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Schools

Happy Howl-idays Drive Raises Awareness, Funds for Animal Shelter

The brainchild of Lake Bluff fifth-grader Ashley Oldenburg becomes a reality.

The image is still fresh in the youngster’s mind.

On a trip last summer to Orphans of the Storm in Riverwoods, 10-year-old Ashley Oldenburg first became aware of the plight of the more than 1,000 abused, abandoned and stray cats and dogs living at the animal shelter.

“It was pretty sad, all these dogs and cats sitting in cages looking miserable; my mom and I cried all the way home,” said Ashley, whose own menagerie of pets at home includes two dogs, two guinea pigs, three fish and a frog.

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“That’s when Ashley started plotting and planning how she could help the animals,” said her mom, Donna Oldenburg.

Strength in Numbers

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Initially, Ashley took on the challenge by herself and raised $16 from a lemonade stand to donate to the shelter.

A nice sum, but Ashley realized how much more could be accomplished if she had more people working with her. Her thoughts turned to her schoolmates at .

“I knew there would be a lot of kids that could bring stuff to donate, and I knew that the school would be a place where we could get a lot of money,” said Ashley.

At her mom’s suggestion, Ashley sent a “proposal” to Principal Shelley Overman, who presented it to her staff. They loved the idea.

With a little help from Ashley’s teacher, Mary Strauss, and classmates, the Happy Howl-idays Drive began to take shape.

“Mrs. Strauss came up with suggestions to raise money and the kids worked off of each other’s ideas and it came together,” said Ashley.

Fundraiser Emphasizes Student Teamwork

The result is a contest that groups the kindergarten through fifth-grade classes into seven teams. Each team sponsors an animal from the shelter and raises donations in their pet’s name. The team with the most donations wins a pizza party.

Jen Perlis-Glassman, a social worker at the school, is overseeing Ashley’s efforts to implement the drive, but says the fifth-grader is leading the way.

“It’s going to be a great drive because it’s generated by her. I’m just the adult supervising it,” says Perlis-Glassman. “It’s something she’s doing independently. Ashley’s making the fliers, she’s doing the promotional commercials to help market it in the school, but it’s basically her idea; she’s taken charge of it independently.”

Although the school has held numerous drives in the past, Perlis-Glassman can recall only one other student-initiated drive in the nine years she has worked at the school. It’s not that students haven’t come forth with ideas, but the timing wasn’t right.

“As long as there’s a real need, the school wants to get behind the students,” she said.

Finding Her Passion

What has impressed Perlis-Glassman about Ashley is her passion and commitment to the cause.

 “This is her idea. She came up with the plan,” Perlis-Glassman said. “She executed it and is going to see it through, and she can feel really good about that.”

On a recent day in November, Ashley and her mom went to the shelter to shoot the promotional video that will launch the drive and generate interest among the students. Ashley admitted to being “a little nervous” but in front of the camera, she handled herself like a pro, posing with some of the cats and dogs and urging students to get involved.

A True Need

According to Jackie Borchew, director of development for Orphans of the Storm, who is also featured in the video with Ashley, the price tag to keep the shelter going is $1.5 million a year. Last year, Borchew said the shelter spent $138,000 on food alone. The needed funding comes from grants, donations and the $90 adoption fee.

“If it wasn’t for volunteers and kids like Ashley, Orphans wouldn’t be able to do what it does each year,” said Borchew. “It’s the fresh ideas like Ashley’s that helps us to get by.”

The video shoot over, it’s time for a tired but happy 10-year-old to go home, but not before she asks Mom if they can adopt the cat she’s cradling in her arms.

Ashley doesn’t get the answer she hoped for, but she does have her mother’s admiration. 

“I’ve always told my girls you have a finite time on earth,” her mom says. “It’s important to find what your passion is and run with it. Ashley has owned it, taken it, and run with it.”

Ashley has taken her mom’s advice. She plans to take the idea to next year when she enters sixth grade.

“If it works at the middle school, maybe I can bring it to other schools,” says Ashley.

Asked if she wants to win the pizza party Ashley says, “I don’t really care if we win. I’m just focused more on getting as many donations as possible.”

Community Can Participate

The community also can participate in the Happy Howl-idays Drive, which runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 12. Donations may be dropped off at ’s front office weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The school is located at 350 W. Washington St., Lake Bluff.

Desired donations include: lightweight old blankets; old sheets and towels; food; treats; toys; cat litter; combs and brushes; human-based baby food (meat-based only) for sick cats; Mobil Gas gift cards; gift certificates to Home Depot, Dominick’s, Jewel, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Costco, or True Value Hardware for shelter maintenance; and gift certificates for vet services or pet-food suppliers such as Petco or PetsMart.

To donate money, make a check payable to Orphans of the Storm with LBES in the memo line.

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