Drop your kids off at the shelter for a night out … or at least for a couple of hours.
The Cochrane & Area Humane Society will be kicking off its newest program Feb. 12 from 6-8:30 p.m., inviting children ages 5 and up for a pyjama party at the local shelter.
“It gives the parents some time for themselves whether they want to grocery shop or go out for some dinner or whatever they would like to do in a kid-free two and a half hours,” said Jaimie Anton, the society’s fund-development officer.
“I think it’ll be great. And any time we can bring kids and families into the shelter, it is a great learning opportunity.”
For $20 per child, parents can drop off their children for a night of fun with an animal-themed movie, other fun activities and, if the pyjama-partiers are lucky, some cuddle-time with puppies or kittens, depending what animals are available in the shelter at the time.
“It is a great way for the kids to spend some time at the shelter – we were looking at different ways to offer different types of programming to kids and finding other ways to get the kids involved with the shelter,” Anton said.
“Humane education is a huge part of what we do and we want to connect with kids in the community and get out what we do and why we do it and ways they can help the animals as well.”
The program has been in the discussion phase for a couple months, and now with the launch, will run once a month until the summer months. Organizers are estimating the children attending will be in the range from Grades 1-6, but Anton said older youth who want to help are more than welcome to attend.
For more information on the Cochrane & Area Humane Society pyjama parties, contact organizers at the shelter at 403-932-2072 or by email at [email protected] or in person at the shelter located at 62 Griffin Industrial Point, Cochrane.
