The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has an annual Holiday party in which they have presents for the kids and activities for them to do. We were invited by the funding administrator to come and help out in preparing the activities for the kids. We helped cut flowers, felt shapes, create sample mugs that the kids would make, etc.. While we were helping out, we asked some of the employees more about their organization. Their organization, being the very first child abuse organization in the world, has a very interesting history. In the beginning, there was a The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but nothing to help out children. So when there was a case reported that a girl named Mary Ellen was being abused, she was sent to the organization meant for animals. So in 1875, a man named Henry Bergh founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first-ever child protection agency in the world. This story surprised me because I had thought that people would have thought about stopping child abuse sooner. I also was shocked that they thought of a protection agency for animals before they did for children.

I enjoyed volunteering for this organization because it felt really nice to give back. I am very lucky to not have to experience the kind of trauma that these children do. It felt like the least I could have done to make their lives more enjoyable! We were thinking that we could incorporate something like this in our teach in. Packing up little gifts filled with toys or toothbrushes, and donating them to the NYSPCC.

Click here to read more about the history behind the NYSPCC

This is a picture of my group and I cutting out felt flowers.

This is a picture of the Christmas party!