Saint Mary of-the-Woods College hosted the final Western show of the season Jan. 28-29.  After all the points were totaled, SMWC claimed High Point Team of the region, winning with 30 points.
The SMWC team started its final show last weekend –15 points away from becoming number one in the region. After a long day of hard work, the team was ecstatic to hear that they narrowly won the regional championship title by 5 points.
SMWC coach Sara Schulz was also shocked that the team succeeded in this feat.

Photo by Beth Allard/ The Woods

“It was overwhelming that the team did the unthinkable. They never quit, kept a positive attitude and worked hard,” Schulz said.
In the Jan. 28-29 Regional Championship, SMWC competed  against Ball State University, Butler University, Eastern Illinois University, Indiana University, Parkland College, Purdue University, Purdue-Calumet, St. Mary’s College and University of Illinois, all teams from the region or Division I programs.
The SMWC team goes directly to the IHSA semifinals March 24-25 in Tallahassee, Fla., to compete. If they place between 1st and 4th they will then advance to Nationals.
The riders who will compete at the semifinals in Florida are Whitney Mahloch, Jordyn Perrott, Karen Cannon, Sarah New, Paige Harvey and Shelby Harbor.
SMWC will host the Regional show March 2 for individuals to qualify for semifinals. Nine SMWC students will compete that day.

 Jena Thralls contributed to this article.

Photo by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

Photo by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

Photo by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

Chinese New Year 2012: Year of the dragon

Photo by Colleen Daum/ The Woods

Photo by Colleen Daum/ The Woods

By Beth Allard
Columnist

One of the biggest topics in the health world right now is making smart dietary choices. We see it everywhere: “Healthy options” and “Smart choices” on our menus,  “Whole grain” and “Fruits and vegetables” all over our snacks and cereals.  Here at SMWC, we are given all sorts of… well, interesting “healthy” food options. We are encouraged to be healthy, taught to make good choices. Eating right should be really easy around here, right?
Wrong.
While we are given a lot of really great choices, there are also a lot of poor choices out there. (Hello- deep fried eggrolls at 9 pm?!)
The “Freshman Fifteen” is not a myth- and your food habits affect every aspect of your college life. So, before you head down to Snack tonight, here is some food for thought:
Get to know your metabolism. We all have those friends that can eat anything at any time and never gain a pound.  As for myself, I can’t even think “doughnut” without it going to my thighs! No two bodies are the same, so pay attention to signals your body is giving you. Make note of what foods give you energy, and which ones make you feel like it’s naptime.
Stay away from the empty carbs.  Pastas, breads, potatoes, pastries- our cafeterias are full of carbs. While carbs give you energy, the “empty” ones found in white breads and pastas, as well as potatoes, turn to fat really fast. Try to stick to whole grains.
Make your own snack.  Commercial food is full of salt, preservatives, and sugars. Even the “healthy” looking foods can be loaded with lots of unhealthy ingredients.  Having a stash of good, satisfying snacks will help curb the munchies. Keep snacks like yogurts, cheeses, whole grain crackers, granola, peanut butter, or fruit (just to name a few options) in your room.  Stick a pack of trail mix or granola in your backpack to eat on your way to classes during the day. Eating a few 100-200 calorie snacks between meals will help keep you from bingeing once you hit the dinner line.
Drink lots of water! It’s amazing what a little H20 can do when it comes to watching your weight and staying healthy.  Water keeps everything functioning properly, including your metabolism.  Because the commercial food is high in salt, you may need to drink more than normal.
Learn to say no. This is my biggest struggle personally! I can tell myself to be good all day, but by the time 9 pm rolls around, my willpower is easily conquered by those darn eggrolls. Walking past the snacks is hard- and every once in awhile, it’s ok to indulge- but as you reach past the fries for the vegetables, just think about how great you’ll feel later.
Making healthy choices isn’t just about your waistline. It affects your immune system, your complexion, your sleep, your energy, and most importantly your education.  That’s worth eating your veggies for!
Love your Le Fer life, ladies!

