After-School Clubs
Be a part of the HAWS community for pets and their people. Join our pack!
About After-School Clubs
After-School Clubs combine volunteer activities, animal care, and crafts to teach kids empathy and responsibility through hands-on learning.
Dates:
- Friday, September 25th
- Friday, October 9th
- Friday, October 23rd
- Friday, November 6th
- Friday, November 20th
- Friday, December 4th
- Friday, December 18th
Junior Critter Club
$225/semester | $30/night | Grades 1st-5th | 6-7:30PM
Junior Critter Club is an exciting club for students in 1st to 5th grade, who love animals and want to learn how to care for them responsibly. Through fun, hands-on experiences, members explore topics like pet safety, animal needs, and how to be a kind and confident pet caregiver.
The club meets two Friday evenings per month during the school semester. Each session features either an interactive lesson on animal responsibility or service work for the shelter—followed by time to interact with our shelter pets to make their stay at the shelter a little brighter!
It’s the perfect way to meet fellow animal lovers, learn, give back, and spend time with animals—all in a fun and welcoming environment!
Program Highlights:
- Help Shelter Pets Thrive: Make a difference for shelter animals by creating enrichment activities, crafting DIY toys, and preparing special treats they’ll love!
- Hands-On Learning: Dive into engaging activities that teach important pet care skills and animal safety.
- Animal Connection: Spend quality time socializing and bonding with a variety of adoptable pets.
Program Highlights:
- Read to Shelter Dogs: Practice reading aloud in a calm, supportive environment with a furry, judgment-free listener.
- Help Shelter Animals: Your reading provides valuable enrichment that helps reduce stress and improves the dogs’ quality of stay.
- Create Compassion: Foster empathy, kindness, and a love of helping animals while giving back to the community.
- Semester Celebration: Celebrate your child’s accomplishments with a fun end-of-semester party for all participants.
Readers to the Rescue
$35/child | Grades 1st-5th | 10:00-11:20AM
This is an exciting new semester-long program designed for children in grades 1–5! Twice each month on Saturday mornings, your child and a parent or guardian will visit the shelter to read aloud to our shelter dogs.
During each visit, your child will spend 20 minutes reading outside a dog’s kennel, helping build reading fluency, confidence, and a love of books in a calm, supportive environment. Research has shown that reading to dogs can benefit both children and animals. A calm, attentive dog creates a judgment-free audience that encourages young readers, while the calm, rhythmic sound of a child’s reading can help reduce stress and promote relaxation for shelter dogs.
A HAWS staff member will be available during each session to answer questions and recommend dogs that would benefit most from a reading visit. While each reading session is primarily self-guided, all participants will be invited to celebrate their accomplishments together at a special end-of-semester party!
Please Note: Families will read outside the dogs’ kennels, and there is no direct physical interaction with the animals during this program. Even so, your time makes a meaningful difference by providing enrichment and helping improve the dogs’ quality of stay while they wait for their forever homes.
Dates:
- Saturday, September 26th
- Saturday, October 10th
- Saturday, October 31st
- Saturday, November 7th
- Saturday, November 21st
- Saturday, December 12th
- Saturday, December 19th (Club Party!)
Critter Club
$200/semester | Grades 6th-8th | 6-7:30PM
Critter Club is the perfect after-school adventure for animal-loving middle schoolers! Designed for students in 6th through 8th grade, this hands-on volunteer program at HAWS lets kids connect with adoptable animals, make new friends, and be part of something meaningful.
You’ll choose one day—either Tuesday or Thursday—and join us two to three times a month during the school semester for evenings full of furry fun, teamwork, and tail wags!
Program Highlights:
- Give Back with Purpose: Make a real impact by volunteering your time to help animals in need—the time spent helping the shelter is invaluable!
- Hands-On with Animals: Spend quality time caring for and socializing with dogs, cats, and small animals—helping them feel safe, loved, and ready for adoption!
- Friendship & Fulfillment: Build lasting friendships with fellow animal lovers while gaining confidence, empathy, and a sense of purpose through meaningful volunteer work.
Tuesday Dates:
- September 22nd
- October 6th
- October 13th
- October 27th
- November 3rd
- November 10th
- December 1st
- December 8th
- December 15th
Thursday Dates:
- September 24th
- October 8th
- October 15th
- October 29th
- November 5th
- November 12th
- November 19th
- December 3rd
- December 10th
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What will the volunteer part of Critter Club entail?
Kids will learn how the shelter does dishes, laundry, fills Kongs, and other basic cleaning tasks and assist with it in addition to other needs the shelter may have.
How much time will Critter Club get with animals?
Club members will prioritize helping the shelter with things like dishes, laundry, and lobby cleaning. After that is done, they will be able to socialize our shelter animals. Typically, the socialization time is 30-45 minutes, but can vary by the week.
Is Junior Critter Club the same activities every semester?
Crafts and activities are changed each semester so kids can come every session!