Animal Rescue Club is a service club focused on helping animals and animal shelters. Its members volunteer at various shelters where abandoned or stray cats and dogs are put up for adoption. Current president sophomore Kimberly Zhong initially became involved in the beginning of last year when the club was first founded. Zhong’s love for animals inspired her interest, and she believes the club is ideal for those who want to volunteer around animals but don’t know how to get involved with local shelters on their own.

“I know a lot of volunteer clubs have a bigger aspect [to them], but Animal Rescue Club is Santa Clara-area centered,” sophomore public relations officer Angie Tong said.

The club works primarily with animal adoption fairs, where stray animals and homeless pets are put up for adoption on certain days. The two organizations ARC volunteers with are Town Cats of Morgan Hill and Doggy Protective Services, both of which hold weekly events. Members can help set up or clean up at the adoption fairs and also play with the animals to keep the animals occupied throughout shifts. At animal shelters, members have helped socialize kittens so they are friendlier around people.

The club is also looking into fundraising events and donation drives to collect old toys blankets for animals at local shelters. ARC also applied to volunteer at more animal shelters such as “Save a Bunny,” a rabbit rescue and adoption organization. This way, members can interact with more animals other than just cats and dogs.

“Each animal is different and they all have different personalities, so every experience [at the shelters] are memorable every time I go,” Zhong said.