Me and girl rescuer get up to no good

When two ferals get together, you'd better get a damage deposit.
Calli and I couldn't resist taking a few practice hops on the hotel room bed.


Calli catches a four-year-old's eye at a restaurant. Eventually his charm wears her down, and the two of them end up in a tickle match on the floor.


A belated birthday lunch out starts out with a game of Go Fish...


...and ends with Calli's favorite dessert.

Three generations of animal rescuers

Magic rests while Marj and Calli share animal rescue stories.

I met up with little girl rescuer Calli Vanderaa this week in Winnipeg, and we had a fine time.

First we stopped off to see Marj Jamieson, who showed us around her secret garden built for creature comfort.

You might remember Marj from my earlier post Library in the sky is a lookout post for animals.

Marj has a backyard that's been built as an animal paradise. Bird feeders swing in every direction to avoid driving snow. A pink hose is positioned to spray a fine mist for hummingbirds craving a shower. Birds are treated to a heated bath. And caches of food -- raisins, peanuts, and seed -- are stashed everywhere. Squirrels, birds, raccoons, and rabbits take part in Marj and Wilma's buffet.

Calli was fascinated by Marj, and Marj was energized by Calli. It was pure brilliance to watch.




Marj, Calli and Wilma feed and water the animals that come to visit.

Stumbling across the ghosts of childhood past

When I first met little girl rescuer Calli Vanderaa, I immediately felt kinship with her. Her urge to save an animal in trouble is instinctive and consuming. I could relate to the driving need to rescue an innocent creature in danger.
But when I unearthed some old photographs this week, I didn’t just feel like we were kindred spirits. I felt like I was looking at a ghost. Or at least, a ghost of the child I used to be.
Here’s a photo of me at Calli’s age along with one of her. Can you see the resemblance?

If you want to read more about Calli and her compassionate rescue of her puppy Jessie from an inner-city dumpster, click to these past blog postings:

My day with kid rescuer ends in giggling fit, January 20, 2009

Holiday season sparkles for young animal rescuer, January 5, 2009

Outpouring of generosity brings girl rescuer to tears, January 2, 2009

A tiny tree grows – thrives, even – in the charred remains of an inner-city slum, December 21, 2008

Where to send your gifts and cards for Calli, December 18, 2008

Yes, Calli, there is a Santa Claus...and his name is Winterpeg, December 17, 2008

Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner city war zone, December 14, 2008

My day with kid rescuer ends in giggling fit

I’m starting to think that little girl rescuer Calli is a Mini Me.
A jaunt to Winnipeg (aka Winterpeg) nearly froze me solid this week as I frolicked with pen, pad and camera in icy minus 49 degrees Celsius. The harsh climate is particularly rough on homeless people and animals. While I was there, animals were being admitted to the local shelter with frostbitten ears.

But out there on the Prairies I found warmth, too. The kind that melts the heart.

Calli Vanderaa and I spent time talking about animals and compassion. We discussed responsible pet ownership. I shot photographs of her with Jessie and other animals. And we toured the Winnipeg Humane Society. Staff there called her “an inspiration.” Shelter work is difficult at times, a job that seems dismally dark on some days. Calli was a ray of light and hope on two small legs as she walked the place in awe.

I first told you about nine-year-old Calli just before Christmas (Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner-city war zone, Dec. 14, 2008).
A few months prior, she had rescued her Jessie from a trash dumpster near her house in the heart of gangland territory. Someone had tortured Jessie and her two littermates, setting them on fire before leaving them for dead. The caramel-colored dog, scorched and blackened, was the only pup still alive when Calli pulled her from danger.

Like the shelter workers, I found it inspiring to watch Calli in action. Kids naturally do the right thing by animals. They don’t think about time, money, and life’s responsibilities before attempting a rescue. But as we grow into adults, we start thinking more about our own needs. We forget we are obligated to rescue the creatures we fought to save when we were as helpless as they were. Back when we stood knee-high and looked straight into their eyes. Children view this responsibility with unfettered purity.

They get it.

Calli and I had work to do, but we found some time to play, too. I took her out for a nice lunch at a posh restaurant. It was there that we launched into a giggling fit, a familiar old feeling for me.

When I was a kid, gales of raucous laughter always got me into trouble.

