The Granada High School Paw Pals is a new club this year. Omar Magana, the club president, started the club in early October with Pozhilan Premkumar as the club’s vice president, Sierra Amaral as treasurer of the club, and Keoki Gomes as their secretary. Throughout the year, the officers and the club plan to organize activities such as a food/toy drive, to allow people to donate “food, and anything for animals in general, especially blankets”, says Omar Magana.
The club is hoping that by donating these resources, younger animals will be able to “get used to a new environment” and learn more about the different functions of everyday uses. Many dogs are kept in animal shelters and want people and a home to love and care for them. Magana and his fellow officers were looking for something new to experience here at Granada, and he says, “Instead of sitting at lunch every day, we decided to create a club where we can all hang out together and work to help out animals.”
The club also plans to find volunteer opportunities for its members. Magana and the other officers of Paw Pals wanted a way to give back to their community and decided that helping animals was what they wanted to do. Paw Pals’ mission is to promote the adoption of pets over buying and to help fight against animal cruelty. The club is currently working with the Valley Humane Society to get more animals in their shelters, food, resources, and a caring home. Magana’s overall goal, in regard to club events, is to host “an on-campus adoption event” at the end of the school year.
Since Paw Pals is new to GHS, the more people they can find to join the club, the better. Not only would you be aiding in the animals’ health if you joined the blub, but also your own. Just being around pets has been known to be very calming, and anxiety-relieving, and can overall improve your mental health through exposure to them. Joining this club and helping these animals benefits both the animals and the people. If you are interested in joining Paw Pals, you can join the club meetings in Mrs. Arora’s room every other Tuesday at lunch in room 504.
