One early winter day, Brighton High students lined up during lunchtime to pay $1 for the chance to cuddle with a puppy for three minutes. The event provided a welcome break from the daily routine of school while also benefiting the puppies, who were brought in from Nuzzles & Co. and were in search of new homes.

The 30-minute fundraiser was organized by business club officers Amanda Orozco and Lauryn Swanson, who are both seniors at the school. 

The event, which attracted 350 attendees, raised about $1,400 for the pet shelter. Orozco and Swanson, who are involved in the school’s business club, were supported by club members to make the event a success.

“We worked with Nuzzles & Co. because they were willing to bring in the puppies,” said club Vice President of Activities Orozco, adding the group also collaborated with the school administration and the Canyons school board to make the event possible. “We weren’t sure if students would be willing to pay $1, but some did it again and again. Someone even paid $5 just to do it once.”

The funds raised came not only from student donations, but also from local businesses, which donated items that were sold to the community with all proceeds earmarked for Nuzzles & Co., said Swanson, the club vice president of community service.

“We reached out to more than 100 companies and organizations in our community to support the event,” she said. “We set up those in a fundraising website with set prices and once people purchased them, they could come here to pick them up.”

Items ranged from tickets to local events to dog toys and shampoo.

Throughout the event, Orozco, Swanson and other business club members applied the skills they’ve developed through their classes and the business club, including money management, organization, problem-solving, time management, and communication.

Swanson took the lead on community outreach, working to secure donations and promote the event. They canvassed 200 homes as well as local businesses to put up fliers; they even reached out to an online artist who designed the event flier.

“It was a lot of fun actually putting what we learned toward an event we planned, but it was intense since it was a quick turnaround and it was during final exams,” Orozco said. “We both work, so I'd go to her house before school, then we'd go to school and work, then after work, she'd come over to my house until 11 p.m. Then, we’d do it again the next day and again and again. I also spent a lot of time conveying information between our principal and Josh Stasinos (Nuzzles’ development manager) and others to make sure everyone was on board. I was the bridge between everyone.”

On the day of the event, club members managed the logistics, including collecting money, explaining the rules, controlling the crowd, providing hand sanitizer, taking photos, and even selling pizza, with the profits going to the shelter.

Nuzzles & Co. also took the opportunity to educate attendees about the dogs’ origins, sharing they were rescued from the Ute Reservation and Navajo Nation, where they had been living among a population of 500,000 homeless dogs, according to Orozco.

Orozco and Swanson plan to write a 20-page report about the project, which they will submit for the DECA state competition Feb. 21-22. DECA is an organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship. The report will detail the idea, preparation and execution of the event. The pair also will present a PowerPoint to highlight the impact of their project.

Initially, Orozco and Swanson brainstormed several ideas for a community impact project, but ultimately decided helping a pet shelter would be a fun and meaningful choice.

“We liked the idea to help a pet shelter because it sounded fun, but we’re still doing business, math, accounting, marketing and all the organizational skills. The more we investigated it, the more we thought this is something we can do to help our community,” Swanson said. “My favorite part was seeing it happen, having it come to life and be successful.”

Despite the long hours and hard work, Orozco also is proud of the outcome. 

“The money is going to the dogs’ rehabilitation and adoption, which covers their vaccines, microchipping, food and everything,” she explained. “It costs them about $900 from the moment they take a dog in until it’s adopted. So, we rescued a dog and one-half with the money we raised.” λ