TWINSBURG, Ohio – Trinity Denholm is ready to kick off her teenage years in style – and this weekend, she made sure her birthday bash would be one she’d never forget.
“My parents said that I could have a big party for my 13th birthday, with a DJ and a hall and everything,” she said. “And as I thought about it, I thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t need 100 gifts.’ So I decided that instead of getting gifts for my birthday… to donate them to a charity.”
On Saturday, Trinity invited nearly 100 guests to join her. She asked that they bring gifts or money to donate to the Humane Society of Greater Akron, located near her Twinsburg home.
“Her father and I are just so proud of her,” said mother Charlene Denholm. “To do something like this was kind of over-the-top, you know, cause kids wants presents. But it was kind of crazy because she’d rather give donations to the humane society.”
The 13-year-old collected nearly $1,000 in cash, food and toys for the shelter, but isn’t the first time Trinity’s contributed toward the rescue.
“When I was in fourth grade, my friend Kyle and I did a donation drive to kind of welcome them to the neighborhood, and we hit over 400 houses and got like three truckloads of donations,” she said.
The humane society helps rescue nearly 1,800 animals a year, said Heather Kinaitis, a special-event and volunteer coordinator for Pawsbilities.
“It’s amazing,” Kinaitis said. “Every little bit counts to help our animals here at the shelter and also it just sets such a good role in the community to see the young generations really step up.”
Trinity hopes her gesture will help inspire others to donate, as shelters often depend on donations like this throughout the year. She plans to eventually work with animals as a career.
“Well, I’ve always had a love for animals since I was little, and ever since… even before kindergarten, I’ve always wanted to be a vet,” Trinity said. “I say it’s the best birthday I had yet, and like I said, it’s all thanks to my parents and the parents who helped donate and the kids who helped me celebrate.”
The Greater Humane Society of Greater Akron operates Tuesday through Sunday at its location at 7996 Darrow Road in Twinsburg.
For more information, go to http://www.summithumane.org/