NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MERRITT STUDENTS CREATE SHOWCASE AND FUNDRAISER FOR RAMAPO-BERGEN ANIMAL REFUGE

Cresskill’s Merritt Memorial School loves animals. In fact, they love animals so much the fourth and fifth graders decided they needed to find a way to help homeless animals in need of finding their forever loving families. Meeting after school, children in grades 4 and 5 took to canvas to paint homeless animals to not only help Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. (RBARI) get exposure of their current homeless pets, but also to help people realize how important it is to advocate and donate to organizations, such as RBARI, that provides care to animals that have nowhere else to turn.

“Projects like this help give voices to those animals who are living homeless waiting for a family to love them,” said Caryn Gray, a fourth-grade teacher at Merritt Memorial.

Materials were sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, which afforded the program to be free of charge for the students.

“Our hopes are that we auction the artwork for donations for each painting,” said Gray. “RBARI will also be onsite to donate in person at the showcase.”

Held on Jan. 4 at One River School in Englewood, the showcase and fundraiser was a success with donations being made RBARI, the leading no-kill animal shelter in Northern New Jersey that is dedicated to second chances by providing safe refuge and essential medical and behavioral care, along with new forever homes to New Jersey’s homeless and abused dogs and cats. RBARI focuses on animals with the greatest need, especially those often rejected, including seniors, urgent medical cases and surrenders.

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write by scrolling through social media, listening to music or going for walks. And while he is most successful under a time crunch, Levin aspires to continue building and improving his writing stamina.

Going forward, Levin would like to continue raising awareness about causes he is passionate about while also using his status as an author on the spectrum.

Proud to be autistic, Levin strives to help other autistic people understand that they are no less than neurotypical (non-autistic) people and are just as capable of achieving their goals. He advocates that “autism is a gift, not a setback.”

“I spent years being ashamed of my autism and thinking that it made mess less than human,” Levin said. “But this year, I started to understand that autism was something in me that I could embrace and that it wasn’t a curse or something that made me inferior to others. It was a blessing. I don’t think I would have become a writer if it wasn’t for autism.”

Writing has continued to provide Levin with a source of solace throughout his life, helping him get through several challenging times, such as fitting in at school. It has also given him a sense of purpose, inspiring him to take on Currently a senior, Levin is also in the process of applying to colleges. He plans on studying creative writing, with the ultimate goal of becoming a full-time writer, though he is also interested in teaching English.

Above all, Levin wants to continue bringing happiness to people, particularly kids, through his stories while simultaneously encouraging people to believe in themselves.

“I want to be an example of how dreams come true,” he said.

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In The Hole can be purchased on Amazon.com and JumpmasterPress.com. For more information on Ben Levin and In The Hole, visit https://benlevinauthor.com/ or @benlevinauthor on Instagram.

Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc

RBARI held a wonderful benefit luncheon at the Capital Grille in Paramus. For more information, visit www.rbari.org.

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