Helen Woodward Humane Education Critters Connect Special-Needs, Adopted Child with Classmates…
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (March 18, 2019) – Yesterday afternoon, a beloved, adopted daughter named Maizy celebrated her “Gotcha Day” surrounded by family, fuzzy faces, and new friends, all hosted by Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Humane Education Program. The curriculum, created to form a bond between young people and animals, became an even more important bridge between Maizy and her first grade class, as they celebrated her special day.
Lise Flocken, mother of Maizy, wrote to the Center’s Humane Education program to request a unique party for the daughter she had adopted from China. In her very young life, Maizy had already experienced seven life-saving surgeries with four more scheduled. Oxygen deprivation had resulted in damage to Maizy’s brain stem leading to struggles with academics and trouble connecting socially. In an effort to connect Maizy with her first grade classmates, Flocken had requested a special Interactive Animal Encounter. She planned to invite the other children to meet Maizy in a more relaxed arena, surrounded by cuddly creatures for the children to bond over. A letter Flocken wrote to the parents of Maizy’s classmates read (in part)…
My child may not reach all of the milestones your child will reach
My child was given more challenges than most people
My child will teach your child about diversity and that diversity takes many different forms
My child will foster compassion for others with limitations
My child will show them families are created in many ways
My dream is that our children laugh together
My dream is that our children create a friendship they remember
My child is Maizy Bolt and I am her forever mommy Lise Flocken.
I would like to extend an invitation to meet Maizy and celebrate her ‘Gotcha Day’ (the day we adopted her).
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President and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center Mike Arms, and the entire Humane Education Team, set out to provide Maizy an extraordinary “Gotcha Day” celebration. In addition to providing the entire event at no cost, a gorgeous animal-themed cake was ordered from Sugar and Scribe Bakery in La Jolla. Along with Maizy and her family, 12 of Maizy’s classmates attended the celebration with Tasha the parrot, alpacas Kuzco and Kronk, Fable the mini horse, Friar Cluck the chicken, and Pancake the rabbit. Party-goers enjoyed special activities and made toys for adoptable dogs – a project Maizy’s mom specifically requested as a reminder that orphan pets are also waiting for loving forever families.
“Humane education has been a part of the Center since its founding in 1972,” explained Arms. “Helen knew that animals had incredible abilities to connect with mankind. Creating new friendships between Maizy and her classmates is a beautiful example of the magic they can do.”
To learn more about Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Humane Education Programs, go to: https://animalcenter.org/programs-services/education, or contact Center Education Manager Haylee Blake at (858) 756-4117 x 318.