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The Magnolia Juniors 4-H Club partnered with Shopko and the Tracy Area Animal Rescue to host “Paws to Remember Dani” Saturday morning, Oct. 7.
“I really wanted to do some kind of a community pride project,” said 4-H’er Mallie Fick, a fifth-grader at Luverne Elementary. “I thought it would be kind of fun to remember Dani.”
Daniella Gacke took her life at the age of 13 earlier this year.
Fick and other friends remember that Gacke had a fondness for animals and would often tend to animals in need.
“I knew she liked animals, especially cats,” Fick said.
The 4-H’ers partnered with Tracy Area Animal Rescue for the club’s service learning project. Community Pride is a group project that has 4-H’ers identify needs in their communities, plan a service project and execute the plan.
Fick said her idea generated 300 pounds of dog and cat food and more than $200 in donations during the two-hour event.
“I was totally amazed and happy at what those kids did,” said Luverne’s Beth Capistran, a volunteer and board member with TAAR.
“And how the community came out to show support for the local organization, to remember Dani and help a rescue (organization) that loves animals as much as Dani did.”
A few of the adoptable dogs and cats were also at the greet-and-meet event.
In their advertisement, club members billed their project as a first-annual event.
About Tracy Area Animal Rescue
TAAR is a volunteer, non-profit organization that accepts unwanted, lost, neglected or abused dogs and cats, place them in foster homes until an adoptive home is found. The group provides the necessary veterinary work and food until an adoption is arranged.
Capistran said as of Jan. 1, the group has rescued 203 animals and has helped 156 find new homes.
“Some of the animals are hospice cases as well as animals with medical needs that we are still working on getting healthy so they can hopefully be adopted out some day,” she added.