Bengaluru Girl spreads Xmas love for 200 canines in shelter

Bengaluru: Christmas is the season when children have fun and frolic, but for Sanskriti, a class 9 student, it's also time to give back to the society as well through her initiative 'Etched by Santa'. Fourteen-year-old Sanskriti has initiated a fundraiser for the protection of stray dogs and is giving surprising gifts to parents and children who support her campaign.

The money thus raised will be given to the Animal Rights Fund Rescue Center, Kengeri. The shelter for which she's raising funds has over 200 dogs and many of them have a variety of medical problems including tumours, injuries they sustained in road accidents, besides blindness and aged-related issues. Sanskriti's plan is to help most of them, if not all, depending on the extent of funds she is able to raise through 'Etched by Santa'.

Commenting on her initiative, Sanskriti, a student of Canadian International School and a resident of Malleshwaram here, says, "The reason I have started this fundraiser is because I always come across injured street dogs deprived of food, medical care and love. It's heart-breaking to see them scour for bits of food even when they're hurt. My personal experience with some puppies abandoned near my house made me sit up and think. I tried to feed and care for them, but unfortunately two of them ran away and one passed away. This experience was extremely painful and made me realize how many stray animals are out there, silently crying for help."

Sanskriti will send personalised letters from Santa to parents and children. Once someone contributes to the fundraiser, she asks them a few questions to collect some personal and fun information. Then she sends them a package with an authentic personalised letter, a special postmarked envelope from North Pole, a naughty/nice list certificate and a small gift. Many people have asked her if they could play prank with their friends with an adult naughty/nice list and Sanskriti is more than happy to do that. All this is mailed to them against a donation of Rs 350.

"Fundraising for an animal shelter isn't easy, and coming up with effective ideas to fundraise can be difficult. I have chosen the idea of making Santa letters and certificates because it's the Christmas season and Santa always spreads cheer around the world! He inspires and encourages children to be empathetic, kind, and generous. My goal is to raise awareness about animal adoption and raise as much money as possible for donation through 'Etched by Santa'. The money raised will be used for the care of animals, food, bedding, supplies and medical assistance at the animal shelter" Sanskriti said.

Sanskriti plans to do a similar fundraiser, called 'Etched by Tooth Fairy' and based on the results of this fundraising initiative, she plans to launch many such drives in the future. If anyone wishes to donate to Sanskriti's fundraiser, send a WhatsApp message to her mother Shilpa Sanjay on Ph: 7349693999.