HOMETOWN HEROES: The Kojoian Sisters
By: Alexandra Cowley
acowley@abc6.com
Cranston sisters Michaiah and Abigail Kojoian have loved animals for as long as they can remember. They both have plans to be veterinarians when they grow up. So, when the 14 and 16 year old girls discovered a need at the Cranston animal shelter, they took action by creating the Pawprint press. A newspaper that helps shelter animals find forever homes.
Walking down animal run can be overwhelming. Dogs barking for your attention, others begging for your love. Sisters Abigail and Michaiah know that feeling first hand. They’ve adopted a handful of animals at the shelter.
"It is sad, but this is not the end of the line for them. This is more like a waiting room," explained Michaiah.
It was on one of their trips to the shelter when they adopted their cat Stella that it hit them.
"We realized that the shelter didn’t have a newsletter, so we decided to make one," smiled Abigail.
For the girls, it was an obvious solution to helping the shelter animals get adopted. They’d already been crafting a newsletter, on a smaller scale, for their neighborhood. They started that when they were just 8 and 10 years old.
"It started off as an essay contest about what’s your favorite animal at the zoo," Michaiah said.
Mom Elena remembers how passionate the girls were about the paper.
"All the kids participated. My house was streaming with all these pictures and essays that the kids had written and they printed all of them. They put them together in this little newsletter. Every summer the kids would write this paper and they called it the Pawprint Press and that’s how it started," said Elena.
So Elena and dad, Kevin, a Rhode Island State Trooper, weren’t surprised when the girls pitched the idea of a paper for the shelter.
"When they first told us that they wanted to do this we thought what a great idea, more power to you. But it’s going to be work and it didn’t bother me because I thought my daughters always seem to have this good focus and this good work ethic," she said.
Mom was right. They’ve been printing the paper quarterly for three years now. Coming to the shelter and spending time with each animal. Taking their picture and writing up a summary of their personality. Once printed, the girls deliver it at businesses across the city.
Abigail said, "our last edition of the Pawprint Press, 13 of the 19 animals were adopted."
Animal Control officer Pat Maxwell has been at the shelter for over 30 years.
"Its really helped improve our adoption rate. Years ago, we depended on foot traffic to come in. We don’t have to depend on that now. We can advertise each dogs individual traits, behaviors, what kind of home it needs and we can reach out to that clientele that would want that particular dog," explained Pat.
The girls hard work has even been a huge help for the police department. Stepping in where they simply can’t.
Lieutenant Russell Henry has seen the girls working at the shelter for years.
"Really I can’t describe how helpful they are to the police department. I think other cities and towns are jealous because we have the Kojoian girls and they do such a great job," Henry said.
"They’re very quiet but they carry a big stick, a big message," smiled Pat.
"I guess we just like to be a part of something bigger than ourselves," said the sisters.
The girls used to pay to print the Pawprint press on their own when it was just distributed to their neighborhood. But now their quarterly paper is in the Cranston police department’s budget.
They even write a feature on a shelter animal in the Providence Journal once a month.
If you know of a Hometown Hero let us know. Click on the link on our website or email Alexandra Cowley @acowley@abc6.com
(C) WLNE-TV 2016
