Samantha Parkman Senior Project

May 13, 2019 Written at 9PM Today I got to clean my first small animal cage for a gerbil. It was an easier task than the cats and dogs, but was fun to do. After that I got to clean the cages of several new kitten and cat additions that came from down south. It was fun being able to hold the kittens and getting to know their personalities. Then I spent a lot of my free time afterwards in the workroom. I cleaned many dishes, toys, and litter boxes for a while. It is kind of slow on Mondays since the SPCA isn’t open to the public for that day. I helped printing out some information for summer camp kids soon after. That wasn’t as fun, but I got through it. Finally, at the end of the day, I got to go with two other girls to a retirement home nearby to do some pet therapy with puppies. I absolutely loved doing that and seeing the people so happy. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and have in total completed 71 ½ hours of my senior project.

    This week I felt a lot more confident in my ability to help. Last week I had gotten the hang of things around the SPCA, but this week I really opened up. Starting with the brunch on Sunday, I got to interact with adults and the different committee and board members that contribute to the cause everyday. Then at the end of the week I got to help at NHTI with eighth graders who were learning about budgeting and expenses that adults face everyday.     This week I’ve learned about the importance of donations and taking part in activities to better educate the next generation. Donations play most of the role in keeping the SPCA going and the facilities they have. Without fundraiser events, which they put tons of hours into getting perfect, they wouldn’t be able to have a lot of the things they have now like space, cages, and any other kind of equipment. Another influential experience I had this week was working with the eighth graders. I was a part of t...

May 10, 2019 Written at 10PM     For the second day of the fair, I was still at the same table, doing the same job, with the same lady. I wasn’t complaining though. I really enjoyed the fair. The kids came in like they did last time and walked around getting their houses and everything they needed for the real life world. This time around, I found myself acting more confident in my ability to help and connect with the students who seemed very excited about the project. This day felt shorter than the first and it was probably because I knew what to expect and felt better about doing it. The last group that came through for the day had these two boys who had come over to the pet table. They were both obsessed with having as many ferrets as possible, but at first they only got a couple. Then at the end when they were having their reflection time, one of the boys stood up and said, “Thanks to the pet table, I got three hundred ferrets and still have money leftover!” It ...

May 9, 2019 Written at 8PM     I went into the reality fair at NHTI blind. I had no idea what the fair was and what I would be participating in while I was there. When I first walked through the doors to the wellness center, I was greeted by two older women who then explained what the fair was about. Two eighth grade classes from two different schools have been working on a career of their choice and learning about budgeting with that career. In the fair, there are different tables set up where each kid will rent an apartment, figure out costs of utilities, transportation, etc. My table that I was set up at was for pets. If a kid wanted to buy a pet, I would give them the monthly cost, since that’s what they are going by for the rest of the tables. Then I just had to sign off on their papers. If they didn’t want a pet then I would still have to sign anyway. The second day with the second school is tomorrow which I will also be attending. It was cool learning about...

May 8, 2019 Written at 7PM     I started my morning with some dog walking and enrichment. I took three dogs out for either long walks or property walks and then came back to do some cuddling and training with them. After walking the dogs, a group of preschool students from Concord Christian Academy scheduled a visit to get a tour. Shannon, my mentor, and I helped lead them around and watched them enjoy the animals. It was really cool getting to see the interaction between the little kids and the animals because it reminded me of when I was little. Then I did some filing for summer camp paperwork and people that would be involved. After my lunch break, some senior citizens also scheduled a visit to get in some pet therapy time. My day ended with editing print outs at the front desk. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and in total have spent 52 ½ hours on my senior project.

May 7, 2019 Written at 8PM     It was a day for spring cleaning. I spent most of the morning washing windows, changing the sign lettering and washing the old letters, and completely cleaning the small animals room. Though these weren’t the most enjoyable tasks, I was still content and happy to be busy. In between my cleaning, when I had spare time, I got to spend some time cat socializing. Today two new cats came in that were now adoptable. They were both strays that have been loved unconditionally by the workers in the back rooms so they would soon be adoptable. Towards the end of the day, I just helped do some inventory counting, packing for a new event, and typing up the silent auction information from Sunday’s brunch. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and I have in total completed 45 hours of my senior project

May 6, 2019 Written at 8PM     Today I had a another day off. To make up for having the day free, I went to the brunch fundraiser on Sunday. I figured since I just had a weekly reflection due on the weekend that I would discuss in more depth what I did on Sunday for this blog. So beginning at seven thirty on Sunday morning, I helped fill out names for people entering the raffle. Then I continued to help set up tables and decorations while the other volunteers figured out the silent auction set up and prizes. The guests got there at nine so I greeted and showed them where to register for a while. After that, I mostly figured out the raffle winners and cleaned up while the guests were listening to the entertainment. Once the guests began to leave, I stood at the door saying goodbye and thank you for coming. Then I helped pack things up and the fundraiser was finished. I spent 6 hours on Sunday and 0 hours today. I have in total completed 37 ½ hours of my senior proj...