WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – Three non-profit organizations with roots in Woodbury made a connection through community leadership and volunteerism.
Woodbury Leadership Academy (WLA) is a public charter school where curriculum includes Leadership classes starting at 1st grade.
Students learn about 5 core virtues of leadership: Perseverance, Responsibility, Respect, Gratitude, and Humanity.
Each grade organizes a service learning project to help others in the community.
Two of WLA students are part of Woodbury Royal Ambassadors, a non-profit community organization that helps elementary and high school students build leadership and public speaking skills through volunteerism.
WLA collaborated with Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue and Little Miss Woodbury Nola’s family to create a service learning project in 4th grade.
Coco’s Heart is based in Somerset, WI, but has a large volunteer network in Woodbury and surrounding suburbs.
Nola chose to fundraise her Woodbury Royal Ambassador program fee to promote the rescue organization.
Nola has participated in dog fostering and volunteering all her life.
Recently, volunteers with Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue came to each of 5 WLA 4th grade classes to share stories of learning about the 5 core Leadership virtues from rescued dogs.
When animals are saved from unfortunate situations, oftentimes they have never experienced kindness and care from humans.
Foster families, other volunteers and veterinarian staff value the responsibility of helping a shy or fearful dog build confidence and get ready for adoption.
Sometimes, it takes perseverance and patience to help the dog overcome its sad past.
Volunteers show these dogs respect and humanity and the feeling of gratitude is on both sides of this relationship.
Little Miss Woodbury Nola talked about learning time management while caring for newborn puppies and adult foster dogs. She was honest about needing to sometimes interrupt her playtime or watching TV to take care of the fosters, and how it ends up being more fun to spend time with the dogs.
WLA students also got to interact with special guests – 3 young rescued dogs who enjoyed meeting so many new friends.
WLA 4th grade service learning project concluded by practicing the virtue of gratitude.
Each student got a chance to add their artwork to cards that the rescue organization sends out to thank their donors, fosters and other supporters.