Once I got started into a fit of laughter, I couldn’t stop. Teachers would sternly instruct me to stop laughing and being disruptive at once or I would be in trouble, big trouble. But that only made me laugh harder. Frequently my desk would end up banished to the hallway with me stationed at it. I recall sitting out there all alone as the humor of the situation set in. In the long corridor, I now had my own classroom for one. Tears would roll down my cheeks as I laughed even harder at the hilarity of the situation.

It was easier to laugh than to cry.

It turns out Calli is wired similarly. Our laugh track lasted a good 20 minutes. When one of us could finally pull it together long enough to catch a ragged breath, all it took was a glance of eye contact from the other and we’d be off again.

“We should go to school together – we’d be in big trouble,” Calli said in between our dueling gulping bursts of fanatical laughter.

Calli’s posted my cell phone number up on her fridge, and she knows she can call me any time. With her single dad Corey on the road long-haul trucking much of the time, she could use a friend. To talk about animals, or anything else, for that matter.

And Corey kindly offered to indulge our wish to meet up again. On his next trucking trek out to the West Coast, Calli will be riding up in the cab with him, clicking off the miles until we can hang out again. She’ll be staying with me for a while, and Corey will pick her back up to come home on his next run out.

I’ve already started figuring out where we’ll go and who she’ll meet when she visits. The cat sanctuary with 800 felines. The shelter that takes dogs seized from grow-ops. The myriad adults and kids I’ve met along the way who devote themselves to rescuing animals.

People who can’t turn away when they hear a puppy crying.

I know they’ll love her. She’s one of us. And like me, I’m certain they will recognize themselves in her.





Trading hats.





Poor Calli was frozen stiff while we took photos on a cold night.

Hanging out with Jessie, dad Corey and Calli. Check out the hot Stratus guitar she received from a reader for Christmas in the background.

Holiday season sparkles for young animal rescuer

Readers have been emailing me wanting to hear more from girl rescuer Calli Vanderaa. Here’s her latest letter to all those who gave from their heart to hers:

Hi Carreen and everyone else. My name is Calli and you know my puppy Jessie. I just would like to say thank you to everyone who sent such nice gifts for Jessie and I. My daddy and I got to spend a lot of time together...that was really cool. I really like the Modern Dog magazine and plan on reading it as much as I can.

It’s clear that Calli is grateful for the acts of kindness bestowed upon her by strangers touched by her story. The gift avalanche from people around the continent was impressive.
For my part, I must admit I’m pleased that she’s reading Modern Dog magazine. Shameless self-promoting, I know. But I’m wondering if maybe Calli might become an animal rescuer and writer after all?

To reference the original story about Calli, go to Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner city war zone, Dec. 14, 2008. Several follow-ups have also been posted in the meantime.

Outpouring of generosity brings girl rescuer to tears

Nine-year-old Calli Vanderaa saved a puppy who was set on fire and left for dead in a dumpster. And when people read Calli’s story, they grew determined to save Christmas for her. Readers couldn’t resist showering gifts on this inner-city child who threw her Santa list away because all she really wanted to do was spend time with her dad. (Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner city war zone, Dec. 14, 2008).
Gifts poured in for Calli from Canada and the United States. But the most generous by far were kind-hearted Winnipeggers, proving once again that this city cares for its own.
I asked Calli to write to me so I could relate to you in her words what this Christmas has meant to her. Here’s what she said. I think it’s telling that she was most touched by the letters, not the presents.

There sure was a Santa this year. I had the best Christmas ever. I would like to thank all of you for writing such nice letters. I think I want to start getting into helping animals of all kinds. With everyone so busy all the time it’s easier for someone younger like me to notice the small things that need fixing too...like our animal friends. My daddy told me there are animals all over the world that need help sometimes. Maybe one day I could help them and protect them. Thank you again everyone for all the nice things you have done for Jessie and I.
xoxo
It’s true. Jessie has been well taken care of. Besides new bedding, toys and treats, the five-month-old dog has received the best gift of all – she will be spayed mid-January. Calli had been saving small change in coffee cans for the surgery, but several kind donors and veterinary clinics stepped up to offer free services without being asked.
A couple of days after Christmas, Calli showed heart again. She shared part of her bounty, taking some of her toys to the Salvation Army to help other needy children in her neighborhood. And she and dad Corey took toys and treats down to Winnipeg Humane Society for the homeless animals.
“She had a lot of fun. She really enjoyed giving out the dog treats,” Corey said.
Calli cried Christmas morning when she opened her gifts, especially when she unwrapped a signed Avril Lavigne poster. And just like her idol Avril, there will be music in Calli’s future – one person gave her a coveted Stratus guitar. She’ll be starting lessons soon.
But money couldn’t buy Calli the best present of all, granted just before New Year’s: an unprecedented three days off with her single dad, a long-haul trucker. The pair spent time going to movies and having fun together.
Calli’s already started writing thank you letters to everyone who sent her gifts and cards, so if you are among them, expect to hear from her.
I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear from Calli. She’s motivated to stay rescuing. She’s already spoken to other kids at her school about the importance of compassion and kindness towards animals.
It was Calli’s letter to her hometown paper that started it all. She wanted to tell people what happened to Jessie, and try to make things better for other animals. She tells it well, so I’ll let her say it in her own words.
“How can people do that? How can I let everyone know they shouldn’t do that?”

A tiny tree grows – thrives, even – in the charred remains of an inner-city slum

A shred of life rises up from the blackened forest bed.

Trees are hot this time of year. The natural, non-denominational motif graces all things festive – holiday cards and decorations, wrapping paper and cookies. And of course, there is the most significant duty that awaits the coniferous tree, at least so far as humans are concerned: taking its place protecting the gifts. Ceremoniously bedazzled with ornaments, bows and lights, the tree is a celebratory reminder of the peace and generosity of the holiday season.
My personal tribute to the beauty of trees is partly why I posted today’s photo (above.) A section of the forest near my house had been cleared by loggers, and its residue burned. Fresh trees were planted in place of the tall ones that were felled. I was surprised to discover that the saplings found all they needed to nurture themselves underneath the blackened soil.

But there’s another reason the photo seemed apropos. People have been asking me why nine-year-old Calli Vanderaa’s story resonated with so many people (Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner-city war zone, Dec. 14.) Every day I come across stories that are riveting and inspiring. But Calli’s tale had more power than usual. It took hold and gathered up life and found momentum of its own. As they say in the wordsmith business, this story had legs.

When I was leafing through my photos, I realized the above shot explains why Calli’s voice was heard so clearly above the din and pomp of the holidays. There is the obvious correlation between the tree and Jessie, the seven-week-old pup Calli rescued from the dumpster. Jessie and her littermates had been placed in a box and set on fire. Calli heard Jessie’s cries. She was the lone survivor of this cruel, destructive act, a miracle dog pulled from tragic circumstances.

But this tree also reminds me of Calli. It is more striking and radiant than one you would find in a dense, healthy rainforest because it has survived in spite of the harsh elements that constantly tried to wear and tear it down.

In the midst of a barren city slum landscape overrun with gangs, drugs, and poverty, the tender sapling named Calli stayed strong and kept growing taller, driven by her own compass and her own compassion. Despite all that has been done to her – she’s been shot, fought, and verbally abused – she kept her inner light burning bright. She exhibited humanity when the situation demanded it.
We see so much ugliness every day, and much of that is the natural human response to how we’ve been treated. We spew unkindness because of the injustices perpetrated on us. Putting aside their difficult living conditions, Calli and her father extended themselves beyond an existing and overwhelming list of responsibilities to rescue (and keep) a creature who is more innocent, helpless and needy than themselves.

I am often struck when people say to me, “How can we worry about animal issues when humans are suffering? Shouldn’t all the money go to humans? Isn’t helping animals diverting money from the more important human causes?”

Calli’s story shows that this is not the case. By stimulating people to consider the human-animal bond, we help people and animals. Nurturing a creature more helpless than ourselves, watching them thrive under the care of gentle hands, taps into our human drive to save.

And just watch what happens. Other people will come out of the woodwork to be part of the saving. The inspiration and hope that springs from heroic human acts keeps the world turning. Until we start considering love and compassion and doing the right thing as an infinite resource, not a finite one, things will never get better — for us or the animals.

Jessie changed Calli’s life. That tiny, soot-covered pup left for dead in the garbage bin boosted her self-esteem, and showed her that people in Winnipeg and beyond do care about her family and their well-being. Jessie gave Calli a mission and a purpose.

She poured her love into her dog, and Jessie grew and bloomed like a beautiful garden. Or a forest of trees.

And this act of humanity gave Calli someone she will cherish throughout her childhood. A friend beside whom she can weather the world, even when it’s unkind.

Calli's dad Corey (with pup Jessie) is overwhelmed by the gifts generously bestowed on his family by readers. This photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press and Phil Hossack.

Yes, Calli, there is a Santa Claus...and his name is Winterpeg

Calli gives her little friend Jessie a big kiss.

When readers learned this week about nine-year-old Calli and her rescue of a tortured puppy, the response to her act of kindness was immediate and overwhelming. (Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner city war zone, Dec. 14, 2008).
Emails from around North America started pinging my box and that of Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gordon Sinclair Jr. People were touched by her story of survival in the inner city slums. And her devotion to her dad. But mainly they were moved to tears because of her compassion towards animals.

Calli chucked her Christmas list in favor of spending time with her dad, but thanks to the generosity of Free Press and Modern Dog readers, she’s not going without gifts this year. She’ll have a tree to put up, and it won't go bare.

Here are samples from the mailbag. There were many more, and they are still coming. I’d recommend having some tissues nearby to dry your eyes.



And your letters keep rolling in...

This story has really taken me aback. My eyes teared up after reading about Corey and Calli Vanderaa. Now here's a father who is ultimately doing his best to bring up his daughter in a loving home, albeit with the odds stacked against him. The compassion he showed in rescuing their dog Jessie is minor compared to his compassion and dedication to his daughter Calli. It's times like this that I wish I had won a "portion" of the 649 and could give to him, so that he could move into a safe and secure neighbourhood where Calli would be able to ride her bike, walk to the park, and for that matter, be outdoors without parental supervision. When I look out my kitchen window, I smile at the kids sliding down the snow hill in the park behind our home. Then I think of Calli who might never get to experience these "givens" that our kids have enjoyed. Wow, what an eye opener! I can also see that Calli is a very smart and bright young girl, who like her Dad, won't let the odds beat them down. Her poetry shows just how articulate she is! Bottom line, both Corey and Calli deserve a much-needed break!!
I would like to send a cheque to Corey so that he and his daughter can enjoy a one-on-one day, outside of their home...maybe go to an afternoon movie, do a little shopping and then dinner, to help celebrate in the Christmas season. I know the two of them would have an absolutely fabulous "Dad and Daughter Day!"
Kathy

Virtually every day is a "good morning" for myself and my family. We are so fortunate to enjoy good health, happiness, have super family and friends, and live in our home in a wonderful neighbourhood. Both my husband and I work full time in secure and steady jobs, and have the time to spend with our two teenage daughters.
What I am wondering is, has Calli’s dog been neutered or spayed? If not, I would like to pay for this surgery for Jesse. I know how expensive having a pet can be and in these difficult economic times, this is a bill that even people who have a little money stored away, wince at. Please do let me know. This is the least that I can do for this precious child and her father.
Marcie

If Corey ever needs help should his mother take ill, whether it is during the day, evening or even an overnighter, I would do it. I was a Big Sister for 13 yrs and a foster parent to several kids over the years. I'd spend time getting Corey's trust before I ever helped him out, that's a given. Jessie is welcome too as I just got a dog two months ago for my son and the pup would love the company...4 mths old now with monster paws...lol
Janice

I just read your story about Calli and her dog. I have been a rescuer of animals since I can remember. Bringing home every wayward creature that crossed my path. Today, I foster for a rescue group and have three adopted dogs of my own. I want to do something to help Calli and her family and encourage her to hold onto her kindness in the face of a not-so-kind world. Any suggestions? Thank You.
Shannon

My heart and best wishes go out to the Vanderaa family and the puppy. Can you pass something along to them for me? As long as the father has a steady income and other conditions are in place that can show there is need for decent, affordable housing, he MAY qualify for a 'hand up' from Habitat for Humanity. If he is willing to partner with Habitat, and go through the application and selection process, he MAY be eligible for an interest-free loan for a new home in a better area of town, with payment terms that align with his income level. No one should have to raise a child under those conditions but there are options for him to pursue, if he so chooses.
Janet

I read your article about Calli Vanderaa and her father in today's paper and teared up with emotion. What an extraordinary job her father must be doing to raise a daughter with such compassion amidst such conditions. I too have a daughter, actually I have 5 children, but I am writing about 1 in particular. My oldest child, Christina, is a Biology Major student at the University of Manitoba, and hopes to continue on in medical school. Christina knows that she is fortunate and it has always been important for her to give back to her community.
This brings me to my story. As I said, she is attending university and plans to for several years. As you can imagine, her room is quickly filling up with textbooks. Christina has always been somewhat of a packrat unable to part with anything. She still has a collection of Barbie furniture and an entire series of Ann Martin's Baby-Sitters Little Sister books. She has been unable to part with these as she has always taken extremely good care of her belongings and they had to go to a good home.
Although Christina always receives Christmas presents, she never really needs anything, in her words. Her one request was for clean water for a family from World Vision. I would like to give her the opportunity to help someone in her own community if possible by donating her Barbie furniture and book collection to a good home, Calli Vanderaa's home. We also have a pink and purple two-wheel bike, nothing fancy, and a GT snow racer still hanging in our garage which they are more than welcome to. I know that this would be the best Christmas present that I could give my daughter and hopefully we can help Calli believe that there are still a lot of good people in Winnipeg.
Barb


I found my 10 year old daughter (Madi) today reading the paper and crying. I asked her what was wrong and she showed me your article. Now, for Madi who is a HUGE animal lover the tears came from the abusive situation the pup was found in. She couldn't even read the whole article because it upset her too much to continue to even understand the depth of Calli's life. I read the article and had tears in my eyes. Not just because the abusive life she is surrounded by but also because there is a child who just wants extra time with her dad.
Surely there is a contact YOU MUST HAVE to Avril Lavigne to get her more than a poster. I feel compelled to send this article to Avril herself and see if anything is done about it. I realize there is a code of discretion amongst reporters and the "Stars" but I also know there is always an in as my husband was a Professional Hockey Player for 16 years in Europe. I'm sure Avril too would feel compelled to do something for this young child at Christmas.
It's worth a try seeing it is Christmas and the Spirit of giving is the air full force this time of year.
Sincerely,
Charlene
a Mother who hates to see Christmas Wishes unmet.

After reading Calli Vanderaa's story in your column today FFFAS thought that a young girl who has witnessed so much tragedy in her young life definitely deserves to be rewarded and recognized for her humanity and compassion.
The Board of Directors from FFFAS would like to provide Calli with a gift of $100 to spend as she wishes and also present the Vanderaa family with a "Little Critters" gift basket for Jessie. Her father Corey should be commended for all that he has taught her.
Donna
Friends Fundraising for Animal Shelters

I realize your column today on Corey, Calli and Jessie wasn’t a call for financial help but perhaps a look at how little one may have in a not so great neighborhood and still be able to show compassion and love for our less fortunate companion animals. As rescuers of cats and dogs in Winnipegosis we have come to know the unconditional love these felines and canines give. Calli and Corey have made their lives better by rescuing and caring for Jessie. We would be willing to pay for spaying and shots at a veterinary clinic for her if it has not already been done. Please relay this message to them and thank them for a job well done. Thanks.
Garry and Diane


Calli reminds me of my daughter, Ali; who is similarly kind and caring and who has a huge soft spot for animals. Children certainly have a way of reminding us adults about what is really important in life; spending time with the people (and animals) we love.
My family and I would like to do something for Calli; we would like to get her something for under her tree (perhaps an Avril Lavigne poster?), and we would also like to contribute some food for Jessie (or cash for food, whatever is most convenient for Calli and her father.) Thank you.
Regards,
Deri


