As a Mexican-American, senior Bianca Crosby Bernal often visits her hometown in Mexico. Throughout her trips, Bernal continuously encounters the sight of homeless animals roaming the streets. Knowing these animals are abandoned, Bernal’s compassion for animals in need has grown. As she developed a soft spot for vulnerable animals, Bernal recognized she had interest in pursuing a career in the veterinary field.
Driven by her desire to help animals, during her junior year, Bernal founded Lend a Paw, a club at WHS that cares for animals in need of support.
“I have always been such a lover of animals, especially the ones who have found themselves without a home,” Bernal said. “I knew our high school lacked clubs that helped animals, so I decided to put my passion to work.”
Bernal gathered other students to help build the club, including senior Venezia Sebestianelli. Over time, the two started to work out all the logistics and get the club up and running.
“Working with Bianca was really inspiring to see how passionate she was about the cause,” Sebastianelli said. “Last year we hosted a donation drive during the holiday season where we collected old blankets and sheets. We donated the materials to underfunded animal shelters.”
In addition to their holiday drive, Bernal organized a bake sale to raise additional funds and also set up a table at the annual club fair, as a way to showcase her club.
“To get people interested, we usually send out emails or people see us at the club fair,” Bernal said. “We explain to them what our mission is and that typically gets a lot of people’s attention because who wouldn’t want to help cute animals.”
As their senior year approached, Sebastianelli stepped down, and Bernal ran the club with senior Nina Eyerman. Eyerman and Bernal gathered new members and fundraising strategies for the club’s success.
“Seeing all that Bianca accomplished during junior year inspired me to join the club,” Eyerman said. “Once we became seniors, Bianca asked me to become a club leader with her. I just love helping animals, and I have two rescue dogs so I feel connected to the cause.”
Now that Bernal and Eyerman have a few months left before graduating, they want to create one final event to boost the club’s fundraising efforts and leave a lasting impact.
“Now that we have wrapped up our holiday drive, we will start to begin planning for the Adoption Fair that we want to have at school,” Bernal said. “This consists of bringing in some animals who have been at shelters for a long time, or even puppies, to the school in order to get people to adopt them. We really hope we can make it work, and gather people to at least spend time with these dogs.”
As their time with the club comes to an end, Bernal and Eyerman are determined to ensure that the club will continue to thrive long after they graduate. They are committed to laying a strong foundation for the future, making sure their hard work doesn’t fade away. Bernal has come to a decision to grant sophomore Katie Spilman the opportunity to lead Lend a Paw.
Both club leaders see potential from Spilman due to her devotion and shown passion towards this cause.
“I have four of the most pampered dogs ever, but unfortunately most pets aren’t able to get that same level of care, especially those in shelters,” Spilman said. “I want to be able to help them as much as I can and leading Lend a Paw is a great way to do that.”
As Bernal reflects on her efforts given to creating and building this club to success, she feels confident that she has made a difference.
“Knowing deep down that my work is making a difference in some little way is my favorite part of Lend a Paw,” Bernal said. “My avocation inspires some people to learn and be more open to adopting an animal instead of maybe buying one. It also makes me really proud to know that we are helping animals with the donations we collect. Imagine a puppy at a shelter cuddled up with the blanket you donated, it’s just amazing.”