LANSING, Mich. — Seventeen-year-old Lansing resident Maggie Callendar created a unique fundraiser for the Capital Area Humane Society.
“I have two animals here. Fiber is my rabbit, and Ernie is my guinea pig, and I want to try and find the best way to photograph them so that they are the center," Callendar said. "Ernie is a lot more trained than Fiber is, but, you know, I work with what I have.”
And Callendar has been working a lot, taking photos of Ernie and Fiber and turning them into works of art.
“I was brainstorming ways, things I could do, and I figured creating calendars using those pictures would be a good idea. And I got that idea from my last name, Callendar, so that made sense to me. But then, I wanted to do something more with that," she said.
So, Callendar started selling calendars featuring Ernie, Fiber and her other guinea pigs, which have become a huge hit.
Callendar says since she started her calendar business six years ago, and she’s made close to $6,000 in profits. She has donated it all to the Capital Area Humane Society.
This year, instead of creating calendars, Callendar started a line of greeting cards.
Capital Area Humane Society Director of Community Relations Penny Myers says Callendar is wonderful.
“We like to call her magnificent Maggie," Myers said. "As a nonprofit organization, we rely on donations to continue our mission. So, we are so grateful for Maggie's kind heart and love of animals and for supporting what we do.”
Callendar’s mom, Becky, says she is always thinking about how she can help others.
“She does have a heart for people in the community," she said. "When I say she's always involved in some projects, she is! During the pandemic, she really couldn't do much of the stuff she normally does. She thought, 'Okay, I want to do something to help my community.' And we made masks and delivered them to the neighborhood.”
Callendar says she has a big fundraising goal this year too.
“I would like to hit $1,000. That’s my standard goal for each year. If I hit that, I’ll be happy,” Callendar said.
Maggie Callendar, we want to say thank you for coming up with a creative idea that is making a lot of money to help the Capital Area Humane Society. You are this week’s Good Neighbor. And of course, a big thank you to Ernie and Fiber for helping out.
If you would like to purchase some of Callendar's note cards, you can find them on her website.
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