I have two little girls of my own aged 7 and 9 and I am always trying to think of ways that I can teach them lessons in life. Our family would like to offer a Christmas hamper that we will fill with gifts and food for both Calli and Jessie. I know all about Avril Lavigne as my 7 and 9 year old are fans as well.
My husband and I are both phys ed teachers in the south end. The happiness and safety of our children both at home and at our work are priority no.1. Not only would we very much love to help Calli have a great Christmas but would also like to help in any future crisis that they may have.
If you could inform Corey that if there is ever anything I could help with in terms of babysitting or merely picking up Calli after school now and again because he is busy working or his mom is too ill or unavailable to make it, I would be more than willing to help out with that. Calli would probably enjoy playing with my two daughters. We also have two dogs ourselves and Jessie is more than welcome to come to our house. We could also take the place of a kennel if ever they go away for a week or two and cannot take Jessie with them.
Monique


I find this article so very sad as I am a dog lover. I have 3 dogs and 1 cat of my own and cant believe people could do this to animals. The reason I am writing to you I was so moved by your letter about Cali and her xmas list. We would like to get a xmas gift certificate for her so her and her Dad Corey can go shopping to spoil her a little for Santa. My husband is also a truck driver and it breaks our hearts to hear about this father and his little girl. No child should go through Xmas without gifts. I would very much like to do this for this little girl. Sincerely yours
Lori
I was incredibly touched by the humane values that this girl's father has instilled in his daughter. I found it very uplifting to know that there are still amazing people in this world.
It being the holiday season, I know how tight budgets can be for many families. Growing up as a child, many years our family would turn to the wonderful people at the Christmas Cheer Board to be able to have presents under the tree on Christmas morning. At the time I did not realize that we were poor, I did not know that the presents came from the kindness of strangers. I was just a kid and I was happy to open a present.
As the years went by and my parents were able to improve our financial situation and we no longer need the Christmas Cheer Board for support. One of my favorite traditions that my parents started was making sure that not only the kids had presents on Christmas morning, but so did our pets. They'd take us out shopping and allow us to pick something out that we wanted to give to our pets. A nice toy to play with, or some special treats. They taught us that Christmas was about giving to others, not about receiving.
I wanted to make sure that Calli had a gift that she could give to Jessie for the holidays. On the way home from work today I'll be stopping by Petland to pick out a nice dog toy for Jessie.
Sincerely,
Lorne


I'm normally a guy who keeps his emotions in check, but i found myself tearing up when i read your article. As a dog lover myself, i appreciate calli's and her fathers efforts to rescue their dog. My fiance and i don't have children and are in a stable home environment with a dog i rescued 10 years ago. i told my fiance julie when she got home, that i'd like to give calli and her father presents for christmas, instead of me. I'd also like to talk to her father about the idea of getting a job where i work here in winnipeg. His drivers licence and obvious work ethic would bring him a good wage, and would let him be home every night with his daughter. can you relay this message to him?
chris


Wow, what a meaningful Xmas story this is about Calli and her dad. Calli and her Dad, I suppose, to themselves, are a very ordinary family, doing all the day to day things they need and want to do to make their lives complete...but Calli and her Dad are not an ordinary family at all...they are extraordinary. Calli has faced challenges that many of us will never know about, never see and never understand. Her dad works hard for all the right reasons and spends precious time with his little girl. They rescued a dog from disgusting circumstances ( that no little girl should see) and made him an important part of their family.
Life is good!!!!!!!!....when you read these things.
I would like to share with Calli, what I have, by giving her an Xmas gift (or
2). Could you please let me know how to get something to her.
Sincerely,
Sherry


I read your article regarding Calli and her father and I am writing you to ask if you could assist me in providing this child with a Christmas gift. I am so impressed with the actions taken by this little girl and her dad in rescuing the puppy, Jessie, and actually providing her with a home, love and medical attention. Many others with more would have taken the puppy to the Humane Society or a Rescue but these kind people took her in and loved her proving they are in possession of very big hearts.
I realize Calli asked for more time with her daddy for Christmas which, of course, I can not provide, but I would like to give her a Christmas gift. I would like to donate $50.00 toward a gift for this little girl and I would appreciate it if you could assist me in doing this. If you could reply back to me and let me know if you remember something that was on her list or perhaps something she needs or even let me know if I could drop off a gift card at your office; anything would help me. Thank you.
Marge


