Knapp Elementary club gets visit from VIPs
State rep, celebrity dog help make case for animal cruelty legislation
LANSDALE >> Students at Knapp Elementary School in Lansdale got to meet two special guests this week, and while only one could talk, the two delivered the
same message.
“You can make a difference: getting involved, and helping out, and letting folks like me know that you care about these issues, and you care about these animals,” said State Rep. Todd Stephens, R151st.
Stephens stopped by after school on Thursday to visit Knapp’s C.A.R.E. Club, which teachers Compassion, Awareness, Respect and Education about all animals. He was joined by a special fourlegged guest: Libre, a Boston Terrier who was rescued in 2016 from a farm in Lancaster County where he had been left for dead, and who Governor Tom Wolf featured in a push for “Libre’s Law,” which increased penalties for animal cruelty.
Stephens showed the students a commercial from Wolf’s 2018 re-election campaign featuring Libre, and he and teacher Ann Kravitz, the C.A.R.E. club’s facilitator, told the students how their voices can help make a difference for those in need.
“Though some loving and compassionate people, (Libre) was nursed back to health. Animal abuse used to be a misdemeanor but since this law was passed, it is now a felony to abuse or neglect any animal in Pennsylvania,” Kravitz said.
Stephens told the students that he thought Wolf’s ad featuring Libre was one of the best campaign commercials he had ever seen, and it served as a reminder of the difference students can make.
“This law could not have happened without people like you, all across Pennsylvania, saying ‘We want to better protect our animals. We want to make changes to the law. We want there to be a safer place for dogs like Libre, and all the other dogs,’” Stephens said.
“Just remember: get involved, stay enthusiastic, and you guys can make a difference too. You guys can improve the lives of all of these animals,” he said.
Knapp fifth-graders Jacob Brinen, Olivia Kollar and Shayla Ramic all said they were glad to have met Libre, and were all glad the law will help stop what Ramic called “those mean things that they are doing to the animals.”
“I’m not here just to protect animals, but to make a change in this world, to help all creatures, no matter what they look like, no matter their breed, no matter if they’re a boy or girl,” said Kollar.
“Take Libre: he went from a dog that looked like a zombie, to an adorable little pup that was running around licking everyone,” Brinen said. “I think I can make a difference by voting for the law, talking to my state representative, or just going out and getting some dog food and donating it to my local shelter.”
After the visit, Kravitz said, she asked students what they had learned from their visitor.
“One student said, ‘I learned to never give up,’ which is something we often instill in them,” she said.
The visit from Libre and Stephens was just two weeks after a similar visit by Montgomery Township’s police K-9 unit, and Kravitz said both have left the students buzzing.
“One student commented to me, ‘I can’t believe something as great as the C.A.R.E. club is free!’ That totally made my day,” Kravitz said.