This week’s Campus Celebrity is our very own Eli Penate. He is a junior majoring in Biology. He is a Bonner Scholar with a placement at the Humane Society, where he plays a huge role. He is also affiliated with DCS (DePauw Community Service). Here is your chance to learn more about him!
Her Campus: Hi, Eli. Thank you for letting me interview you! How are you doing? How was fall break?
Campus Celebrity: I’m great! Fall break was very much needed, but I’m ready to get back to work.
HC: That is great to hear! How did you get started with working for the Humane Society?
CC: Back home, in Chicago, I volunteer at the largest no-kill animal shelter: PAWS Chicago. I did over 100 hours there and it became a part of my life, so when I came to DePauw it was something that I really wanted to get involved with. In addition, because I am a Bonner Scholar, I am expected to commit to 10 hours of community service a week. Through the program, I was put in contact with Sandy Grimes, president of the Humane Society, and from there that’s when all my work started.
HC: That is incredible. It is great to hear how involved you are with volunteering with animals. Since you’ve started working at the Humane Society, what improvements have been made?
CC: When I first started working with the Humane Society, the shelter had been closed for about five years, but efforts were being made to reopen it. The Humane Society created Rescued Treasure, a thrift store where all the profits went straight to the opening of the shelter and all staff members are volunteers. It’s been three years since I’ve been with the Humane Society and finally, this year, we just opened. Our grand opening was on Saturday, October 24. We adopted out four cats and one dog. In addition to opening, we have started multiple programs for the residents of Putnam County. One of those programs being our no-cost spay/neuter program for Putnam County residents. This program allows residents of Putnam County to spay and neuter their pets for free.
HC: A lot has definitely been accomplished since your participation. What inspired you to continue being involved?
CC: I used to volunteer with PAWS Chicago back home, so when I came here it felt like it was something that I needed to do. In addition, I use my volunteer work as an escape from stress. I feel like sitting in a room full of kittens or puppies is the best stress reliever.
HC: I bet it definitely is a stress reliever! Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by kittens and puppies? We know we would! So what are your plans with the Humane Society in the future?
CC: Something that we are working on at the Humane Society is building our volunteer database. We just opened up and it’s hard to get volunteers out to the shelter but they are really needed. So if any of you are interested let me know. We are also starting up our foster program for animals with medical conditions or animals that have been over-stressed because of the shelter environment. Lastly, we will soon be accepting surrendered animals. As of now, the animals in the shelter are strays that have been found, but soon we will be able to take animals from abused homes or families who do not have the resources to have a pet.
HC: You and the Humane Society are really on top of things to help animals that are in need. It’s astonishing to hear how much has changed in the past few years and exciting to hear about what is to come in the future. Do you see a career working with animals in the future?
CC: I think that in the future I will definitely be working with animals. I would really like to go into the non-profit field and maybe even manage my own shelter. I think it’s really cool to be able to help animals find a permanent home. It gives me a sense of pleasure when I see a family driving away with their new fuzzy family member.
HC: Wow. I am truly amazed and pleased to know that your help at the Humane Society has been a huge success! It was a pleasure interviewing you and maybe we’ll join you to volunteer sometime soon!