Megan Christel, a junior Communication Arts & Sciences major from Reading, has landed her dream internship at Best Friends Animal Society, the nation?s largest no-kill animal sanctuary and shelter, located in Utah. Christel leaves for five-week internship in mid May.
Those who know Christel attest that she loves animals, especially dogs. She hopes to one day open her own nonprofit shelter for animals and this internship is the first step to help her realize her dream of helping create a better world.
Best Friend Animal Society began in the 1980s when a group of friends began taking some "unadoptable" animals to a safe haven to heal. With proper care and patience, the vast majority of these animals found loving ?forever? families. The remaining animals spent the rest of their days romping in the new sanctuary. That group of friends grew and flourished and became Best Friends Animal Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
At the core of Best Friends' work is the dream that one day animals will no longer be killed in America's shelters. By implementing spay/neuter and trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs to reduce the number of animals who enter shelters, and increasing the number of people who adopt pets, their mission is to ?Save Them All.?
At the heart of Best Friends is the Sanctuary, where, at any given time, about 1,700 animals are turning their lives around, receiving the medical help they need, and getting love and acceptance to help them overcome their past. Best Friends owns nearly 3,700 acres, and leases another 17,000 acres of state and federal land. Nearly 30,000 people visit every year to meet the animals and tour what has become the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.