Watch CBS News

'I Want To Make Sure They Live': 3rd Grader's Dedication To Horse Rescue Grows

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4)- Childhood education is more than just learning facts and taking tests. Many schools around Colorado have also been incorporating "kindness projects" into their curriculum.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_97
(credit: CBS)

"You have to do something kind," Payton Shaffer, a 3rd grader from Thornton, explained. "You can, like, make cookies for your neighbors or write thank you letters."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_643
CBS4's Kelly Werthmann interviews Payton Shaffer (credit: CBS)

When Payton's teacher assigned such a project, Payton knew exactly what she wanted to do.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1147
(credit: CBS)

"I love horses," she told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann. "I know how special they are to people and stuff, so we set up a stand and we made hot chocolate, and we got carrots for the horses."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_737
(credit: Payton Shaffer)

At the local stable where she takes riding lessons, Payton sold treats to raise money for horses in need.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_339
(credit: CBS)

"It was actually a huge blizzard when it happened," she said with a laugh. "When I was in my lesson, my brother stood out there for two hours."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_865
(credit: CBS)

With her brother's help, Payton raised $100 and asked her mom to help write a check to send the money to Colorado Horse Rescue in Longmont.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2176
(credit: CBS)

"I wrote a letter to tell how I made it happen," Payton explained, adding she thought the money would go towards food or supplies.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1314
(credit: CBS)

"Maybe like tools for the horses or saddles," she said.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1042
(credit: CBS)

Yet, her kindness went far beyond what she imagined.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1254
(credit: CBS)

"Days are hard here sometimes," Shawna English, CHR's Director of Development, said, "so when you get a letter like we got from Payton, it was so heartfelt."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1512
(credit: CBS)

Payton's letter and donation was an unexpected and heartwarming surprise to staff at the non-profit, especially since Payton had never been to CHR before.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2970
(credit: CBS)

"I was quickly sharing it around the office," Shawna said with a smile.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2206
(credit: CBS)

Shawna answered Payton's letter with an invite for her family to come visit the organization's property and learn about the horses they rescue.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2418
(credit: CBS)

"This is Eros," Shawna said, showing Payton, her brother and mom, around the 50-acre ranch. "He wasn't being fed enough, so he was hundreds of pounds underweight. He's gaining hundreds back now since we saved him and brought him here."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_543
(credit: CBS)

Payton had a pretty good idea her donation would help horses like Eros and the more than 50 others at CHR, but she didn't realize her gift was also life-saving.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2671
CBS4's Kelly Werthmann interviews Payton Shaffer (credit: CBS)

"Wait, I helped these two?" she asked Shawna, pointing to Eros and another horse named Scrappy.

"You did," Shawna replied smiling. "You absolutely did."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1931
(credit: CBS)

Little did Payton know that the money she raised went straight to CHR's auction fund.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1391
(credit: CBS)

"Payton's gift allows us to literally save a life," Shawna explained. "We are able to go to live stock auctions, a local livestock auction, and bid on a horse that would otherwise go to slaughter. We bid against other horse traders that are sending them to Mexico and Canada for slaughter."

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_1636
(credit: CBS)

That came as a shock to Payton; she didn't know horses were sold to meat buyers in Colorado. She said it gave her kindness project an even greater purpose.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_2598
(credit: CBS)

"I want to make sure they live," Payton said of the horses.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_127
(credit: CBS)

Donations of all sizes are critical to animal organizations like CHR, and Payton said she plans to raise money for the non-profit again soon.

KINDNESS PROJECT HORSE RESCUE_frame_3326
(credit: CBS)

"We can't exist without people like Payton," Shawna added. "People will say it's not much, but everything means something here."

To learn more about Colorado Horse Rescue and its mission, as well as how to donate or become a volunteer, visit chr.org.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.