Sweet success

There’s no greater friend to the animals than Jovee Blakely, 4, of Osceola.

During a board meeting Monday, July 20, Jovee presented a check in the amount of $2,215.27 toward Clarke County Animal Shelter. In addition, she also donated some pet supplies to the animal shelter.

Jovee, the daughter of Erin and Shane Blakely and sibling of Journee, had a lemonade stand during Osceola’s Fourth of July festivities with proceeds going toward the animal shelter. Collections are still coming in.

Pouring lemonade was Jovee’s favorite part of the lemonade stand, which lasted four days.

“I drank some of it, too,” she said with a giggle.

Jovee said she likes lemonade because it’s sweet and tasty, and people like to drink it on a hot day. Her friend Rylee Leighty also helped her at the lemonade stand.

Birthdays

This is not the first time Jovee has taken it upon herself to help Clarke County Animal Shelter.

For Jovee’s past couple of birthday celebrations, her party invitations were written to explain, instead of gifts, she would prefer to have pet food and supplies that could be donated to the animal shelter.

“They want to have food in the winter,” Jovee said.

Officials from Clarke County Animal Shelter are grateful for how selfless Jovee is toward the animals.

“Usually, it’s food and things like that. This time, it’s actually going to be beneficial to us because we can use the amount to put toward either having our floors done or a major project,” said Joy Durham, manager of the animal shelter. “And, just to have somebody being so supporting of the animals on a continuous basis. ... Every time she does it, she seems to do better than the last time she did it.”

Dog floor

The funds Jovee raised will likely go toward having the floors redone in the shelter’s dog room. In total, the renovations could cost between $4,000 and $5,000.

“Those are huge expenditures to the shelter,” Durham said. “We don’t have to do it very often, but when we do have to do it, it’s a huge chunk of change.”

Right now, mainly money is needed at the animal shelter. Funding will also go toward having cats and dogs spayed and neutered, as well as air conditioning bills with the summer heat. Various things need to be upgraded.

“Thank you to everyone who helped me help the animals,” Jovee said.