On April 9, 2011, the lights were dimmed in Indiana State University’s north gym. Participants in last year’s Relay for Life event, each carrying a glow stick, were given instructions. If you’re a cancer survivor, light your glow stick. If you’re a caregiver, light your glow stick. If you know someone that’s had cancer, light your glow stick. One by one, glowsticks were lit. By the end, the gym was dotted with their light.
Relay for Life is an annual, overnight event held in more than 5,100 locations nationwide. It is the culmination of what is, for some teams, a yearlong fundraising process, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.
Teams have been fundraising for months for this year’s event on March 24-25 at Indiana State University.
“It seems like almost everybody these days has been affected by cancer in some way,” said Krista Steinmetz, Hunt Seat coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Steinmetz, who lost her mother to cancer in 2006, heads the SMWC Equestrian Teams relay team, which is made up of all of the students of both the Hunt Seat and Western equestrian teams.  The SMWC Equestrian Teams compete in the fundraising event against teams at other Vigo County colleges. “Last year, we were the top online fund-raising team,” said Steinmetz, whose team raised more than $5,000 in 2011.
“I made, or I encouraged, the girls to send out Facebook messages and e-mails… Some students within a few days raised like $300 just by letting their family know what they were doing,” said Steinmetz.
Besides asking for direct donations online, the team also raises money through team fundraisers, many of which are held during equestrian events.
“We had a Pie Your President contest,” said Steinmetz, which pit her, the regional president, against her father, the zone president. “Whoever’s can of money by the end of regional’s had the most in it was going to get a pie in the face,” said Steinmetz. She was the “winner” of that particular contest, but her father, who wore a full-sized bunny suit to pie his daughter, ended up getting pied as well. “Just that event alone raised about $500.”
Steinmetz’s team is not the only group out of SMWC participating in Relay for Life. Besides the SMWC Alums and Friends, run by American Cancer Society Community Representative and SMWC alum Rachel Romas, the Just Smile Every Mile Long team has been the team to beat.
“I think the only team that’s beaten us in the last couple of years has been Just Smile Every Mile Long,” Steinmetz said. “Last year was the first year we really got into it and raised a lot of money and they still beat us,” she said, laughing.
Just Smile Every Mile Long has been participating in Relay for Life since 2005. “In total, we’ve raised well over $30,000. We start with our fundraising right after the relay for the next year,” said Jeanette Wrin, office manager and administrative assistant for SMWC’s Woods Online program.

Photo provided by Krista Steinmetz

“The equestrian teams are a Facebook group; that’s how they raise their money. We kind of raise ours the brick and mortar way,” said Wrin. “They’re doing great. I think it’s going to be pretty close,” she added.
The team, which is mostly made up of Wrin and her relatives, has members ranging from 14 to 70 years old. Besides their yearly yard sale and children’s books sales, one of Just Smile Every Mile Long’s biggest fundraisers is the Shop for a Cure event held every November.
“We have about 35 vendors who come, set up and sell their items and a percentage of their profit goes to the American Cancer Society,” said Wrin. A lunch is also served, last year to about 200 people, all prepared by Wrin’s two daughters.
“About 10 years ago, my daughter developed Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” said Wrin. After her diagnosis, the family heard about Relay for Life and decided to form a team.
“The Relay for Life event is a way to honor the people who are going through cancer,” said Wrin. “It’s also a way to remember people who were lost to cancer and it’s a way to fight back to raise money for research.”
Relay starts with a Survivors lap, in which cancer survivors celebrate their successes by taking to the track. There is also a special lap for Caregivers, or anyone who has offered help and support to a cancer patient.
“I definitely walked with my mom when she was surviving, so that was something that meant a lot to me,” said Steinmetz. “I’m an only child. My dad was always there to help too, but I was with my mom a lot when she was in the hospital.”
Because of the nature of the cause, both teams find many people willing to donate.
“I don’t usually feel bad asking people to get involved and donate because most people have a story,” said Steinmetz. “If you just sit there and ask them, they’ll tell you a personal story about someone in their life who had cancer. It seems like it touches a lot of people.”
“I’m just very, very thankful that my daughter’s doing well,” said Wrin. “And there are a lot of people who have not done so well. I think, even if you’re not on a team, just to come to relay, just physically being there for the relay is a support to someone.”

Friday, Feb. 10    at Robert Morris-Springfield @ Springfield, Ill.  7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11     at Lindenwood University @ Belleville, Ill.  2 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 16     Principia College @ SMWC  7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 20     Robert Morris-Springfield @ SMWC   7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25     Oakland City University @ Oakland City, Ind.  2 p.m.

