By Lyn Hillman
The W-Underdogs program helps underserved youth from the Peoplestown neighborhood gain leadership, life skills, and compassion as they use teamwork to train and care for animals. They become empowered to make positive changes at school, home, and in their community.
It all began three years ago with building dog houses from recycled materials to give more adequate shelter to local pets. The youth learn valuable skills in project planning, construction, and math – and the dogs love their cozy new homes. Projects like these teach kids not only compassion for animals, but also labor skills, a sense of discipline, a work ethic, accountability, and empowerment. The W-Underdogs hopes to build even more dog houses in 2016.
The dog houses are donated to residents of Peoplestown and surrounding neighborhoods. The organization works to educate dog owners on the dangers of chaining their dogs, which is illegal in the city of Atlanta. W-Underdogs’ experience has shown that dogs that are chained or tethered or that don’t have adequate protection from the elements are prone to aggressive behavior toward other animals and even humans. By promoting responsible guardianship, the group helps to reduce the burden on local animal control services.
The group’s next fundraising event, the Dream Builder Dog House Challenge, takes place on Saturday, February 27, from 7:00pm to10:00pm. The party will be held at Industrious, a co-working office and event space at Ponce City Market at 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue. Guests will take the elevator located near the Food Hall and West Elm to Suite 8500 on the eighth floor. The event will feature a dog house design challenge. Participants will create a small scale model from any material of their choice and bring it to the event by 7:00pm. The winner of the challenge can choose to have their company name, family name, or other message included on each house built in 2016.
Designs will be evaluated on creativity, simplicity, ease of assembly, and weather durability. The contest is open to all ages and expertise levels. Families, students, architects, engineers, and professional or amateur woodworkers are welcome to participate. The winning design will be the primary model built by the W-Underdogs for the rest of the year. A $20 donation at the door includes beer and wine, food, and a view of the competition. Event sponsors include LD Studios, Industrious, Hypepotamus, Lifecycle Building Center, and Bennett Thrasher LLP.
W-Underdogs has received financial support from various sources, including the Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA) and dog washing fundraisers at Intown Healthy Hound. They also rely on donations of wood, hay, blankets, and pet food. To learn more about W-Underdogs or to make a donation, visit www.w-underdogs.org.
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