Teaching Kids about Empathy, Compassion, Acceptance and Community
What is Sakari’s Kids?
In 2012, a Siberian Husky was abandoned and needed some help. Jeni Mather, of the J.M. Pet Resort in Brockton, MA, took Sakari in.
Sakari was pregnant, and in her weakened condition, she gave birth to 6 pups.
From the beginning, Sakari became the face of the Sakari’s Kids program.
The program is essentially a class where kids are taught how to care for and treat dogs, and as a result, how to be better members of their community.
The mission of the program is to teach parents and children not only how to be kind to animals, but also to themselves and others.
“Hand-in-Paw, Paw-in-Hand, we are peaceful today.”
A Sakari Kid’s Values
Using a program built around helping kids learn how to treat animals, Sakari’s Kids teaches kids how to spot the underdog, so that they can be aware of and support kids being bullied.
The program teaches kids skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Skills like “think before you speak” and “make the right choice” are part of what the program teaches, and by doing so, is contributing to the children’s ability to lead a healthy and productive life, no matter what they decide to do as a profession.
The program teaches children about honesty, integrity and transparency. These are things that are being discussed at the adult level, across many cultures, as being essential ingredients to success in professional and personal endeavors.
The point here is that this program is doing a lot of good by just helping kids get a little closer to dogs.
This is Sakari (meaning gentle and sweet)
Sakari’s Kids and the Community?
As I was learning about the program, a couple of stories jumped out at me from their marketing material.
A middle school student named Nina organized a fund raiser at her school. She was able to bolster the support of her classmates and raise over $400 dollars to put towards annual vaccinations for the dogs. Think about how much Nina actually learned to do by taking the initiative to motivate people of her age group to support something she was passionate about.
Then there was Sam, who helped raise money to ensure that a senior dog got adopted. Again, these are skills and a way of thinking that will serve Sam, and Nina, in whatever contribution they decided to make as they grow and mature.
Are their more important skills than learning how to work with others to achieve a common, and worthy objective?
This program is inspiring children to get involved, to take action, to find a purpose. I personally am amazed at the leadership skills being exhibited by these kids, at such a young age.
Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the program, and how to get involved, you can contact them via email at SakarisKids@jmpetresort.com or call 508.588.5661.
You can connect with the program, and experience the stories of the children who participate on the programs Facebook Page
Or you can visit the web page of J.M. Pet Resort to learn more about the pet resort and the services and programs they provide.
We proudly support the Blue Dog Shelther in Brokton MA
(Affiliated with the J.M. Pet Resort)
Click the image below to learn how to help us help the Blue Dog Shelter in Brockton, MA
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