When an event is up and coming, I reach out to: 

Various teachers for class enrollment. I must have the principal’s permission to work with the teachers and their classrooms. To begin, I’m looking for the teacher’s name and how many students in their class will be participating. 

Shelters across the US (and sometimes outside of it). Many times, I’m working with volunteers so I ask for consent from the shelter’s director but it’s not required. I will need the pet profiles (aka kennel cards) which include a picture, name, and short personality description if possible for all pets who need to be artified (this isn’t a word but it should be).  

Once I have these things, I begin assembling the profile packets. It includes one animal per student plus a package of stickers (including one for the teacher), and a letter to be read to the class. The note explains what we’re doing, how these are real pets, and what it means. It also lays out some simple rules: 

Art needs to be flat and fit in a 9x11 envelope 

Write the animals code on your art 

Do NOT write your name on the art 

Keep the flyer when you're done 

Take a sticker as a thank you! 

I drop these packets off at the school front desk and with the teacher’s name on it. I ask that the art is done in one week. Once the art is finished, the teacher packages it up and returns it to the front office then emails to tell me it’s available. I pick it up and process the art. This includes: 

Verify pet ID number

Ensure the pet’s name is present

Photograph the art 

Remove any reference to the child/teacher/school

All efforts are made to keep the class/teacher/school anonymous.  

Then it’s time to ship it to the shelter! While I wait for the art to travel, I create videos of the pictures I took and post them on social media, including the shelters for a special sneak peek of what’s on the way. It’s my way of bragging about my little artists and saying thank you but it also spreads awareness of the issue at hand and how amazing folks like our schools are making a difference. A link is sent to each teacher to show their kids so they can see their art in use regardless of the next step. 

The shelter can then use the art in any fashion they wish! Some of them take it to their local news station to gain their shelter publicity. Others choose to host an art show where all proceeds go to the pets. Still others post the art on each pet’s kennel to get them a little more attention. The brighter the art, the better because the ideas here are endless! The shelters then send me feedback on what they did and how it worked out. I forward all feedback to the appropriate teachers who are then able to show their kids the impact they made on another’s life!