Angela Fernandez-Ayala Thursday at the animal shelter.
Angela Fernandez-Ayala has loved animals since she was little. She’s known she wanted to become a veterinarian since she was 5.
That passion inspired her to raise more than $200 for New Haven’s Robin I. Kroogman Animal Shelter on Fournier Street, which she delivered on Thursday.
Front page of the comic book.
Fernandez-Ayala spent weeks creating a comic book for her senior capstone project at Common Ground High School. She sold the comic book at school and donated the proceeds to the shelter.
Fernandez-Ayala took art classes at school and at a year-long course at the Yale Center for British Art called Artworxx. Artworxx has a studio arts program for teenage girls with autism spectrum disorders. These programs helped cultivate her artistic skill for the comic book which she planned, wrote, designed, and colored herself.
Fernandez-Ayala printed out the books at Tyco and started selling them at school events and community fundraisers. Through the end of the year, Fernandez-Ayala began selling them anytime. “Someone even gave her money for a comic book at graduation,” noted her mother, Filomena Ayala.
In total, Fernandez-Ayala was able to raise $263. Fernandez-Ayala said she “wanted to thank people at Common Ground who contributed to my donation.” Nancy Perry who works at the shelter, said the donation “100 percent of the donation will pay for medical and health necessities.”
“We can always use more volunteers and donations!” Perry said.
Police Officer Joseph Manganiello, New Haven’s municipal animal control officer, accepted the donation on behalf of the shelter. He said the money will help treat animals who endured trauma or illnesses that “the city funds don’t cover as much.” Because most of the animals come in injured after rescue, veterinarian Danielle Larsen from Beacon Falls Animal Hospital visits the shelter each week to examine the animals. The shelter also has a contract with three local animal hospitals for further treatment.
Fernandez-Ayala and Filomena Ayala visited the shelter on Thursday to present the donation. They took a tour around the facility through the rows of dog kennels and inside the cat sanctuary.
Angela Fernandez-Ayala with her mother Filomena Ayala.
Fernandez-Ayala and her mother played with the cats and kittens. One furry resident named Flynn was rescued and brought to the shelter with a broken jaw. After surgery and treatment at the shelter, Flynn was healed and now happily greets visitors while waiting to get adopted.
The shelter, which has been around since the 1950s, currently houses over 60 rescued dogs and cats. Manganiello said the shelter can hold up to 100 animals; they’re under the maximum because there have been fewer rescues off the streets and more adoptions recently.
Once a month the shelter brings animals out to adoption events. Manganiello said the staff ran an event at Rose Orchard in North Branford last Sunday; next Sunday there will be an event at Olives and Oil restaurant on Temple Street.
Nancy Perry and Nicole Minervini, who work at the shelter.
The Friends of New Haven Animal Shelter runs the facility, which was renamed in honor of the late former alderwoman in 2004.
“I like dogs better than cats,” Fernandez-Ayala said. “They’re more friendly, and cats are not as sweet as dogs.” Although Fernandez-Ayala loves dogs, she said her cat Luna is just as playful and friendly as a dog. In addition to Luna the cat, Fernandez-Ayala has two rabbits named Jessica and Roger (names inspired by the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit), and Terminator the Chinchilla at home.
Fernandez-Ayala, a future New Haven Promise recipient, will the University of Connecticut at Waterbury this fall. She plans to pursue a degree in animal science. After visiting the shelter, Fernandez-Ayala said she might return soon to volunteer.