Two kids make a special $450 birthday donation to the animals

What did Jessica Barker and Cameron Quackenbush want for their eighth birthdays? Money for the animals at Best Friends! And they came all the way from Salt Lake City to deliver their birthday donation in person.

Two animal-loving kids' birthday donations to the animals

Jessica and Cameron are best buddies who go to the same school. Their birthdays are only a month apart, so this year, they celebrated "the big eight" with one big party. "I was thinking," said Cameron, "that it would be good instead of just thinking about myself to do something for Best Friends." His friend Jessica agreed. So they asked guests at their birthday party to bring donations for the animals instead of gifts. In total, they raised $450, and both of their families came with them to Best Friends to deliver it.

Helping the horses and birds

Jessica wanted her portion to go directly to the horses. She has a horse at home and is a good rider. So Faith Maloney took her to Best Friends’ Horse Haven to deliver her contribution in person.

Cameron wanted his part to help the birds. Though his parents don’t have any pet birds, he has a keen interest in them, and says they are very much like humans in terms of their biology. So for Cameron, there was a special tour of Feathered Friends.

Thank you!

A big thanks for this very generous donation! And a big thanks to the families for bringing the kids to the sanctuary. It was a treat to have them, their four brothers and sisters, and of course, Tuxedo, Jessica’s family’s new dog.

Explore creative ways to help the animals.