USCAA National Tournament: March 6-10, 2012 @ Uniontown, Penn.
**All times are EST unless otherwise indicated

DIRECTIONS TO CLINTON RECREATION CENTER
Hwy 63 South
Take 63 South to the Hwy 163 intersection in Clinton (at stoplight). Turn left on to 163. Go to the next stoplight (about 1.5 miles) at 9th Street and turn right. Take the next immediate left on Blackman Street. Take this to the stop sign at 4th street. The Center is ahead on the left. Park on the street.

Hwy 41 North
Take 41 North through Terre Haute, to where 63N and 41N split (63N veers left). Go approximately 14 miles to the stoplight in Clinton, Ind. Turn right on Hwy 163. Go to the next stoplight (about 1.5 miles) at 9th Street and turn right. Take the next immediate left on Blackman Street. Take this to the stop sign at 4th street. The Center is ahead on the left. Park on the street.

SMWC launches redesigned website

Dee Reed, executive director of College Relations, announced that the college’s redesigned website will launch today after months of preparation and planning
According to Reed, the redesign will improve the user experience by making it easier to navigate. Administrators also hope the new site will more effectively engage prospective and current students.
A few of the new features include:
• Academics tab designed for easy access
• Admission tab quickly directs prospective students to critical information
• Drop-down menus
• Streamlined design

To see the new site, go to http://www.smwc.edu

In celebrating its 175th year, the St. Mary’s Village Parish commemorates not a single building or pastor, but the group of people who have kept Vigo County’s first Catholic church alive for nearly two centuries.
Jeannette Wrin, a member of the parish and office manager of Woods Online at the college, said the nearly 100 families who comprise the church congregation commit not only their attendance, but also their financial support to the parish.

Photo provided by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village Parish

“Parishioners take it upon themselves for repairs and they participate in ownership in taking care of the parish,” said Wrin, who graduated from the parish school in 1966.
The church formed in 1837, after heavy migration of Roman Catholics into the Illinois-Indiana area. The first diocese in the region was formed in 1826 under Father Gabriel Brute, the first Bishop of the Vincennes region.
This new diocese, consisting of three priests, served all of Indiana and one-third of Illinois, including Bishop Brute, Father Simon P. Lalumiere, and Stanislaus Buteux.
Wanting to meet the members of his vast diocese, Bishop Brute took a horseback trip through the region, meeting the Thralls family at their small pioneer station west of the Wabash River, later called Thralls Station.
While there, Bishop Brute honored the village and named it Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, signified from then on as a place of faith. Bishop Brute paid Joseph and Sarah Thralls $15 for about one acre of land to build the very first church in what is now St. Mary-of-the-Woods village.
Bishop Brute assigned Father Buteux as the first resident pastor of the parish at the village parish. The quaint log cabin served as his home and house of prayer.
“[W]e hope that from such humble beginnings we may in time expect a great blessing,” Brute wrote to Father Buteux in 1837.
The original building lasted only three years before it burned down in February1840. The fire could not have come at a worse time, since Mother Theodore and her companions were expected to arrive from France later that autumn.
The church that greeted Mother Theodore was a simple temporary cabin – the best that could be build amid an economic depression.
“The church! … No tabernacle, no alter, for can the name of alter be given to three planks forming a table forty inches long, supported by two stakes driven into the ground?,” Mother Theodore lamented in her writings.
Although the log cabin church was not what Mother Theodore expected, it was the church where she attended her first Mass in America.
Many changes occurred after Mother Theodore and her companions’ arrival.
Bishop Celestine de la Hallandiere allocated the design of a new church building, which was completed in 1842 under the supervision of Father John Corbe, who now had responsibilities as pastor of the parish.  This new building, considered an architectural “wonder” for its time, was constructed where the Conservatory of Music is located on the college’s campus today, according to the church’s records.
Father Meinrad McCarthy, a Benedict who replaced Father Corbe, was appointed the fourth resident pastor. McCarthy purchased property from Francis Thralls and the present church was built in 1867.
Over the years, the church has struggled to keep the parish financially stable. Father Eugene McBarron succeeded Father McCarthy in1871 and was met with $1,008 of debt and pressure to increase enrollment at the church school, which for unknown reasons did not operate in 1869-1870. By 1872, enrollment increased to 40 students.
McBarron even sold his own horse to raise the necessary funds to keep the school operating. When he left in 1879, the school remained open and the debt had decreased to $248.

