Humane Educators should encourage the community to  organize school fundraisers, which are a great way to empower students, teach them the value of volunteering, and help them make a positive difference in the community. However, we urge schools to carefully investigate the organizations for which they are raising funds to ensure that they do not engage in practices that harm animals.

Some schools participate in the March of Dimes’ Walk America fundraiser without realizing that the March of Dimes has funneled millions of donated dollars into painful and unnecessary experiments on cats, dogs, primates, rabbits, pigs, and other animals. Sadly, this money could have been better spent on the treatment and prevention of disease and on clinical and epidemiological studies that would provide relevant information about human birth defects.

Make sure that your school only donates funds to humane charities, like the Easter Seals, which works to prevent birth defects by using clinical research and preventive programming—not by experimenting on animals. Contact Teach              Kind to order additional information about the March of Dimes and to order a booklet that lists charities that do and charities that do not test on animals, or visit the following links:

• MarchofCrimes.com
• Charities That Test on Animals
• Humane Charities

While teaching students the value of helping others, it’s important that they don’t forget the value of animals’ lives. Some fundraisers, like donkey basketball, put both students and animals at risk. “Kiss the pig” contests demean animals, forcing them to be unwilling participants in an activity that objectifies them and finds humor in our negative and inaccurate view of pigs.

Animal auctions, like the one at Coral Reef Senior High School in Miami, Florida, are upsetting and unhealthy for the students involved, who are encouraged to develop a strong relationship with an animal as they nurture and care for him or her for months—only to be told to ignore their empathy and compassion and the needs of their animal friend so that he or she can be slaughtered for money. This psychologically damaging message teaches disrespect and insensitivity.

When raising money for your school or community charity, please try the following animal-free fundraising events: