Kindness Comes in Small Packages
On March 13 MCRS was invited to bring our rabbits to the Edgewood School in New Hope for an afternoon with these special students. This is a post high school program for developmentally delayed young adults -- some high functioning, some profoundly disabled -- aged 17-21. Thanks to friends and the faculty of Edgewood, each rabbit had its own handler and was placed on the laps of the students for petting time, bringing smiles to faces that are often detached from life. With the help of their teachers, spastic hands reached out to stroke soft fur. One girl who stutters spoke clearly and easily to the bunny on her lap. A young man who never reaches out rubbed his face on a bunnies head. Several of the rabbits were invited to go out independently to visit students who were either too frightened or too aggressive to attend the event.
Most of the 20 rabbits involved also attend the Rabbit Agility School, and entertained everyone with their skill on the teeter and over the jumps.
The focus of this school is life skills, so we were presented as a program the students needed to pay admission for. At $1.00 per student, they have donated $52.00 to help the rabbits of MCRS.
Our rabbit team and their handlers are:
Ian Dragoo & Melanie Lupfer with Morgan and Bailey
Leslee McKee-Perry with Junebug
Sydney McKee with Alice and Atticus
Lauren Perry with Hope
Taryn Wichterman with Maggie and Thor
Linda Judge with Harvey and Sadie
Carol Jud with Musli
Carol Pawlicki with Goldy
Debbie Fitzsimmons, Sofie, & Steven with Snickers and Bree
Barb Kelley & friends with Abigail, Alexander, River, Latifah, Lenny, and Amelia
Some of you will also recognize Latifah from her photo (top right) ... maybe better known as Peppermint from her MCRS days. She was returned to MCRS several years ago obese and very very angry. Someone lovingly called her a "PO-ed bowling ball with ears." During her time with us, she made the rounds of our "boot camp" foster homes, where she continued snarling, snapping, growling, spinning, and biting, biting, biting.
One year ago Latifah's foster mom noticed that the hatred in her eyes was slowly changing to love, and Latifah was adopted into a brand new world. Today our girl is one of our therapy rabbit team that works in nursing homes and special schools. She is an agility star, and when her class is visited by the many children's parties at the Animal Humane Society she moves right into the center of the circle of kids so she gets the most pets! Latifah is just one of our MCRS success stories, who's making a difference in the lives of the people around her.
Thanks to Latifah's owners for letting her participate in our school visit, and to everyone who made this event such a success!
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