Humane Living

Not your ordinary kids day camp: Puppy kisses, kitten purrs and maybe a future animal cop

Young Houstonians have a range of day camps to choose from during the summer months, with programs designed to nurture the interests of aspiring astronauts, budding botanists and fledgling foodies alike.

But for the past decade and a half, the Houston Humane Society (HHS) has offered a camp aimed not only at providing a unique educational experience, but one that also offers the opportunity to participate in the organization's broader mission of caring for and protecting the city's animal population.

The organization’s popular week-long program — dubbed Companion Camp — features games and crafts that allow kids to spend one-on-one time with the shelter’s animal residents.

“Campers finish each session with a renewed respect for animals, interest in animal sciences and new dreams of becoming an animal cop or veterinarian."

Additional workshops lead by experts from organizations like Texas A&M Veterinary College’s PEER Program, the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition's Wildlife Center and the Houston Fire Department teach topics ranging from animal care to the prevention of animal cruelty.

“Companion Camp is much more than a week filled with puppy kisses and kitten purrs,” laughs HHS events coordinator Monica Schmidt, who also heads up the camp.

“Campers finish each session with a renewed respect for animals, interest in animal sciences and new dreams of becoming an animal cop or veterinarian," she tells CultureMap.

"They definitely have the best stories to tell for their 'What I did this summer' essay when school starts again.”

Participants are encouraged to continue their involvement with the shelter through volunteering with a parent once they reach the age of 12.

Eight week-long sessions, held on-site at HHS' 14700 Almeda shelter, are offered between June and August for an enrollment fee of $275, which includes daily snacks and an official Companion Camp T-shirt.

Click here to register your young animal aficionado and note that spots fill up quickly.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”