By the time I finished reading your story about Calli I was crying. Not only because of amid hardships and hard knocks of life a little girl can still blossom and grow and learn compassion, but because it occurred to me I know some of these people, yet I really I don't know them at all. Let me explain. Betty and I worked together in a jewellery store located at St.Vital Mall for a number of years. In fact my husband sold her the condo she lives in and we became sort of friends. We went our separate ways but connected periodically and caught up with what happened since the last time we spoke. Over the years she spoke about all the difficulties Cory went through, and there were many, and that life was just not giving him a break and how that saddens her. She told me Cory moved to the North End with Calli but never once said how tough the neighbourhood was. She matter-of-factly related going to Cory's house every day so Calli can go to school near her home.
She was the one constant positive force in Cory's and Calli's life when so many other negative factors influenced their lives. And like I said there were many. Over the years she just related what is going on with her family, how hard Cory is working and how she is hoping all the negative events stop happening to him. Calli came with her a few times and she is indeed a bright and lovely young girl. Never once I felt she was feeling sorry for herself or wanted me to feel sorry for her, only that she is trying to help her family because that is the way it should be.
This is one deserving family who truly and finally needs a little break. I, for one would want to contribute something financially and am sure there are others who feel the same way. Thank you,
Annamaria


I wish that half the people in this town could have a sliver of the size of Calli's heart. Then, perhaps, we wouldn't have to read about animals or people for that matter being neglected and mistreated.
Kudos to her father for being the best dad he can be and raising such a wonderful little girl. May we all learn a lesson from Calli and her father.
May the Christmas Spirit shine bright for all to see.
Jennifer

Girl rescues tortured puppy from inner city war zone

Calli Vanderaa with Jessie, the puppy she rescued from the dumpster pictured. Photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press and Boris Minkevich.

By the time Calli Vanderaa discovered the seven-week-old puppies in the garbage dumpster stationed behind her house, the fourth grader had spent two years soaking up ample evidence of society’s dark underbelly. She’d already seen more than most people witness in a lifetime.
The little girl was tossing away grass clippings with her dad last summer when they turned to walk away. She stopped in her tracks, ears instinctively tuned to the pleading cries coming from the big brown bin. The sounds were faint but unmistakably alive.
“I asked him, ‘Did you hear that?’”
“No,” he said.
“Well, come here.”
Her father Corey found a stool to boost himself up into the tall steel structure. Thankfully Calli stayed behind.
“He said I didn’t want to see what was inside there,” she told me.
The incident of cruelty made an impression on Calli. Last month, she wrote a letter to her local newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press, detailing what had happened. A poem she had composed was also enclosed.

Dear Sir
My name is Calli Vanderaa.
I’m 9 years old and I live with my daddy.
One day we found a little puppy in the BFI bin in our lane. Somebody had put 3 puppies in there and set them on fire.
Two of the puppies died but daddy and I saved one that was sitting in the corner crying.
We took her home and named her Jessie. She is happy and growing bigger every day.

