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Two Roundtables from PS 88 Join Hands to Support Animal Shelter
By Sandra Henry, Operations Fellow
“You can’t not like animals at PS 88,” said the Penny Harvest coach. It’s engrained in the school culture as evidenced by the names and decisions of their two Philanthropy Roundtables: the “Wild Cats” and “Star Boys.” Both gave all of their support this year to an animal shelter in memory of their longtime school secretary.
 After feeding the animals and learning how to brush and clip a dog’s toenails, the grade schoolers groomed “Bear,” a German Sheppard puppy, at the Queens Animal Center. Animal care is a popular issue for Philanthropy Roundtables. Students across the city made 141 grants related to animals, making it the fourth most popular cause. But this grant was different. It was not just for the enjoyment of the students, nor was it only for the benefit of the animals; this grant was in honor of someone they cared deeply about.
Her name was Lynne Melemenis, the school’s secretary for over 10 years. She had cancer and passed away in 2004. Lynne was a passion¬ate animal lover and a member of Northeastern Boxer Rescue for nine years. With her son and her aunt in tow, Nikki Lipari, Lynne’s daughter, came to the grooming session to honor her mother’s memory and said, “It’s nice to see that she still has an impact on the school.” She watched as the students cradled young kittens, gave biscuits to puppies, and learned general pet care.
This is the second time the roundtable has honored Lynne Melemenis. Last year they funded American Foundation for Animal Rescue in her memory. This year they doubled their roundtable earnings and decided to donate all of the money to the Queens Animal Center. In addition to presenting a check and volunteering at the center, the “Star Boys” and “Wild Cats” created and displayed posters at school advertising animals that were up for adoption.
Sandra Henry of Brooklyn, New York, is a recent graduate of Kenyon College and just joined Common Cents as the Operations Fellow and School Support Contact for Regions 4 and 5. She will remain with us through July 2007.
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