
Amanda Smith
Dosomething.org helps teens who want to make an impact in their community by offering information and resources to do so.
Recently, they offered
Animal Action Grants of a whopping $500 to young people working to help animals! I was lucky enough to interview three of the winners: Amanda Smith, Hayden Whitt and Maggie Maxwell. They truly are inspirational! (
Meet all the winners here.)
This is my interview with Amanda Smith is a 17-year-old from Rochester, Minnesota. I'll post my interviews with Hayden and Maggie in coming weeks.
What is your project?My project is to help promote
RIDE of Rochester. RIDE stands for
Rescue/Recreation Involving Deserving Equine. It promotes the rescue and rehabilitation of horses in need, safe and responsible horse ownership and the
advancement of animal-assisted therapeutic programming for humans.
RIDE's hard work is entirely volunteer-driven and donor-funded. RIDE's
network of foster homes, care providers, therapists and other
volunteers help humans and horses in a variety of situations with many
levels of need.
A problem is commonly occurring throughout the
Rochester area: Neglected or abandoned horses are being left to starve
and die. When this happens, RIDE steps in to save these horses on the
verge of death. An example is a pony named Grandma. Grandma was
left to die and was in the nastiest body condition. RIDE was there to
rescue her and rehabilitate her to increase her weight and to get her
health back.
A major problem for RIDE is that the public is unaware of
its existence! I started an Animal Welfare Club at my high school and
we will get together to do the project.