Oak Mountain Elementary second-grader, Parker Verant, wanted to do a service project for his school to collect donations for the Shelby County Humane Society. But, in order to put a collection bin in the front office and do the project school-wide he knew he needed to get the approval of Principal Debbie Horton.
So, Parker set up a meeting with Mrs. Horton and came prepared to make his plea – complete with a seven-slide PowerPoint presentation with photos and an explanation of why he wanted to do the project.
“I was really nervous,” he admitted about his meeting with Horton. But after hearing him confidently explain why he is passionate about helping the animals at the Humane Society, Horton quickly agreed to his proposal.
Parker said his desire to do the project started when he first attended a birthday party at the Humane Society and saw how many animals the shelter cares for. When his birthday rolled around on November 20th of last year, he asked his friends to donate items to the shelter instead of bringing him birthday presents.
His love for shelter animals has led to him adopting two of his own, one dog and one cat. All total, his family has eight pets because they love nature and helping animals.
If you would like to support Parker’s efforts to collect donations, the following items are needed: dog and cat food, newspapers, towels, blankets, pet toys, dog and cat brushes, and pet nail clippers. The collection bin, which he decorated to look like an adorable pup, is located just inside the front office at Oak Mountain Elementary.
Parker Verant certainly has the qualities of a leader, and his compassion & empathy for the animals at the shelter speak loudly of his sincerity. I would be willing to bet that he will continue to be a leader as he grows older, and also will be accepting more responsibility. Congratulations to Parker’s family for their support of his endeavors.
When I heard that Parker, as an eight year old birthday boy, would rather get food for shelter animals than gifts for himself, I was amazed and so proud of him. Parker has a selfless, compassion for animals, and others, that is quite rare. He has a bright future ahead!