Teen Volunteer Opportunities Abound at Local Humane Society

Photo By: Tim King

(Salem) - Salem Teens who like animals are finding great volunteer opportunities at the Willamette Humane Society. If you`re looking for something new and cool to do on the weekends, then you might find yourself working with high schoolers from Salem and Scio and other locations.

Teen volunteers like Courtney Schmidig of Scio says she keeps coming back each weekend because helping animals that don`t have homes is rewarding and fun. `I just recently became a volunteer at the Humane Society and I walk dogs. It`s really fun and I enjoy it a lot."

Paid employees staff the Willamette Humane Society, but there are also many volunteers who fill a wide variety of roles. They say that without the help of those who donate their time, their role in the community would be much more difficult.

Kelsey Vincent who attends Sprague High School in Salem, says she and her fellow student volunteers take care of dogs that need plenty of fresh air and exercise, `I clean out the puppy room, I socialize with them, and I also walk the dogs and play with them."

Teens learn that getting involved as a volunteer can lead to all kinds of new opportunities and friendships. Courtney Schmidig says students who volunteer at the Humane Society have opportunities to spend time around people with similar interests. `It`s fun to meet people, I met Brendon through volunteering, so it`s fun to interact with people who have the same ambitions that you do."

Brendon Motte is a volunteer, who attends Sprague High School in Salem, `It`s really good, it`s really well organized in everything they do, how the way they train volunteers, and get new people coming in all the time."

Some of the teens who volunteer at the Humane Society learn that it is more than a fun way to give back to the community on weekends; it is also a career opportunity for those who hope to someday work in one of the many professional fields related to animals.

Positions include exam assistants, animal care managers, development staff, volunteer managers, adoption staff, and even cruelty investigators.

And there is always one more thing, according to Courtney Schmidig, `I really enjoy working with animals and it is a good opportunity to find an animal for yourself."

livedigital.com no longer has this video.