Besides loving animals, I have a couple of things in common with Calli.
I spent my childhood living in and around Winnipeg, Manitoba, a Canadian prairie city known for its bitterly cold winters and warm, friendly people.
And for three years, I worked at the Free Press, the newspaper Calli addressed her letter to. It’s where I held my first full-time reporting job after graduating from journalism school. It was a former Free Press colleague and writer friend who was kind enough to share Calli’s story with me.
But the similarities between my life and Calli’s seemed to end with the geography we shared as children.
A child of economic privilege, I grew up in nice homes nestled in safe neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, Calli lives in Ground Zero of Winnipeg’s war zone, the most squalid section of the notorious North End. It’s the kind of place that people drive through and automatically reach over to lock their car doors. Solvent abuse, alcoholism, drug dealing and gang violence run rampant, ruling the streets. Poverty is a given.
A series of setbacks caused Calli’s 34-year-old single father Corey to move from a respectable suburban neighbourhood to the more affordable but dangerous inner city. It all began with Calli's mother moving to the United States and leaving her 18-month-old daughter behind. Even in the North End, Corey struggles to meet financial obligations. He’s employed as a long-haul truck driver and clears snow part time to pay the bills. He agonizes about not spending enough time with his daughter.
Circumstances would be even tougher if it weren’t for Corey’s mother, Betty. The 76-year-old drives over from sleepy St. Vital six days a week to watch over her granddaughter while her son works.
Animals aren’t the only victims of the grinding despair in Calli’s neighbourhood. Last year, six of the city's drug- or gang-related slayings happened within a two-street radius of her house. Once, a dead body turned up in her backyard. A crack house a couple of doors down used to blight the street -- until it was firebombed.
Calli has been victimized, too. Now attending Grade 4, she had to change schools when she first moved to the area as a Grade 2 student. The skinny, pretty and perky Caucasian girl stuck out as a moving target, and got into three fights in short order. One was sparked by a boy in Grade 5 calling her a “f------ white bitch.”
A few months ago, a 13-year-old boy with a pellet gun shot Calli in the left shoulder blade as she walked home from school.
“Now I take Judo. It’s for my own protection,” she said.
Despite what she's survived, it isn’t Calli’s personal plight that upsets her. She remains deeply troubled by what happened to the puppies in the garbage bin that day. Her face clouded over when we spoke about it.
“I just can’t believe someone could do something like that,” Calli said. “She had green gum up her bum. My dad had to take it out.”
The shy puppy was frightened at first, but quickly realized that she was in gentle, safe company at the Vanderaa household.
“She was really scared, but within an hour she was calmer,” Calli said. Initially she believed the soot-coated pup hiding under the coffee table had black fur until a bath in the kitchen sink revealed her true color.
“She turned golden brown. It was magic.”
Jessie quickly became part of the family.
“She gets so excited when my dad comes home that she pees in the house,” Calli said.
I asked her what she would tell the person who did this to Jessie and her littermates if she had the chance.
“I really don’t know,” she started. Then, after a pause, she finished her thought with resolve: “I would actually have nothing to say to them at all.”
Calli’s Christmas list for this year had four things on it, topped by an Avril Lavigne poster. But in the face of the family’s financial strain, Calli changed her mind about her list and took it down last week. With her father on the road six days a week, and Sundays being their only full day together, there's one gift that matters most to her.
“I don’t want anything for Christmas. I only want to spend time with my daddy. He’s a good daddy because I’m not spoiled.”
She’s also thinking about her pup Jessie, and what she needs for Christmas. The five-month-old dog can go into heat any day now, and Calli is wise enough to understand the importance of stopping the endless cycle of overpopulation. Wiser than many adults I encounter, in fact. But the procedure costs $140. It’s money the family doesn’t have.
When readers of Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gordon Sinclair Jr. saw Calli’s story in the December 13th edition of the paper, they spontaneously stepped up to help.
People wrote that they planned to buy gifts for this family instead of themselves. They pledged cash and gift certificates. Dog food and toys. Relief babysitting for Grandma Betty that included Jessie in the deal. Even Habitat for Humanity emailed to say they could potentially help Corey purchase a house with affordable payments in a safer neighbourhood. One man was so touched that he offered to help Corey get a job at his workplace that might pay better and keep him closer to home and his daughter.
An award was promised for Calli, who will be nominated as a Humane Hero through the Winnipeg Humane Society.
One of the most important gifts pledged by three different people was for Jessie.
It’s the $140 the family doesn’t have to spay her.
It wasn’t as if Calli wasn’t trying to do right by her dog.
The junior animal rescuer was already saving small change in two coffee cans for the surgery. She understands that her efforts will help stop the cycle of death that her father had witnessed in the dumpster behind their house.
After meeting Calli and being impressed by what she’s already accomplished for this puppy, I had to ask: What does she want to be when she grows up?
“Being a teacher just sounds so cool,” she said, breaking into a big smile.
I was kind of hoping she’d say animal rescuer and writer.
But at least she’s already qualified for both.
And she hasn’t even turned 10.









“Here is my poem about my little friend,” Calli wrote to the Winnipeg Free Press in the letter she included along with this penciled ode to her dog, reprinted below.

My dog Jessie
I heard a little puppy crying
in a garbage bin
My daddy picked her out cause she was
scared and very thin.
we took her home and bathed her
then to our surprise she wasn’t
black but golden brown with big brown
puppy eyes. We took her to the doctor
and he said she’s doing fine
how can people be so cruel
Why can’t they just be kind?




Calli Vanderaa (right) with friend Sabannah Cadotte, and Jessie, the puppy she rescued. Photograph courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press and Boris Minkevich.
If you have questions about Calli and Jessie or feel driven to help, email me at carreen@fuzzytown.com