Woodridge Middle School’s Art Club is encouraging readers to clean out their closets for a good cause. The Art Club is holding a T-shirt drive throughout September and will use the materials to make toys for dogs and other pets to be donated to local animal shelters.
Macey Bruce, 20, of House Springs graduated from Northwest High School in 2023 and started working at Woodridge Middle School this school year after working at Murphy Elementary. She is a behavior interventionist and Art Club sponsor, working with students in grades six through eight.
Bruce said her time as a Northwest R-1 School District student inspired her to organize the T-shirt drive, with an end goal of giving back in a creative way.
“When planning crafts and fun activities for Art Club, I remembered a leadership conference I attended while a student at Northwest High School, where I learned to make dog toys from old fabric scraps,” she said. “When I brought the idea up at our first meeting, even the quietest faces had the biggest smiles, so I knew it would be a hit.”
The project aims to teach students how to use their interests and skills in ways that are fun, but also support their communities.
“I have two shelter pups that are my whole world, and I know many of these kids also have a love for animals. Art Club is a place for creative minds to collaborate and have fun, but I am making it a personal goal to provide activities that teach them how to be creative for a cause,” Bruce said. “While we can’t magically craft homes for each animal sitting in shelters waiting for their forever people to find them, we can absolutely use our creative minds to provide them with a bit of joy until that happens.”
The Art Club is seeking donations of old T-shirts, blankets, towels and any other clean fabrics. New or gently used pet supplies will also be accepted. All student-made pet toys and other donations will benefit local animal shelters, Bruce said.
Woodridge Middle School students may drop off donations at Bruce’s office, and community donations may be dropped off at the main office at Woodridge Middle School, 2109 Gravois Road, in High Ridge.
The Art Club will start making toys on Friday. Students will spend two meetings crafting them from the donations. Bruce said she’s not sure how many pet toys will be made, but she has set a goal for students to make at least 20 toys to donate.
“We would love to do many more than 20 (toys) if donations are there for it. The more donations we receive with the supplies to make them, the more rescues we can support,” Bruce said. “We are hoping to finish the bulk of our toy making by mid-late October, but we will always accept more donations to support the cause.”
Bruce said dog toys, cat toys and rope toys can be crafted from fabric alone. If other supplies are donated, students could potentially make a variety of toys.
“Crafting dog toys can be quick and relatively easy. Each one takes anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes (to make), depending on the size and material. There are special ways to braid the fabric to ensure it lasts for the pups, which Art Club will be learning about in the coming weeks,” Bruce said.
While this is the first year the Art Club is holding a drive, Bruce hopes to make it an annual event to support local shelters since many are past capacity and without the necessary resources to operate.
The drive isn’t just about making dog toys, Bruce said, but is about supporting the community.
“The Woodridge Middle School Art Club isn’t just a group of kids learning to draw or paint; they’re young citizens discovering that creativity can make tails wag and hearts smile. Giving back in unique ways like this reminds us all that generosity doesn’t have to be complicated; it just needs a little imagination and a lot of heart.”
For more information about the Art Club’s T-shirt drive, contact Macey Bruce at mbruce@northwestschools.net.