Growing up with her bubbly goldendoodle, Luke, Dublin high schooler Sachi Param has always had a mission to ensure all animals, big and small, are cared for.
Last year, to give back to her local animal shelter, East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), she gathered up as many old blankets as she could from her friends and family to donate and asked the shelter, “What else can I do?”
Param said she wanted her efforts to cater to the shelter’s needs at that moment. “And now that I had already done my first drive, I knew it was definitely possible to get a lot of supplies,” she said.
The shelter was most in need of pet toys and food, so Param printed out dozens of flyers, handing them out to her friends and anyone else that would listen.
A few weeks later, blown away by the amount of support she’d received, Param was inspired to found Pink Clouds Foundation, a nonprofit that collects donations for animal shelters. So far, Param has donated more than 200 “welcome home kits” for Tri-City Animal Shelter. These kits include a pet toy, bandana, food bowl and treats, and are designed to go home with newly adopted pets to make the adoption process smoother.
The organization still runs entirely on donations from her community. At first, Param was hesitant to ask larger businesses, like Safeway or Trader Joe’s, for donations, but found herself pleasantly surprised.
Photos courtesy of Sachi Param
Photos courtesy of Sachi Param
“I think in the beginning, I was a little worried that they wouldn’t take me seriously because I’m a student,” said Param. “But honestly, people have been super welcoming towards this cause. It’s taught me that a lot of people are willing to help out and willing to do what they can.”
So far, Param has run the organization and assembled kits entirely on her own, but has had support from her parents who help her navigate legal paperwork and other logistics. For her, family is a value that extends into her organization’s name, Pink Clouds.
“There’s this exercise in Reiki meditation—it’s a Japanese meditation style—and you envision yourself being surrounded by pink clouds. It always just stuck with me,” Param said. Pink clouds are a good luck charm in her family. “Whenever someone’s stressed out, or anyone needs good luck for a job interview, we say ‘pink clouds.’”
As the organization grows, Param hopes to start a club at her school and recruit other students to join the initiative. But so far, she’s confident in her community’s ability to show up and support local shelters.
“I’m just completely blown away, in a good way, by all the support and positivity I’m receiving. And it really affected my outlook,” Param said. “It showed me that community is super strong where I live, and it’s super cool to see.”
