Angels for Animals makes a difference

The appalling acts of cruelty inflicted on animals by children prompted Tracy Lee Mills, an animal lover and well-loved English teacher at Benoni High School (BHS), to start the school’s Angels for Animals club in January 2019.

The club’s aim is to create a culture of kindness, compassion and care for all animals.

Mills got involved with two feral cat colonies while teaching on the South Coast.

It was there where she first witnessed the dreadful cruelty inflicted on animals.

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When Mills started teaching at BHS, she assisted now-retired teacher Pat Leach in feeding the school cats.

She then got involved with rescue shelters on Facebook, where she networks the plight of neglected, abused and abandoned animals.

The Angels for Animals movement has been growing in leaps and bounds.

Various fund-raising activities have been launched at BHS, including the Easter raffle, the Mandela Day food drive and the Spring pancake bake.

The proceeds are donated to animal shelters on the East Rand to enable the sterilisation and feeding needs of these animals.

Club members regularly visit Tag-Animals Guardians in Cloverdene, Benoni, to walk the dogs and help them socialise.

Mills mentions that her club members have exceeded her expectations with their commitment and dedication to raising the awareness that animals are sentient beings.

Club members show incredible enthusiasm and participation in fund-raising activities and food drives.

Danielle Fischer, a Grade Eight BHS learner, said: “I joined Angels for Animals because I wanted to make a difference for animals here in Benoni.

“A tremendous number of animals have suffered already and need help, so I decided the right thing to do was join.

“Not long after joining, we were walking dogs and having fun. It makes Angels for Animals feel like home.”

The club also collects food and donates pre-loved items to the shelter’s charity shop.

Over 400kg of dry dog food and tins of pet food were collected for the Mandela Day food drive.

These generous donations brought welcome relief to shelters such as TAG, Purple Red Paws, Pet Rescue, Paws Rehoming and Delmas Animal Shelter.