"I have asked and I can’t volunteer until I am 16. But I do visit occasionally and run around with the dogs and pet the cats," says Selena. "I like to show them love."
At 11 years old, Selena is still half a decade away from executing her grand plan. But she's planting some pretty impressive stakes in the meantime.
Ready to feel some optimism about the future?
Selena, who lives with her family in Pasco County, has already written and self-published two books about animal shelters and their critters. Her aim is to get more shelter pets into loving homes, and also, she says, "to let kids know that they can do big things."
The first book, Cici's Amazing Birthday, tells the semi-autobiographical story of a girl who finds a stray dog shortly before her 8th birthday. The girl and her parents brings the dog to the shelter, in case an owner is out searching, then she's inspired to use her birthday as an opportunity to raise money and supplies for the animals. (Spoiler: after the owner doesn't come forward, her family adopts the dog.)
And just in case it's not impressive enough that this youngster is writing stories to inspire folks to get involved with their local shelters — which, surely, it is — sales benefit a handful of shelters and animal-related nonprofits that young Selena has formed a connection with. These include Pasco County Animal Services in Land O'Lakes and Cindy's Pets, a group Selena volunteers with, that provides pet food to senior citizens who need a little extra help caring for their animals.
Between the books, and some other fundraisers, like holding birthday donation drives, Selena estimates she's raised in the range of $5,000 for shelters and other animal-related causes in the last three years.
This is all while finishing up her third book, and making the time to go to aviation camp, too. Because Selena wants eventually to be a commercial airline pilot, who spends her spare time assisting the critters.
"Such as flying to a different state and rescuing animals from shelters that may no longer want them. This sounds very exciting to me and can’t wait to be able to do that," she says.
Did we mention she's 11 — and about to enter the 6th grade at her local Montessori school?
"It is great to see kids interacting with animals and how excited they get at the chance to just pet animals," observes Liz McCoy, volunteer manager for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, the shelter where Selena filmed the video you see above. "I am always taken aback by kids I’ve seen here at the Humane Society who spend time they could be using to play video games holding donation drives or give up their birthday presents and instead ask everyone to bring a toy or food for our shelter animals. These kids are learning not only about caring for animals, but are laying the foundation for being lifelong philanthropists and volunteers."
Selena's mother Jomary, who illustrates Selena's books, says she and Selena's dad, Kurt, realized early on that their daughter was focused and driven, and determined to deploy her skills to helping out the animals.
"She is an amazing kid and knows what hard work is," Jomary says. "We are so impressed with Selena’s love for animals no matter how big or small."
But perhaps more importantly, with two well-loved rescue dogs, Snowy and Cici, an adopted guinea pig named Desmond and Emma Belle the hamster at home, Selena still relishes getting to spend time with the shelter's kitties.
"We don't have a cat yet," she says. "Dad's allergic."
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 7, 2017.