A8
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Joseph youths raise donations for humane society
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — Nine-year-
old Rylee McKee and her
friend Peyton Fough, 10,
both students at Joseph Char-
ter School, love animals, and
are often wanting to help
animals.
“She’s always been look-
ing for ways to raise money
for animals,” said Peyton’s
mother Tiana Fough.
“The two of them found
each other and that is all
they want to do is go play
with animals,” said Rylee’s
mom, Vanessa McKee.
“They are wanting to rescue
something.”
Before the COVID-19
pandemic started, the two
girls had plans in place for a
small dog-walking business.
In February, the two
went to the Wallowa County
Humane Society, looking to
join on as junior volunteers.
The girls were turned
down only because of their
age — junior volunteers can-
not start until age 12.
“We just felt that 12 is
more an age where you can
start doing things without a
parent, they’re more mature
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
From left, Mary Gassett, cat coordinator and board member for the Wallowa County Humane
Society, receives donated pet-related items and $16 from Rylee McKee, 9, and Peyton Fough,
10, on Friday, April 2, 2021. The girls collected the goods from fellow students at Joseph
Charter School, then brought the donations to the Humane Society in Enterprise.
at that age,” Humane Soci-
ety board member Mary Gas-
sett said. “We feel at that age
they can start handling things,
doing events, helping with
the animals, they are more
mature at that age.
“Maybe we’ve been
proven wrong with these
girls.”
The preteens were at fi rst
disappointed, but they didn’t
allow that to stop them from
fi nding a diff erent way to help
the Humane Society.
“Miss Peyton here decided
to write a letter to the princi-
pal begging for a space here
to take donations to the soci-
ety,” Vanessa McKee said.
After an attempt to do a
bake sale at the school was
held up because of COVID
regulations, they set up a
donation box at the school
so people could bring by
toys, food, or money for the
society.
“We thought that since we
go to a good school, we could
get a lot more donations, and
we knew our principal would
allow a fundraiser,” Peyton
Fough said.
Principal Sherri Kil-
gore approved the plan for
the donation box. The duo
enlisted two friends to help
make posters and decorate
the station and box.
“They made posters, put
posters up all around the
school. It was amazing —
all by themselves,” Gassett
said. “Their mom contacted
us and said, ‘Look what they
are doing.’ It was really over-
whelming that these girls did
this.”
Over the course of a few
weeks, donations came to the
set up at the school.
When it was all said and
done, the girls on Friday,
April 2, took their haul to the
Humane Society. The con-
tents included dog and cat
food, treats, toys, a cat bowl
and $16 in cash donations.
All told, Gassett estimated
there were more than $200 in
goods.
“It really shows that these
kids are raised right, to take
it upon himself to do that
shows what big hearts these
kids have,” Gassett said. “We
are 100% run on donations
and volunteers. Our Humane
Society really runs on about
15 people. I was so impressed
by these girls. That little bit
will go a long ways for us.”
Rylee said she was happy
for those who donated to the
cause.
“We were excited that a lot
of people care about animals
and they were able to help
with that project,” she said.
Both moms beamed with
pride about their daughters,
too.
“It was all their idea,
their own self-motivation,”
Vanessa McKee said. “It
was a defi nitely proud parent
moment.”
Tiana Fough added she is
used to her daughter behav-
ing in this fashion, and wasn’t
surprised.
“She’s always been like
this. It does make me proud,
but she does have a giving
heart. I could see her someday
starting her own nonprofi t.
We have a pretty strong faith,
and we have raised our chil-
dren to have giving hearts,
so I think part of that is what
God’s put on her heart to do,
and (with) her personality, it’s
natural for her.”
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