Photo by Lester Smith
Leaning on his power drill, Rotarian Ray Perleoni drives another screw into a pet house frame. Holding the structure in place, clockwise from Ray, are Boy Scouts Matt Sinofsky, Michael Riley, and Johnny Riley. Looking on at the rear are Scoutmaster John Riley and Pamela Sinofsky. Three more Rotarians and a friend helped as well. Five houses were nearly finished on July 9 in the West Suffield Congregational Church parking lot. When complete, they were to be donated to selected families.
On a busy Saturday morning July 9, a group of enthusiastic volunteers worked on constructing five houses to be donated to families who might otherwise have difficulty obtaining necessary housing – for their pets. The project was motivated by Susan Paneccasio, and with the help of her friend, Greg Heinemann, became a joint effort of the Suffield Rotary Club, Boy Scout Troop 66, and the troop’s sponsor, the West Suffield Congregational Church. This was sort of a Service Above Self, Do a Good Turn Daily, and Do Unto Others combination, perhaps even a Habitat for Man’s Best Friend project. The beneficiaries – Dogs without Houses – were to be selected according to need.
A design suitable for medium sized dogs was chosen from the Internet. Materials obtained with some help from Home Depot were paid for through a GoFundMe campaign. Tools and guidance were provided by Rotarian Ray Perleoni. Several Boy Scouts and other Rotarians helped with the project, which took place at the church. The work was largely finished in the July 9 work session. At press time, one house had been put to appropriate use; others were being completed.