PROJECTS
SAFE Expo
Our club’s first event, the “SAFE Expo” was hosted on March 29th, 2022, at Hialeah Gardens Sr. High School. This event allowed students to engage with various animals including hedgehogs, horses, pigs, kittens, etc. The “SAFE Expo” entailed of eight stations including a Cat Cafe, Petting Zoo, Books for Bunnies, New Yorkie Fashion Show, and much more! Our team partnered with a handful of rescues and organizations, such as HAPPI Farms, Canine Therapy, and Whispering Manes. This animal engagement provided students with a form of animal therapy simultaneously refining their mental health. After the “SAFE Expo” students completed a survey consisting of questions related to the event, their mental health, and requested feedback on the expo. The survey was optional, anonymous, and provided students the opportunity to request further mental health resources.
Our team’s “SAFE Expo” proved to be effective in improving our student body’s mental health. We received a total of approximately four-hundred responses to our survey. The results exhibit an improvement in students’ mental health, amongst other results.
77.9% of the students reported to have felt at least some improvement, and 86.1% were interested in participating in similar events in the near future.
Spring Festival
Our team’s next event on April 16th, includes participating in the Hialeah Gardens Spring Festival. At this event we will inform our community of animal therapy and share mental health resources. This event will focus on interacting with the community on a more personal level. Furthermore, we will promote animal adoption, and fostering, which will benefit our communities' animal shelters.
