Savannah Williams was only five years old when she lost her
golden retriever, Gage, to Lyme disease in December 1999. But
after a surprise discovery by her parents, she turned her grief
into an educational campaign for dog lovers and a fundraiser
for The HSUS.
The Williams family, who live in Maryland, adopted Gage when
Savannah was two-years-old, and the two of them played together
constantly. When Gage passed away three years later, Savannah
was devastated. She secretly wrote poems and stories about her
best friend in some composition notebooks.
More than a year after Gage's death, Savannah's parents, Kim
and Scott Williams, discovered the notebooks when they were
cleaning her room. "Savannah has a very big heart," says Kim,
"and she loves to write and draw." At first they were concerned
about invading their daughter's privacy, but Scott, a
songwriter, was so touched by Savannah's heartfelt poems that
he asked her if he could put her words to music. Savannah was
so pleased with the results that she asked if they could make a
CD. Her parents agreed, if she would pick a cause to support
with the proceeds.
Savannah thought that The HSUS could best help her spread
her message about Lyme disease, so that other kids wouldn't
have to go through the same pain she did. Since recording the
CD in February 2001, the Williams family has sold many copies
for $5 each at a CD release party, at Savannah's school, and
through publicity by a local radio station. All of the
proceeds, which total more than $1,100 to date, have been
donated to The HSUS.
"Gage was always by my side," says Savannah. Of her CD
project, Savannah says, "I'm happy because we're not just
helping Gage, we are helping other dogs, too." While dogs are
Savannah's first love, she is also very concerned about the
welfare of dolphins and circus elephants. "I would like to be a
marine biologist because I love the ocean and I love dolphins,"
says Savannah.
She is a regular visitor to The HSUS Web site, where she
enjoys reading stories about animals and what people can do to
help them.
