with the idea.
“She’s the one who’s spearheading this whole thing,” Strauch said. “So she was reaching out to Bonaventure, JCC and some of the local schools to see if they would want to be involved to help raise the additional funds.”
Harrington said Rick Trietley, vice president for student affairs, asked SGA if they would be willing to do the fundraiser this semester.
“We usually only take on one fundraiser, like the March of Dimes, for the whole year,” Harrington said. “But I have a pretty light schedule this semester, so I was like ‘Yeah, sure we’ll do it.’”
SGA will have a table in the Reilly Center Monday through Thursday next week from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a donation box for students and faculty.
However, money won’t be the only thing the SPCA will accept as a donation.
According to Strauch, the organization is also looking for supplies like cat litter and litter boxes, small metal pet food bowls, cat and kitten food, kitten milk replacement, sheets, blankets, towels, pillow cases, wash cloths, rugs and dog and cat toys. Cleaning supplies such as bleach, dish soap, laundry detergent, sponges and paper towels are also welcome as donations.
WSBU-FM 88.3, The Buzz, is also involved with the fundraiser and is holding a 24-hour lock-in to raise additional funds. For $5, students can host their own radio show for an hour time slot. Students will be broadcasting for the full 24 hours. Mike Arena, junior journalism and mass communication major and station manager at The Buzz, said they were more than happy to help.
“I love animals and so does The Buzz,” Arena said. “So using our media outlet to help is the least we can do.”
On Friday, the SPCA will bring the dogs to campus from noon to 3 p.m. on the lawn in front of Plassmann Hall and the Swan Business Building and allow students to play with them for a fee of one dollar. The SPCA is also considering bringing kittens along for the visit.
The idea of having students pay to play with the dogs came from Harrington.
“I know from Syracuse University, they do it on their finals week, and it’s like a stress reliever thing,” she said.
Strauch said she liked the idea and hopes it will entice students to help raise money.
“A lot of kids miss their family dogs,” she said. “It’s like a nice stress reliever to be able to pet a friendly dog.”
monahahm10@bonaventure.edu
