Club Hope end of year party

During the year Beth has been attending Club HOPE (Helping Our Pets & the Environment). This was an after school session which, as the name suggests, is all about helping animals & looking after the environment. Each month had a different theme &, usually, examples of the types of animals being discussed were brought along to the sessions for the children to see (Cheryl did a session with Madeline, who is a Giant Flemish rabbit that we foster care for while she waits for a 'forever' home). There was also a field visit to the Humane Society of Missouri rescue center in downtown St Louis.

At the end of the year, a party was organized for all the children that participated in the programme. This was held at the 165-acre Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, near Union, Missouri. This is also owned by the Humane Society & is used to house, care for, & rehabilitate abused & neglected farm animals including horses, cows, goats, pigs, & ducks.

There were lots of events organized for the children. Each child got a card with seven activities marked on it & when each activity was completed the card was stamped. When all of the stamps had been collected, the participants got a certificate & could then have cake & popcorn at 'Poppy's Shelter' (which is the new picnic & outdoor meeting area. The activities included grooming one of the rescued horses, face-painting, doing some crafts in the conference venue (which overlooks the indoor animal exercise arena), & touring the ranch on a trailer ride. As well as seeing the meadows where some of the horses & cattle get to live, the trailer ride included a stop at Snortin' Norton's enclosure to feed the 900-pound (!) domestic pig.