Scholarship. Character. Culture. Service. These are the four pillars that make up our institution’s mission. Catawba College offers many extracurriculars that provide students with the opportunity to succeed in their mission. Catawba’s Shelter of Guardians is one club that draws on the service aspect.
The Shelter of Guardians Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Rowan County, that provide care and help to animals in need. They are dedicated to the welfare of the homeless animals that are temporarily placed in the animal shelter. Since 2015, Catawba has been working closely with this all-important organization. The Catawba Shelter of Guardians is a student-service club that works closely with the Shelter of Guardians, to provide aid and support for the animals in our community.
Catawba got involved with the Shelter of Guardians through former Spanish professor Dr. Cheryl Peevy, who was an active member of the group. With the help of other passionate students, they formed the Catawba Shelter Guardians. After their founding in 2015, it only took them one semester to get settled and become a recognized chartered club of the school where they have since flourished.
Currently the Catawba club has 16 passionate members that are led by their president Andrew Romano. He expressed that the main goals for the club is to get all students that are interested the training that is necessary for them to volunteer and work at the shelter. They recently took part in a training presentation at the Shelter of Guardians Inc. and are hoping that this will become a regular occurrence as they continue to expand their club. The ultimate goal for the group this year is to increase campus engagement and encourage more student involvement, which Romano explained, “the more people that are willing to help, the more aid we can offer to the shelter.”
We will be hearing more from this group in the coming months as they look to get their name around campus. The annual “Pet Product Drive” has already started, which is where boxes are placed around campus for students and faculty members to donate pet products to all of the Rowan County Animal Shelters. This is one of their most successful fundraisers as people are generous in their donations, which are all well-received by the Shelters.
There are a few events that you need to mark in your calendars to show your support. On February 25 they will be hosting a toy making event in the student center at 6.30 p.m. This is open for all students, and it is an opportunity to channel in on your creative side while showing your love for animals. March is another jam-packed month of events run by this organization, including a movie-night and meetings for old and new members of the group. On top of the work are doing on campus, they will regularly be reaching and and assisting in the shelters.
This group is on the rise and one to keep an eye out for. Everything they do is for a good cause which should encourage the campus to get involved. They are an organization that really prides themselves on their outreach and service to the community. Romano describes the Catawba Shelter of Guardians as a “fun opportunity to engage in the 4th pillar of our institution.”
