Warsaw Girl Wants To Make A Difference
WARSAW — Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County is the recipient of a monthly donation drive started by a 10-year-old Warsaw girl.
Makenzie (Kenzie) Langhorn said she got the idea for the donation drive, known as Project Pets, from a dream.
“One night I was dreaming. Earlier that day I watched a show where people saved pets in animal shelters,” said Kenzie, ”The original idea was to put a drop-off box down by the neighborhood beach, but my mom had the great idea of going around the neighborhood and collecting items directly from the neighbors.”
Once a month Kenzie, her sister, Sydney, brother, Jack, and their mother, Sara, go through the neighborhood with a wagon collecting donations for AWL from neighbors.
According to Kenzie’s mother, Sara, “Kenzie is the mastermind of this project. Sydney and Jack are happy volunteers to the cause, though. I suppose I’m in an advisory position, helping Kenzie learn to manage this commitment. It’s been great so far.”
Darla McCammon, executive director of AWL, stated, “Each month Makenzie and her family go around their neighborhood and collect items that can benefit the shelter. We are so grateful to Project Pets for caring about the animals in need.”
When asked what the response has been from their neighbors, Sara replied, “The response has been fantastic. Lots of items were donated as well as cash. Neighbors even stopped their cars to get out and give a donation as we were walking the neighborhood to gather items. We are happy to receive any donations. We are interested in a long term commitment to this so every little bit helps.”
Sara said Kenzie has always loved animals. The Langhorn family has a dog named Boo Boo, adopted from AWL. They also have a 3-year-old rabbit named Cheesecake and a 4-year-old bearded dragon named Rhino.
“We love Kosciusko Animal Shelter,” Sydney expressed, adding, “We got Boo from the AWL shelter. If we can give the animals at the shelter some love by giving them a little extra kibble or something like a blanket, a new toy or a bone, we want to do that. it warms Kenzie’s heart and my heart to know that those animals are getting a little extra love even if we can’t adopt them all.”
“It’s wonderful that her siblings choose to support her efforts,” said Sara, “And, of course, she couldn’t do it without the great people of Shadow Lakes Estates.”
Sara describes Makenzie’s greatest strengths as, “Determination and compassion. Compassion motivated her to start the project, but it’s her determination to do more than average, to not just expect someone else to take care of the problem.
“I like that this is teaching the kids empathy and to think of others,” Sara added, “I’m also happy that Kenzie is learning about the time and effort it takes to manage such a project. She has to plan ahead and think about scheduling, logistics, communications and marketing. Those are some quality skills to start to learn at age 10.”
“I want to do this for AWL because I have a deep passion for animals and it makes me so sad to see them unloved and hurting,” Kenzie stated, “I also kind of wanted to do this because I don’t want to be a normal face in the crowd. I want to make a difference in the world.”