The animal shelter is no place for pets. That's where the Trinity GAP Club comes in; socializing, deeding, walking, taking photos, and getting the word out on social media to find pets at the Euless Animal Shelter their forever homes.
“Because I think all dogs deserve a loving and caring home,” Trinity GAP Club member Reese Abanilla said. “But also helping the dogs find homes or fosters, it's super rewarding!”
The GAP in Trinity GAP stands for Girls Awareness Program. It was started in 2003 by Steffenie Vela when she was a teacher at Trinity High School to give young women a way to get involved in their community. The club is on its second generation of students now.
“Yes,” Vela said. “We have girls who foster for us now that are adults with children. I'm old!”
Wise would be a better description, because the after-school club doesn't just help the animals in the shelter.
“We teach kids responsibility,” Vela said. “We're teaching them lifelong responsibility when they have children, or when they get pets of their own, just to be better people.”
“I just love being around dogs,” Trinity GAP Club member Vivian Omagwa said. “They just give me so much happiness! It's so fun to, like, come and be with them, hang out with them.”
Since the club started, Vela said it's helped the shelter stop euthanizing animals to make room by getting pets adopted and fostered.
“I would much rather adopt from a shelter, cause a lot of the times they're much more loving and much more loyal,” Trinity GAP Club member Casey Elmore said. “Because they've come from either a broken home, or no home at all; and they go to your home, and they love you, and they learn love.”
The Trinity GAP Club has expanded since it started to include other schools and a nonprofit, Trinity GAP Rescue, which raises money for the Euless Animal Shelter for vet care and other needs.
