The Humane Education Department of the BC SPCA was honoured with the 2012 Program Excellence Award at the society’s AGM on June 2.

“While the sheltering of animals and cruelty investigations are central to the mission of the BC SPCA, our work in education and cruelty prevention is the key to creating a brighter future for animals in our province,” noted Craig Daniell, chief executive officer of the BC SPCA. He noted that the BC SPCA’s award-winning humane education materials and resources are not only used by branches, schools and libraries across B.C., but are also sought after and used by numerous humane societies across Canada and the United States.

“Our humane education team has done an incredible job of engaging and teaching children across the province, inspiring them to learn more about animals and to become champions and advocates for animals in their homes, their schools and their communities,” noted Daniell. The department’s work includes the BC SPCA Kids Club, which began in 2004 and today engages more than 5,000 young people; a monthly e-kids newsletter that provides information and ideas on how to create more humane communities; fun animal-themed workshops for youth; an extensive summer camp program; the development of animal welfare curriculum resources for B.C. classrooms, a monthly e-teacher newsletter to update teachers on new ideas for animal welfare learning and Bark! magazine, which is sent to kids four times a year and is distributed to B.C. schools and libraries.

“Our humane education staff, with the help and support of our branches, have impacted the lives of thousands of children in B.C. and helped to shape a new generation of animal guardians who will continue our fight against animal cruelty,” said Daniell.

The BC SPCA Awards Program honours both people and animals who have made outstanding contributions to animal welfare during the past year. Recipients include veterinarians, staff, volunteers and animal heroes. The non-profit BC SPCA cares for nearly 32,000 abused, abandoned, injured and neglected animals each year in British Columbia.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.