one by one®: Hand2Paw
Hand2Paw is a nonprofit dedicated to the support of Philadelphia youth through work with animals. It offers young people paid internships working with animals as well as programming to help grow coping skills, emotional regulation and healing using animal-assisted interventions. With help from rescue animals, the programs build connection, compassion and community for young adults from underrepresented communities, including those who’ve experienced housing insecurity or been in the foster care or juvenile justice systems.
“One of our major goals is to expose young people to animal well-being as a career path,” said Sara Schwartz, development director. “For a lot of our young people, it’s not a career path they know is an option or they haven’t been encouraged to learn about it. But animal well-being, whether in a veterinary hospital or an animal rescue setting, is one of the fastest growing fields in the country. There are a lot of employment opportunities.”
A better path forward
The two core Hand2Paw programs are Pawspurr and Unleashing Opportunities. Pawspurr is a six-week introductory program focused on fostering connections and a sense of community for youth, ages 15-24, through a humane education curriculum.
“The majority of our young people have been through a lot of transition and a lot of trauma,” Schwartz said. “Often connecting with an animal is an in-road to developing skills with peers and employers, and we find it’s a really wonderful way for youth to begin with our organization.”
Unleashing Opportunities is a six-month paid internship program designed to help youth, ages 18-24, interested in a career working with animals. It’s often the next step for students after Pawspurr. This more intensive flagship program helps participants develop coping skills, interpersonal skills, financial literacy and animal care skills. During the final two months of Unleashing Opportunities, Hand2Paw interns complete a two-month “externship” with an animal well-being organization to learn hands-on skills they need to enter a career in the field.
Promotional pet gifts raise awareness
Community outreach and events are another important component of Hand2Paw. Its youth cohorts lead a pet pantry program that distributes free pet food, supplies, toys and other items. A one by one grant provided pet bag dispensers that were given to community members. Schwartz said the gifts served as a token to show they are investing in the people they serve. “Having branded merchandise to give out is so important,” she said. “It helps us create visibility and spread the word about what we do.”
Despite helping more than 100 young people gain employment through the internship program and finding loving homes for about 400 animals over the past 10 years, Hand2Paw is a small team of employees. With a five-person staff, opportunities like the one by one grant are a big deal.
“It may seem like a small amount, but we’re a small organization. Every single dollar we can save is directed to salaries for our young people, our staff or things we offer to the community. It makes an incredible difference for us.”
A note from Cheryl
Hand2Paw takes an innovative and caring approach to providing educational opportunities for Philadelphia youth. Its team does remarkable work for the community, and we’re honored promotional pet gifts could raise visibility and add to the pet pantry program. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.com.