Share Snaps of Your Pooch with Pups for Parker

Sophomores Elle Freese and Sophie Skidelsky have loved dogs for as long as they can remember. As they got older, they visited different animal shelters in their neighborhoods to spend time with dogs as they awaited adoption. Now, as Upper School students, they decided to create a club to bring the Parker community together through a shared affinity for dogs—Pups for Parker. Throughout the academic year, Pups for Parker hopes to orchestrate events and activities to raise money and support small local dog organizations in the Chicago area.

Their first project is a Parker Community Canine Calendar. They invite any member of the school community to share a photo of their dog for inclusion in a calendar, which they hope will be full of photos of canine family members the school community may not always get to see. “We always had dog calendars as kids, and we want to give the Parker community the opportunity to have a calendar featuring their own dogs,” shared LAST NAME OF SOPHIE. 

Anyone who would like to submit a photo of their pooch for consideration to be included in this calendar should send it to pupsforparker@fwparker.org before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 11. To place an order for a printed version of this calendar, click here. Student organizers also plan to have calendars for sale at school in December.

Pups for Parker will donate all profits from this project to Chicago Canine Rescue, the Anti-Cruelty Society and One Tail at a Time—three wonderful dog shelters in the Chicago area that do amazing work caring for and rehoming dogs in need.

Looking ahead, this duo of dog lovers will hold a pet supply drive at school during the week of March 30 in honor of National Pet Day on April 11. Recognizing that many smaller shelters don’t have as many resources or supplies, these students know that every donation makes a big difference. They also plan to organize volunteer day(s) when club members can spend time helping out at local dog shelters.

Parker looks forward to hearing more from Pups for Parker throughout this academic year and is proud of the way the student leaders have combined their personal love for pups with the school’s civic mission of making the world a better place.