Determined 16-Year-Old Places Animal Rights Front and Center at School
For
Immediate Release:
August 4,
2011
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Toronto — Victoria Park Collegiate Institute student Vasant Challapally takes his education seriously. That's why, when the industrious 16-year-old noticed that one of today's most pressing subjects among young people was conspicuously missing from the school's curriculum—namely, animal rights—he started the Animal Relief Club. The club has burgeoned from an initial membership of five students to more than 35. For passionately educating fellow students and faculty about justice for animals, Challapally has received a Star Street Teamer Award from peta2—the world's largest youth animal rights organization.
One of Challapally's proudest accomplishments was gathering petitions to get a vegetarian "Jamaican patty" on the cafeteria menu. It has become so popular that it almost always sells out at lunch, so the school is doubling its purchase next year. He and the club also undertook several peta2 missions, including having 50 students print out the peta2 "Not a Nugget" chick's speech bubble and write messages to McDonald's as part of peta2's McCruelty campaign. Animal Relief Club then packed up the printouts and sent them to the fast-food giant's headquarters outside Chicago. Challapally has also visited several Toronto-area elementary schools to speak about animal rights and asked school officials to include animal rights materials in the classroom. He and the club handed out leaflets about the cruel treatment of animals in circuses during his school's talent show, semiformal night, and international night functions.
"Vasant Challapally uses his compassion, energy, and dedication to make sure that everyone at his school knows that animals deserve respect," says peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg. "Vasant is setting an example not only for his community but also for our nearly 80,000 peta2 youth activists who want to help animals."
For more information, please visit peta2.com or click here.
