About Us
"The belief behind Helping Paws is to do what we can for those who cannot help themselves." -Randy Santiano, Founder of Helping Paws
Helping Paws is a Purdue University student organization dedicated to bettering the lives of animals in need. We do this through volunteering for the many animal-related causes in the community and by coordinating fundraisers for animals and organizations. We work to raise awareness for these animal causes in the community. In essence, we do anything we can to make sure these animals have every chance to live a good life. After all, we ask many of them to be our companions - they deserve our respect and care.
How We Began
In 1999 a dog named Bu-Bu was hit by a car and was severely injured. He was going to have to be put down because no one could afford the medical costs to treat his extensive injuries. But Bu-Bu ran into the right people at the right time. A small group of Purdue students did a lot of hard work to raise all the money needed to nurse Bu-Bu back to health.
Because of their determination Bu-Bu was able to live a happy, healthy life and in a home where he was pampered and loved. The small group of students realized that there are plenty of animals in Lafayette-West Lafayette area that could use the same help. Helping Paws gains around 30 new members each year.