From Nov. 4-22, DECA hosted their chapter event, Paws for a Cause. DECA’s Paws for a Cause donation drive was an opportunity to support Saving Sage Animal Rescue and all the work they do to help pets around South Florida. All donations being sent to Saving Sage were stored in a bin in room 511, including food, toys, hygiene supplies and more. Students could also choose to donate cleaning supplies to those who work at the rescue.

The Paws for a Cause event is organized by the three DECA co-leaders Constanza Lamaison, Marina Rojas Ramos and Julia Luchyk. They conducted a lot of research to find the best animal rescue to support.

“Well, since last year we had been looking into all the shelters here in South Florida that we could support and we thought Saving Sage was the best, not only because it is relatively closer than the others, but also because it aligns with our mission of spreading awareness about the help shelters need and the issue with pet overpopulation,” Lamaison said.

To gain more awareness for this donation drive, the event was opened to MSD’s National Honor Society as a service hours opportunity to encourage others to contribute to the drive. DECA also publicized the event on its social media platforms as a way to earn DECA diamonds.

This was DECA’s first year hosting the Paws for a Cause drive, though DECA commonly runs donation drives, for which they collect certain items and donate them to a cause. Ramos found this cause to be particularly special to her.

“Me and my group believe strongly in this cause because the state of Florida has one of the highest rates of [pet] euthanization in the United States,” Ramos said. “This is due to the poor funding and support of animal shelters since most rely on donations and volunteer work. We are also big animal lovers and believe that all pets should have the love and care they need to have a happy life.”

DECA hopes that this drive will benefit all of the pets and staff at Saving Sage greatly and looks forward to holding many more donation drives in the future.