Photo provided by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village Parish

McBarron’s successor, the long-serving Father Augustine Riehle, was again plagued by the financial struggle to provide a new roof and to maintain the church building, among other expenses.
Under Father Riehle’s leadership, boys and girls at the parish school were being taught in the same building, but separated by a wall with the teacher’s desk positioned where she could monitor both sides.
Around the turn of the century, Riehle brought in an organ to teach the children hymns, cork linoleum floors in the aisles and carpet in the sanctuary to “have something nice for our Lord’s sanctuary.” Riehle also organized group activities for his parishioners such as the Altar Society, the Young Ladies Sodality, the Guardian Angels Sodality, and the Holy Name Society.
Succeeding Father Riehle was Father Clement Thienes, who organized a new parish in southwest Terre Haute called St. Margaret Mary’s. The Village Parish survived on the donations of its members, even throughout the Great Depression.
Father Fintan Walker was pastor during the parish’s centennial in 1937, when the building was re-roofed, re-painted, and redecorated. During the centennial festivities, it was noted that the church had celebrated 1,632 baptisms and 327 marriages.
By 1957, Father Francis Reeves was pastor of a parish without debt. Reeves saw the completion of many parish building improvements, but also the closing of the Village School in 1969.

Zohra Sarwari opened her Feb. 1 talk with the words bismillah arrahman arrahim, which, translated from Arabic, is, “In the name of God, the most Gracious and most Merciful.”
In Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s latest Four-Star Series event, Sarwari, an author, speaker and life coach, gave a talk entitled “Are Muslim Women Oppressed?” Dressed in a hijab, or headscarf, and a floor-length cloak called an abaya, Sarwari took to Cecilian Auditorium’s stage in an effort to clarify what she described as misconceptions surrounding the Islamic faith.
Sarwari, who came to the United States from Afghanistan at the age of six, now lives in Fishers. An author of ten books and the holder of a master’s degree in business administration, Sarwari aims to promote dialogue and encourage tolerance.
“We’re all human and there are so many things happening in the world that we’re all familiar with but that we don’t have a lot of knowledge of,” said Sarwari. “Unless we get our misconceptions cleared by someone who does, we’re going to continue having these hatred feelings growing.”
During her talk, Sarwari emphasized the equality of men and women in Islam. According to Sarwari, Muslim women cover their hair not because they are forced to, but because they are following a commandment from God.
“In 2012, beauty is what you look like on the outside,” said Sarwari. “It’s not about the inner beauty.”
Sarwari explained the different styles of dress typically associated with Islam, joking that women who wear niqab, which covers the face while leaving only the eyes exposed, are not ninjas or bank robbers.
“They’re just people. They’re just trying to be more righteous,” she said.
Sarwari also stressed the high status of women in Islam and their male relatives’ tion to provide for them financially. Sarwari, a mother of five, focused particularly on a mother’s position in Islam and how important it is for children to honor their parents.

Photo by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

Drawing on her experiences volunteering in a nursing home, Sarwari spoke critically of children who failed to visit their elderly mothers.
“A woman should never feel alone,” she said.
“I think I watch the news too much, but I thought it was interesting the separation that she made between culture and Islam,” said Heather Ennis, a sophomore studying the humanities.
“I don’t think I quite realized that I was assuming that, because something was going on in the context of the same culture that’s associated with Islam, that it was because of that, instead of a cultural thing that was there before,” said Ennis.
After opening the floor for questions, one man mentioned an instance of what is known as an “honor killing” that recently took place in Canada. A father, along with his wife and son, were found guilty of murdering the man’s first wife and three of his daughters, evidently because he disapproved of their behavior.
Sarwari, however, was adamant that such violence is not condoned in Islam.
“He is not a righteous man,” she said, attributing his type of crime to pre-Islamic cultural practices, not religion.
Janice Dukes, who teaches a course on images of Muslim women at SMWC, said,  “We always have to ask to what extent the oppression is the result of people’s interpretation of that religion or to what extent it is something that already existed in that culture before Islam came along and then persisted afterwards.”

