NORWICH – For most kids, birthdays mean cake, surprise parties and maybe getting a few special gifts. But for 7-year-old Madalyn Quattrocchi of Norwich, a birthday is chance to give back.
Rather than getting gifts and having a birthday party with friends this year, Madalyn traded her time in the birthday spotlight for money, food and cleaning supplies to donate to the Chenango County SPCA. As an animal lover – with young ambitions of one day becoming a veterinarian – Madalyn said birthdays can be fun; but there’s more fun in helping a good animal find a good home.
“There are a lot of animals that don’t have a home,” said Madalyn, also mentioning she and her family adopted their dog, Rocco, from the Chenango SPCA a year ago. “We saved a dog,” she added. “He’s from here, so I wanted to help him.”
Madalyn and her parents, PJ and Tai Quattrocchi, immediately reached out to friends and family, soliciting donations for the Chenango SPCA in place of birthday gifts for Madalyn. Then one by one, Madalyn’s friends traded in their gifts for supplies for the shelter. The end result was stacks of boxes chocked full of cat and dog food, kitty litter, q-tips, paper towels, assorted cleaning products, newspapers, sheets and blankets for animal bedding, and squeaky toys.
If that wasn’t enough, Madalyn also collected $50 to give as a cash donation to help the shelter carry out its mission to provide and promote care, compassion and respect for animals in the community. In return, she was dubbed a Chenango SPCA “Jr. Caregiver,” recognized by an official Jr. Caregiver badge, coloring book, and a frame magnet for a picture of Rocco.
“She said this is what she wanted to do and we had a talk about what it means,” said Madalyn’s mother, Tai Quattrocchi. “We were blown away. She has always had a very kind heart, generous and thoughtful, and that was really shown here.”
In fact, the donation was such a success, Tai added, it may turn into an annual tradition. “It’s definitely something she might want to do next year,” she said. “She has had a lot of fun doing it.”
Although Madalyn isn’t the first child to forfeit a birthday in favor of lending a helping hand to the SPCA, she may very well be the youngest, said Chenango SPCA Director Annette Clarke.
“It’s amazing that someone so young is so eager to help,” Clarke said, noting that anything the shelter receives helps it support nearly 1,000 to 1,600 stray, lost, surrendered or abandoned animals every year. “We are definitely grateful for whatever we can get.”
The Chenango SPCA is a nationally recognized, open admission animal shelter that provides care for lost and homeless pets, adopts pets to new homes, and educates families and the community about the needs of companion animals.
The Chenango SPCA serves primarily the residents and animals of Chenango County and surrounding communities. Other services include adopting homeless pets to new families, matching families to the right pets, reuniting lost pets with their owners, collaborating with other organizations and local officials in animal cruelty investigations and emergency response and rescue, and providing animal rescue assistance for injured and lost animals during disasters locally and nationally.
For more information, make a donation or volunteer for the Chenango SPCA, visit the Chenango SPCA website at www.cspca.org, or call 334-9724.