Bloomingdale Teen Creates Humane Society Club At High School

Actions speak louder than words, at least that is the motto that Anya Jain lives by. Jain is a sophomore at who decided to put her beliefs into action by forming the Humane Society Club at her school.

At just 15 years old, she is already following her passion, and has been for several years. Jain gave up eating meat in the sixth grade when she began learning about factory farming and the treatment many animals endure before being slaughtered. She sends this information to family and friends in hopes of educating others about the conditions these animals face.

This is not her first venture in helping animals. In the sixth grade she volunteered at Cat Call at where she recruited eight to 10 kids from her school to help care for the cats. She set up a schedule to ensure the cats were fed on time, had clean litter boxes and received any medications they needed.

At home she rescues lizards, snakes, and just about any animal that happens onto her family's property. Her mother, Shaphali Jain, said her daughter would love to have a pet snake. "I told her to choose between having a mother or a snake," joked Shaphali.

The Humane Society Club is another way for Jain to help the animals that she loves. Since the beginning of the school year, the club has already accepted 75 members, with more on a waiting list. The club's main goal is to educate others about the needs of animals and the cruelty that exists. Jain continues to learn as much as she can and share the information with others.

"To be an advocate, you have to be educated yourself," she explained.

The club plans to have fundraisers in which funds raised will be donated directly to the Humane Society. Their first fundraiser is a student-versus-faculty dodge ball game scheduled for April 8.

Jain hopes to become a veterinarian and make helping animals her life's work.