Club name: The Walking Catfish

Location: Two Rivers Middle School, Covington, Kentucky

Number of members: 15

Founders: Nick Haney, Ben Nadicksbernd, Jaylin Wilson, Ashley Schaefer, Ronnie Murphy, Darion Oden
Current Club Presidents: Georgia Morgan, Cheyanne Blaser, and Cheyenne Ramos 
Current Members:  Samantha Courtney, Cheyenne Ramos, Connlee Bandy, Scott Price, Michael Jasper, Brooke Bowling, Rhame Giles, Terri Turner, Amber Bell, Cheyanne Blaser, Jared Bell, Georgia Morgan, Natasha Hein, Michaela Bedinghaus

Website: http://www.covschools.us/education/components/sectionlist/default.php?sectiondetailid=7251

Advisor: Samantha Gentrup

Main mission: To help create a more compassionate world and to model compassion towards ourselves, others, animals, and the environment.

Who can join? Any sixth and seventh grade students at Two Rivers Middle School.

Who started the club, and why? Nick Haney, Darion Oden, Jaylin Wilson, Ben Nadicksbernd, and Georgia Morgan started the club because they had been volunteering on weekends at Animal Friends Humane Society and they wanted to help other young adults to get involved.

Activities: In addition to volunteering at an animal shelter and holding fundraising events such as Go Humane Cincinnati 2008 (see below for details), the Walking Catfish also participate in school fairs, nursing home volunteering, and service learning. Future projects for the 2008-09 school year include getting vegetarian options on the lunch menu and eliminating the use of Styrofoam trays in the cafeteria.

Volunteering at Animal Friends Humane Society
Beginning in the spring of 2006, students from Two Rivers Middle School began volunteering at the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton, Ohio. Animal Friends was gracious enough to allow the middle schoolers to visit the shelter regularly and welcomed the students with open arms. At the shelter, students walk dogs, give them baths, pet the cats, and give the dogs food and water. In addition to helping with these basic needs, the TRMS students provide love and companionship to the homeless dogs and cats at the shelter. These animals spend day after day in cages waiting for their forever home, and while they wait, they have a fun and caring Two Rivers student to visit them.

Licks and tail wagging abound, but the true fun is had on the part of the student. Students have said that the shelter trips are a lot of fun, and that they really enjoying bonding with the animals. The students have shared that it makes them feel better to have the love and affection of a dog and a cat, and that they feel safe and content knowing that the animals love them. Some students that go on these trips can empathize with the dogs and cats at Animal Friends, because like the animals, some of the students know what it feels like to be alone and left out. They find comfort in their new furry friends, and this nurturing carries over into the other parts of the students' lives.

Club members held a free dog wash at the Go Humane Cincinnati 2008 fundraiser.

Go Humane Cincinnati 2008
The Walking Catfish hosted a fundraiser and dog adoption event for the Animal Friends Humane Society (AFHS) on May 17, 2008. The event was a huge success! AFHS brought 10 dogs available for adoption, and 8 of the dogs were adopted. The remaining 2 dogs were adopted within days of the event. In addition to finding homes for loveable pets, the Go Humane Cincinnati event raised $2,000 for AFHS.

To prepare for the event, the Walking Catfish spent countless hours after school every Tuesday. At their meetings, the students created bookmarks, posters, t-shirt logos, brochures, and even solved multi-step math problems to mix the right amount of dog shampoo for the event's complimentary dog wash.

The Walking Catfish students learned a great deal as they worked hard to prepare for Go Humane Cincinnati. They learned to work together by sharing responsibilities, leading project categories, and communicating. They also learned the importance of taking care of companion animals as well as the importance of having their pets spayed/neutered to reduce the homeless pet population. They also learned what it means to live a humane life. And most importantly, they experienced the feeling of empowerment as they were able to see the benefits of their hard work and dedication.

They are planning on hosting the Go Humane Cincinnati 2009 event in May 2009. Check their website for details on this and other projects!

What are the benefits of belonging to the club? Field trips, friends, giving back to the community, learning, working together, having fun, empowerment.

What advice can you give to teens who want to start their own animal protection club? Find an advisor that believes in your mission and then do whatever it takes to follow your goals.

Notable quote: "We need more humane teen clubs. They have amazing benefits for students: empowerment, friendship, communication skills, real world connections, and making learning come alive, not to mention the benefits for other people and animals."