Students pursue creature comfort as MOVE volunteers

Izzy Ruprecht ’23 works with cute kitties at one of the partner locations recently. The large image behind the headline shows volunteers Emmie Selander ’26 and Nora Peterson ’23 at a partner site.

Cause for Paws is a program within MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) that centers around animal rights.

According to Lara Scott, the Associate Director of Campus Ministry for Community Service, the mission of Cause for Paws is to “advocate for the dignity of animals, raise community awareness of animal injustices, and inspire action that goes beyond the Saint Michael’s community.”

“Cause for Paws highlights the value of animals in our lives and I regularly hear from students how much they love animals and they are so glad Cause for Paws is here,” Scott said.

Cause for Paws partners with two local non-profits: Franklin County Animal Rescue and Champlain Adaptive Mounted Program (CHAMP). At Franklin County Animal Rescue, students spend time with the animals and support the organization through cleaning and organizing. At CHAMP, a therapeutic horse-riding center, the volunteers assist with the horses and clean stalls, among other helpful tasks around the organization.

For Izzy Ruprecht ’23, a student leader for the group, the best part of Cause for Paws is seeing the animals and getting off campus to volunteer.

“Students should join because it’s truly awesome to contribute to communities,” Ruprecht said. “I believe that as much as we help animal organizations with cleaning and other tasks, it’s also so beneficial to be surrounded by animals and fellow peers. Even when academics are stressful, volunteering with animals is always a nice relaxing get-away.”

Abby Karlen ’23 at Franklin County Animal Rescue with some friends.