Teen makes a difference for rescue kittens and kids facing stress
By Angela Rozier
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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (WPBF) — Sixteen-year-old Sawyer Tinsley from Jupiter High School is using her love for fostering kittens to support mental health and raise funds for animal rescues in Palm Beach County.
Tinsley began fostering kittens from Palm Beach Purrs during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she found it difficult to make friends.
“You would have to be six feet away, you couldn’t really speak, you had masks on, you couldn’t really see people. So, it started there when I was just like … this is hard, like, this is hard to do school in these conditions,” Tinsley said. “It was the best thing for helping me transition during COVID time when it was really hard.”
To help other middle school girls facing similar challenges, Tinsley created a club called “PAUSE,” inviting them to her home to spend time with foster kittens.
“And then they just come and we put them downstairs and then they can just run around. The kids play with them and talk about their, like, stressors (they) have been going through in middle school, cause that’s when it starts to like amp up for elementary school,” Tinsley said.
Florida Atlantic University student Chloee Wilkerson, who was taking a break from studying at PetSmart in Palm Beach Gardens, where the foster kittens are located, shared her experience.
“It’s my favorite coping mechanism. I’ll wake up at night to, but this is the least consequential one to do,” Wilkerson said.
Tinsley has also launched Flamingo Flocking, an annual fundraiser where pink flamingos are placed in yards overnight each August, raising about $3,000 a year for Palm Beach Purrs. Additionally, a 5K Flamingo Run 4 Rescues fundraiser is scheduled for May 9 at Riverbend Park to support four other animal rescue groups in the area:
Palm Beach Purrs palmbeachpurrs.org Wild Whiskers wildwhiskers.org Great Dane Rescue of South Florida greatdanerescueofsouthflorida.com Kelly’s Fosters kellysfosters.com
Looking ahead, Tinsley hopes to pursue a career in sports psychology. “Hopefully I am in a successful career and have lots of cats. I gotta have cats and dogs. I love animals,” Tinsley said.
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