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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home What does Uncle Foods weekly dinner mean to you? A place for food and fellowship Mother's Day brunch supports World Peace and Prayer Day Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Ride & Drive: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Silvio Calabi: Taxis and traffic in the olde worlde Airport Day returns May 16 Politics and elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. 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Detwiler Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Wry & Ginger: A pitch to make national pastime better High school Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Southern Oregon University SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Same old Raiders Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Who's got next? Voices Latest Stories Our View: Forest work is a bargain Letters to the Editor, May 8 Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Dianne Williamson: Let’s end the marathon bomber saga Editor's Notes: This, that and the other Editorial Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? 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Editor's Notes: This, that and the other Mochas, Midrash and Mysteries: Balancing the gift and the task Chris Honoré: A wider context rarely discussed Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'Arsenic and Old Lace' has killer charm Some OSF crew members seek to unionize Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: Once in a while a star blows up Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... WALKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grade-school philanthropist Fifth-grader starts program to feed pets of homeless By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 @ 8:33 pm By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 @ 8:33 pm What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Nicole Hemmerling isn’t one to sit on a good idea. Inspired by her love of animals, particularly those whose owners struggle to provide, Hemmerling decided to start a program aimed at helping dogs and cats receive the food they may sometimes be forced to do without. Two years and approximately 300 pounds of donations later, her program, entitled Peace for Pets, is a huge success that would be impressive had it been developed by an adult. But Hemmerling wasn’t an adult when she created Peace for Pets. She was a third-grader at Walker Elementary School in Ashland. Now in fifth grade and only weeks away from moving on to Ashland Middle School, Hemmerling, along with business partner and fellow fifth-grader Amelia O’Skea, is training two Walker third-graders to take over the program so that Peace for Pets can continue to operate in the coming years. “They just get to shadow us pretty much, for now,” Hemmerling said of her protégés, Amaru Connor-Yure and Skye Pokrob. The project’s 2014-15 school year push culminates today, when the donated bags of food will be dropped off at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. Hemmerling, who has also worked as an actor in an Oregon Shakespeare Festival production, and O’Skea got the word out with posters tacked up throughout the school and an announcement during an assembly. On Monday, pet food donations were packed into three boxes across from the main office at Walker, as Hemmerling, O’Skea and Connor-Yure looked on (Pokrob was out sick). PFP also received a sizable donation from Nature’s Pet Market. “It’s a good haul,” Hemmerling said, pointing to the boxes, which also contained Zip-locked bags of food from those unwilling to part with an entire package. Hemmerling says the idea was born from sympathy and directed by her mom, who helped her avoid some early potential pitfalls. “I was thinking a lot about homeless people and their pets,” she said. “My original idea was that I wanted to start a shelter for them, and that was kind of a bad idea and my mom slowed me down, thank goodness.” “Didn’t have the budget,” O’Skea added. “(My mom) started helping me explore pet food and we knew we could collect food and give it to the food bank, so that’s how Peace for Pets started.” One of Hemmerling’s first steps was to create a website, peaceforpetsonline.org, which includes a “how to help” page and a blog. In a blog written last August, donors are instructed to label baggies so that Peace for Pets knows whether it’s dog food or cat food, regular or gluten free. “Food banks have also been requesting empty yogurt containers for pet food separation,” it reads. The name Peace for Pets also came from the mind of Hemmerling, who liked the sound that the words made together. “I don’t know,” she said, “I like alliteration. It’s fantastic — and talking about pets, talking about world peace. Peace for Pets kind of works out.” Third-grade teacher Morgan Cottle said Hemmerling simply followed her heart. “She’s always had a passion for animals and treating animals with care and dignity,” he said, “and she saw this gaping need among the homeless for taking care of their pets. At the time a lot of the shelters — and this may still be true — wouldn’t allow a pet in. So she saw this disconnect and decided to fill that need. “(Hemmerling) is an amazing young lady. “She’s the kind of young lady that you look 10 years ahead and say, ‘Yes, that’s about right.’ She’s going to have an impact on this world in a positive way. Bright, capable, driven, passionate young lady.” Walker child advocate Kate Sullivan said the school’s student council, made up of eight student leaders, vote each year for which community service projects the student body will support. Peace for Pets made the cut and that helped the project get off the ground. Last school year was a success for PFP, and Hemmerling and company rounded up another 100 pounds of donations last fall for Weed, Calif., pets affected by the Boles Fire. Sullivan said that for students at Walker, community service is practically part of the curriculum. Students there also recently raised about $900 through a Pennies for Patients fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raiding piggy banks to help fight cancer. “The thing about Walker is that it is child driven,” Sullivan said. “If they have a passion for something, how we serve the community is one of the missions of our student council, so we encourage them to come up with the ideas. And then we support them in that effort.” As for Peace for Pets, Connor-Yure is looking forward to helping Pokrob keep it going for the next two years after Hemmerling and O’Skea move on to the middle school. “I’m really excited,” Connor-Yure said. “I think it’s going to be really fun.”  Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 @ 8:33 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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