KANSAS CITY, MO — Teens included in the Kindness Youth Leadership Team, with local nonprofit Seven Days, spent their holiday volunteering at Wayside Waifs, working to spread kindness across our community.
For a few furry friends at Wayside Waifs, a little kibble and treats will go a long way.
“We are making enrichment tools for the dogs, just a way for them not to become bored when they are sitting in their kennels for a while, because days can be long,” said Anna Borcherding, member of the Kindness Youth Leadership Team.
These teens created tools filled with care, love, treats and scents for the pups. It is a service that Wayside Waifs Communications Manager Casey Waugh says goes a long way.
“We want them to go into that forever home having good behavioral health, good medical health, and having volunteers who can help provide those things while the are here in our care is very important,” Waugh said.
Now more than ever, Seven Days is working to fulfill their mission of overcoming hate.
“Seven Days is all about kindness, but kindness can be done on an individual level, but also on a bigger scale level," Seven Days Director Jill Andersen said. "As a community we all have to pitch in and all be kind in whatever ways works for us. So we give these different ideas on how to do that."
The Kindness Youth Leadership Team is also working to make people feel special, including their peers in and outside of the classroom.
“As a student in high school, it’s a challenging time, and being a person that people can look to, that they know is involved with Seven Days, its just something I’m lucky to have and glad I’m doing,” Borcherding said.
Both teen and adult mentors with Seven Days are working not only at Wayside Waifs, but across the KC metro to remind folks that an act of kindness can be big or small.
“Maybe that’s adopting, maybe that’s donating, and then we have groups like this Seven Days who come in and spend their time working with the animals, and they are truly providing something to these animals to help save their lives,” Waugh said.
In the meantime, Wayside Waifs and Seven Days say it’s important for our community to lend a helping hand to those in need.