Photo by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

In a 2010 interview with CBS in which she promoted her book “No! I am not a Terrorist,” Sawari spoke of the importance of teaching children not judge or make fun of people who are different than them.
“Tolerance is key,” said Sarwari. “And if we don’t teach our kids tolerance, how can they as adults have it?”
SMWC students’ exposure to Islam has not been limited to the classroom and the news. According to Jeff Malloy, dean of student life, SMWC students have had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of Islam through their interactions with Muslim students, particularly Zahra Adni.
“Zahra was with us for three and a half years. She was an orientation leader and she had a very high profile role here,” said Malloy. “I think no student has done a better job since I have been here of being a wonderful representative of the Muslim faith than Zahra.”
Sarwari mentioned different rights women were granted under Islam more than 1,400 years ago, such as the right to vote and to own property.
On the other hand, she also acknowledged the existence of “extremists who maybe don’t read their [holy] books.”
However, she repeatedly said that there are bad apples of every religious persuasion and that they cannot be considered typical of any faith.
“Hitler was a Christian,” said Sarwari, “but if we based Christianity on his life, what kind of world would we have?”
According to Dukes, oppression is not specific to one religion.
“There are a lot of women in the world who are oppressed largely because they are women,” said Dukes. “I don’t want us to forget about them and I don’t want us to forget that some of those are Muslim women.”

Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Nationals is a prestigious competition where only the best of the best equine enthusiasts qualify and riders are out for the win. Over 8,300 students represent 370 or more colleges every year and the sole goal of all of them is to make it to Nationals.
Both the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Western and Hunt Seat teams compete in the IHSA each year, traveling to about 20 shows per season.
Western Coach Sara Schulz has high hopes for the team going to Nationals this year.
“Highpoint team for sure!” she said.
“My expectations are that each individual rider be the best that they can be.”
These expectations follow a single rider, current senior Whitney Mahloch, making it all the way to Nationals and placing 3rd in the Western event.
The 2011 IHSA National Competition was held May 5-8. It had been a tough season for both the hunt and western teams but Mahloch found her way there as an individual competitor for the Advanced level in Western, the second highest level one can compete in.
To get there she placed 3rd at the semi-finals competition held several weeks before. Only the top 4 riders of the semi-finals go to the national competition. Admittance to semi-finals required she get 1st or 2nd at the regional competition.
Mahloch also made it to nationals for Hunt Seat as the Cacchione Cup Rider for SMWC’s region. This qualification meant she had the most cumulative points throughout the season and was therefore the top rider.

Photo provided by Karen Cannon

Only riders in the Open Division, which is the highest Hunt division one can be in, can win this award.  Winning this immediately qualified her for the national competition where she would compete against all of the other Region winners.
In the Cacchione Cup competition, Mahloch didn’t have her best ride.
“I rode in the jumping class, however I did not get called back for the flat class ride off. I was just so thrilled I made it that far!” she said.
That left her Western competition. During the pattern portion of the ride, her horse became difficult and began to buck. The judges allowed her to ride a different horse and try the pattern again. As her parents, grandparents, coach and teammate Erika Stanley watched anxiously as the placing’s were called out. Mahloch secured 3rd place and was ecstatic.
This year’s National Competition will be held May 3-6 in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Mahloch was asked about the chance of getting to Nationals 2012 she proudly said “If I am fortunate enough to make it to Nationals this year, I will once again miss the biggest day of the year – graduation”
“Graduation is something we all look forward to, but given the choice I’d rather do a sliding stop down center or jump around a course, than walk across a stage.”
Sophomore Karen Cannon, who made it to the Semi-finals last year as a freshman in the Intermediate division, hopes to give Nationals another try.
“I hope to qualify for Semi-finals again, and this time I want to make it to Nationals!” she said.
To follow both the Hunt Seat and Western team events, visit their website at http://www.smwc.edu/athletics/equestrian/. Look for future Equestrian team coverage in The Woods.

