Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary

In August of 2009, four 6th graders from Horace W Porter Elementary in Columbia, CT got together to form “Friendz Making a Difference”. The group was formed after some of the members were moved by seeing the conditions depicted in the film “Slumdog Millionaire” and decided they wanted to help those in need.

The girls - Jessica Rand, Sarah Schatz, Katrina McGlynn and Carly Weston - will select a new cause every year, and dedicate themselves to raising funds and generating awareness. For their first year, “Friendz Making a Difference” has selected to work with Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary. “Our Companions was selected off of a list of about 50 or so charities that were brought to the girls’ attention.” Said Katrina’s mother Deidre McGlynn. “They were impressed with the mission of Our Companions, and the fact that they helped the neediest of animals who would otherwise most likely lose their lives.”

For their first event, the girls sold handmade earrings, greeting cards and baked goods at the Columbia Farmer’s market, and raised over $680 for Our Companions. The girls are already back to work, preparing for additional activities and events. On December 4, Friendz Making a Difference will be at the Weston Auction Gallery in Coventry selling handmade earrings, holiday crafts and their much-in-demand greeting cards. They will also be at the Horace W. Porter Vendor Craft Fair on December 11 at Horace W. Porter School in Columbia.

In addition to selling their handcrafted goods, the girls are planning several additional events, including a Variety show that will be held March 13, 2010 at 7 pm at the Columbia Town Hall. The show will feature many local talents from Columbia, including a routine to “All that Jazz” performed by the girls themselves. Other performers will include Students from C.A.S.T. and Summit Studios in Manchester Connecticut, and participants from the Hebron Harvest Fair Rising Star Competition. Merchandise and baked goods will be offered for sale at the performance. The Town of Columbia has generously waived the rental fee of the 300 seat hall in support of the cause. Tickets will be $10 with all proceeds going to benefit Our Companions. The group is also hard at work seeking local sponsorships for the show, to help raise the most funds they can.

Friendz Making a Difference will certainly make a difference to many of the animals at Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary. If you are interested in learning more about the group, or how to be a sponsor or purchase tickets for the Variety Show, please contact Friendz Making a Difference at FriendzmkingDiff@aol.com or Deidre @ 860-228-8759.

In addition to being a fan of our Facebook page, here are some other ways using the ever powerful computer can help Our Companions - and therefore help the animals!

GoodSearch

What if Our Companions earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? GoodSearch is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up! Just go to www.GoodSearch.com and be sure to enter Our Companions as the charity you want to support. Once you log into GoodSearch, you can make it your default search engine by following the instructions posted on the site. And, be sure to spread the word! The more our friends and volunteers use GoodSearch, the more donations we receive!

eBay GivingWorks

eBay has revolutionized shopping more than anything else online: anything you can imagine, you can buy on eBay! And now, you can contribute to Our Companions when buying or selling on eBay. Helping is simple: eBay shoppers can go to www.eBayGivingWorks.com and type "Our Companions" into the nonprofit search engine to view a list of auctions that will benefit Our Companions. eBay sellers can log into their eBay accounts to set up a normal auction. In the eBay Giving Works section, click on the "Select Nonprofit" link and search for Our Companions. You can then choose the percentage of the final sale price that you would like to donate to Our Companions. eBay will credit back to you their listing and insertion fees equal to the percentage of the proceeds you donate to Our Companions. For example, if you donate 100% of your proceeds, eBay will credit back 100% of their listing and insertion fees.

Make a donation to Our Companions in someone's name as a gift

No need to write and post a check if you'd like to make a donation as a gift or memorial. Our Companions Tribute program is a great way to tell someone you care by making a donation in their honor for a special occasion. Click here to post a memorial.


Think of Our Companions the next time you're surfing the web. Helping animals is almost effortless!