THE ENQUIRER/LEIGH TAYLOR
Shannon Knutson (from left), 14, Maria Rockett, 12, Jessie Rockett, 14, and Devin Knutson, 11, formed the 4 Flavored Lifesavers three years ago. The Enquirer
They may be lifesavers and all, but they didn't have a clue just how much there is to know about ferrets.
The 4 Flavored Lifesavers - two pairs of sisters from Symmes and Miami townships who give their baby-sitting money and other earnings to charity - soon will give their next $100 to the Ferret's Dream House.
The girls are Shannon Knutson and Jessie Rockett, 14, and their sisters, Devin Knutson, 11, and Maria Rockett, 12. They were having a sleepover one night more than two years ago when they came up with the idea to start a group that gives to charities. They chose their name because they're four very different girls all trying to help people and animals. They gave their first $100 in March 2004 to CancerFree Kids, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.
The ferret donation will bring their total to $1,300. And although $100 might not sound like much, it will buy 222 ferret meals, which average 45 cents each, said shelter director Lori Sies. The no-kill, nonprofit shelter in Lynx, Ohio, averages 42 ferrets at a time and costs $1,000 a month to operate.
The ferret idea came up after a story about the girls in The Enquirer last month. In it, one of their mothers mentioned that the girls considered giving to a ferret rescue, but their parents weren't so sure. That prompted a flood of e-mails from ferret shelters across the country, each urging the girls to consider supporting a ferret rescue.
They also gave $100 to the Loveland Initiative, a group that offers backpacks to kids and after-school tutoring.
"Devin was saying the other day to her dad, 'Just wait till we have our own foundation,' " said Kathy Knutson, who facilitates the charity work by being a taxi driver and helping in other ways with the Rocketts' mom. "I just thought that was nice that she would be thinking of it. We've all learned a lot." |
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