The St. Mary’s Village Church celebrated its 175th anniversary on January 8th, making it the oldest Catholic Church in Vigo County.
The St. Mary’s Village Church is historically significant to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and the surrounding community. Its rich history helped lay a firm foundation of Catholicism in Vigo County and surrounding areas which is still prevalent 175 years later.
The history of Catholicity in Vigo County and the Village Church can be traced back to 1837. The combination of people of faith and a pastor to minister them built the first Catholic faith community on the western side of the Wabash River.
A Joseph Thralls and his family, who practiced Catholicism, acquired a significant piece of land in 1835 west of the Wabash River.
Records show a purchase of land transferring from Joseph and Sarah Thralls to Bishop Simon Brute of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vincennes for a sum of fifteen dollars.
It was there that Bishop Brute built a small frame church in what is now the Village, the first in Vigo County, to establish the site for a permanent place of faith.
In 1840, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin arrived in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods with several companions.
The Thralls family provided housing for Mother Theodore and the sisters.
The Village Church was also where Mother Theodore first had mass after her arrival.
Keeping its values alive are today’s members of the parish, who are planning different activates to celebrate its 175th anniversary.
Read the next issue of The Woods for more about the Church’s historical significance over the past 175 years and coverage of the festivities that will be taking place to celebrate the presence of the St. Mary’s Village Church.

One black kitten with green eyes sits quietly in a pet cage in the front room of the Terre Haute Humane Society, while its sibling plays in the litter box. The room smells of a mixture of dog, cat and filth. Five more cats play and rest in two other cages to the left. A tortoiseshell colored kitten chases its tail and spins around in circles in its litter box. Another lays by itself and hisses at any people or other cats who come by it.  The others reach between the spaces in the cages to paw at the children admiring them, struggling to pick out their favorite kitten.
Dogs bark, whine and growl in a room down the hall.  Some lay asleep on their pet-cots, and a few sit quietly and wag their tails at people passing by. One of the quiet ones is an emaciated Mastiff.
Some of the dogs have notes on their cages that warn of traits like jumping fences, aggression or chewing. Other notes have happy faces drawn on them and say the dog has been adopted.

Photo by Sierra Shepard/The Woods

The puppy room is the most crowded, with kids and couples searching for a pet to love and care for. The puppies are just as eager to love back, wagging their tails and jumping to get as close as they can to people leaning over the gate, then licking hands and chewing sleeves of sweatshirts and coats.
“A lot of them have never known love,” said Jessica Hoffman, manager at the Terre Haute Humane Society.
Hoffman graduated with a Master’s in Leadership Development from SMWC in 2011.  Hoffman said she entered the program “specifically so I could do this job.” She started out as a volunteer, but said “giving animals a second chance” inspired her to do more.
Hoffman’s own dog came from the Terre Haute Humane Society. He was aggressive, she said, and was about to be put down. The dog had burn marks on his legs and sores from over-licking them. Hoffman took him in with the intention of just fostering the dog, but fell in love with him.
“He went from scared and insecure to secure and loving,” Hoffman said. “When you’re scared you want to put up a wall.” Hoffman said that is where her dog’s aggression stemmed from.
“You’re really saving a life [when you adopt from a shelter],” Hoffman said.
The Terre Haute Humane Society helped over 6,400 animals in 2009 and 2010 and found homes for 93% of those animals, compared to saving 33% of their animals in 2000.

Photo by Sierra Shepard/The Woods

“The importance of getting your pets spayed and neutered cannot be stressed enough,” said Tiffany Rusin, an SMWC senior.
A goal of the Terre Haute Humane Society is to “control animal overpopulation by spaying and neutering every animal that goes out our doors.”
Rusin sometimes works with her mother, a veterinarian, at the Clay County Humane Society.
Shelters also stress the importance of “adopting pets, rather than buying them from a breeder,” said Rusin. Hoffman also made this point.
While the animal shelter does not ask for donations particular to the winter months, they always appreciate donations from their wish list, which be seen in complete form on their website.  One of the best ways to help, though, is to volunteer, according to the Terre Haute Humane Society.
Volunteers must first go through a volunteer orientation. Orientations are the fourth Saturdays of every month. SMWC students are sometimes involved in volunteering with the Terre Haute Humane Society, including at PetSmart’s adoption events.
“I had some free time, and I know how much humane societies appreciate help. There are always so many animals and usually so few people, so helping a humane society really means a lot to both the animals that live there and the humans that work there,” said Lauren Sutton, a junior at The Woods.
“I’ve adopted two pets from the shelter in my hometown,” said Sutton. “One was a two year old dog named Lexi. We’ve had her about four years now, and she loves us as much as we love her. The second was a little black kitten named Peri that my mom and I fostered this past summer. We were supposed to give him back to the Humane Society to be put up for adoption once he was old enough, but we fell in love with him and decided to keep him.”
For more information on how you can help out, go to www.thhs.org and look for emails from SMWC to see when other students are helping out.