Pawject Runway- A Trip and A Conversation
When Sande Riesett saw the news a few years ago about young Baltimore men abusing animals as a social activity, she knew she must act. A veteran of the advertising business, Sande decided to use her marketing skills to launch the nonprofit Show Your Soft Side. Soft Side is a campaign that shows athletes, and other celebrities that we typically think of as “tough”, holding their pets and promoting nonviolence towards animals.
Sande came to speak to the students for a Conversation With on Monday, in which she told the story of her passionate campaign against animal cruelty. She also talked about organizing the nonprofit’s yearly adoption event, Pawject Runway. Athletes and celebrities come for the event and walk the runway with adoptable pets.
On Saturday, the students all gathered at Pawject Runway to support Sande and the Soft Side team.
Salma, 10th grade, said that she liked the meaning behind Pawject Runway. “Helping out animals that had a rough start and just to bring them joy to their life and joy to whoever is adopting them. Hearing the animals story really makes me want to adopt one. I overall love animals and in this case dogs. I also like how celebrities also help out these animals as much as they can. Also how at the end of the event, every animal was adopted,” she said.
9th grader Destiny said, “Pawject Runway was an amazing event. I loved seeing the animals and the people. I loved how there are people like this in this world. People who are soft, people who are caring, people who do instead of watching a video of an animal being abuse and saying that this should stop.”