The Millstone Times September 2018

Volunteering By Lauren Kolacki

When you think of college students, you predominantly think studying and partying. Not many students take the time out of their precious lives to contribute to benefitting others. That is not the case for 20-year-old, Matthew Geller. Matthew is currently attending The College of New Jersey where he studies Communications. In his spare time, he has gotten involved with The Trenton Animal Shelter and Trenton Animals Rock. Trenton Animals Rock is a nonprofit organization who just received their 501(c)(3) ap- proximately a month ago. The responsibilities of the board are to help out Trenton Animal Shelter in its adoption process and to find dogs seeking medical attention and make efforts to get it proper care. One of the dogs they recently helped was a Pit bull suffering from a 5-inch mass. The organization raised enough money to put the dog through a successful surgery. The main goal of this organization is to find the dogs homes before the shelter is forced to put them to sleep. Matthew does a variety of volunteer work through this organization and for the Trenton Animal Shelter. Every week Matthew goes to the local Pet Smart where he advertises the ad- vantages of adopting a dog. He personally takes the dogs out of the shelter to spend quality time with them and socialize them in different homes. Matthew even fosters dogs weekly, in fact, he's currently fostering the Pit bull that is recovering from surgery.

Knowing the adoption process, Matthew still suggests adopting over buying an animal be- cause you will have the chance to influence a life that needs somebody. If you stay motivat- ed and committed to take care of this animal, you will be approved. Currently the Trenton Animal Shelter has a lot of “special rescues”. These are dogs that had a medical case or dogs that were not neutered that are free. His favorite aspect of the adoption process is the dogs thank you. You witness the dog’s eyes light up when they are taken out of the shelter and you can feel their pure happiness. There is always a point during the adoption process when the dog says thank you. Matthew told a story of an unaffectionate dog who came to him to cuddle after he was adopted. The biggest challenge of volunteering in this field is finding the dogs a home. Every time a dog is placed with a good family, another dog, in need, is found. It is terrifying to know that if they do not find the dog a place to live, they could potentially be put down. Matthew encourages anyone who has a love for animals or is interested in helping out to come volunteer. He got involved by simply messagingThe Trenton Animal Shelter on Facebook. The most rewarding part of volunteering is all of the time he gets to spend with dogs. He believes they are the happiest beings and that no matter their ailment, they are constantly spreading contagious optimism and happiness. If you want to get involved but aren't sure how, log onto www.tarnj.org for more information about volunteering or donations!

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The Millstone Times

September 2018