Local Scout focuses on animal care, protection

Franklin Square residents Breanna Grotta, 10, left, Amanda Prescott, 10, Chris Lucchesi, 10, Victoria (dog), and LizAlexia Papadoniou, 10, were all smiles during Brusca's animal-safety event.

Jina Papadoniou/Herald

North Shore Animal League volunteer manager Lauraine Merlini, above, participated in Brusca’s presentation last week, at the VFW building in Franklin Square.

Jina Papadoniou/Herald

Carey High School senior Alexa Brusca recently presented a animal-safety program she developed to local residents.

Jina Papadoniou/Herald

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Alexa Brusca, 18, a senior at H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, presented a program that she developed through Girl Scouts, “For the Love of Animals,” to community residents at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars building — located at 68 Lincoln Rd. in Franklin Square — on Feb. 9.

According to Brusca, who’s been a Scout since the 1st grade, the goal of her program is to educate local residents on different types of animal abuse — to domesticated, marine and wild animals — and achieve her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest accolade a Girl Scout can receive.

Brusca said that she decided to do the project after taking a family vacation to Florida, to SeaWorld and Disney World, where she learned about different types of animal cruelty and the impact that human beings have had on animal endangerment and extinction. Upon returning home, she contacted the Nassau Dog Training Club and North Shore Animal League, in order to get help developing her project.

Lauraine Merlini, of the North Shore Animal League, participated in Brusca’s presentation last week, and Suzanne Pelisson-Beasley, of SeaWorld, provided her with information on animal cruelty. During the presentation, Brusca discussed a range of animal topics, from properly caring for your pets to how residents can help protect local wildlife, to how to help prevent animal abuse through volunteering and donations. She also presented a video and a slide show that she made, to show how people can reverse animal cruelty.

Brusca said she’s planning to attend college and receive a master’s degree as a registered nurse practitioner, specializing in obstetrics. “I would love to be a part of something amazing, like bringing a new life into this world,” she added. For more on Brusca’s program, email Alexa.brusca@yahoo.com.

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