About Austin Dog Alliance Youth Association
Our Mission
The Austin Dog Alliance Youth Association (ADAYA) is a student-led youth volunteer association with a mission:
To partner with dogs to improve the lives of children and their families in the Greater Austin community while providing fun and rewarding leadership and volunteer opportunities for students.
About
The ADAYA is 110% idea and suggestion friendly. Service projects include working with other dog related non-profits (shelters), visiting nursing homes and libraries with the therapy dogs and youth-led fundraisers such as dog washes. Being a member of the ADAYA automatically promotes you to Austin Dog Alliance volunteer status: meaning that if the Austin Dog Alliance is hosting or attending an event, you can help out too! Every month, a social event and or learning event is scheduled. Speakers include area vets, search and rescue, humane society employees, groomers and other dog related speakers. We have fun events like cooking lunch for our Mom’s and visiting the open house in College Station.
The ADAYA is open to all teens ages 13 – 19.
To learn more about the benefits of youth service organizations, please visit the Youth Service America website.
Membership
There is a yearly membership fee that includes a really cool t-shirt, participation in all our fun events and boring insurance. If you can’t swing the membership fee, contact us, we have some awesome adult supporters that will cover your fee.
Events
ADAYA meets the second Friday of each month from 7:30-9:00PM. In addition, various events are scheduled throughout the month. To see a list of upcoming events, please see the Austin Dog Alliance event calendar.
Youth Association Leadership
Hannah Zeevi
Hannah is a freshman at Austin Community College. She is employed by Kids R Kids in the Terravista community as an assistant teacher in the 2 year old room. On Sundays Hannah teaches First Grade Sunday school at her place of worship. Hannah has been involved with Austin Dog Alliance since 2007. She has been a summer camp assistant for two years and is honored to lead the Youth Association.
Liz Rhoads
Elizabeth “Liz” Rhoads is a sophomore at Cedar Park High School. She and her family’s Britanny “Cora” are a pet therapy team. Liz also has a German Shepherd named Athena. She has been doing most of the training of both the family dogs. She spent most of her lunch periods in middle school researching dog breeds and learning everything she could about animals. At Cedar Park High, Liz is in FFA and someday hopes to become either a veterinarian or an ER trauma doctor.
Liz has dyslexia, and she was very attracted to the idea of bringing animals in the classroom to comfort and support struggling readers. She loves working with ADA, and is really excited to be a part of such a wonderful group of people and pets.
Kyle Hudson
Kyle Hudson is a 15 year old freshman at Round Rock High School. He is a boy scout in Troop 365. He is currently working on his Eagle Project. He has been the Senior Patrol Leader, chaplain, quarter master and instructor with his troop.
Adult leadership
The adult leader for this program is Susan Windham.