AUBURN – Four students from the Auburn Middle School presented their Service Learning Project at the Auburn Rotary Club breakfast on March 26 on behalf of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society.

As part of the project, students were asked to identify a community issue and create a presentation as a means to educate classmates.

Last year five seventh-graders recognized the need for a new animal shelter. Under the leadership of their team adviser, Sue Myers, humanities teacher, the students, Justina Williamson, Breanna Wing, Kristin Martin, Alexandra Green and Ian Libby, researched the need for a new Greater Androscoggin County Humane Society shelter.

With the help of their laptops, the students created a presentation and video outlining the reasons the current shelter is inadequate.

“Kids and animals are a powerful combination,” said Barbara Livingston, board president. “These young people deserve a great deal of credit for their talent, compassion and tenacity. They have done so much to further our mission and help create a better life for the communities’ animals.”

The students will present their project to the Lewiston Rotary Club at noon Thursday, April 10, at the Ramada Inn.

The Humane Society provides a safe haven for approximately 3,600 sick, homeless and abused animals in the Androscoggin area a year. The primary support for the shelter comes from fund-raising events and donations of concerned residents.

The shelter gives back through community services, including animal intake and adoption, animal health services, reuniting people with lost animals, humane education and working with individuals who are disadvantaged or developmentally disabled. The shelter serves 11 municipalities, including Lewiston, Auburn, Turner and Greene, and a total population of more than 90,000 people.

If interested in learning more about the plans for a new shelter, call Steven Dostie, shelter director, at 786-4713. Anyone interested in volunteering at the shelter or adopting an animal can visit the shelter at 3312 Road or visit the Web site at www.gahumane.org.