Unique New Documentary Tells The Story of One of Our Kids

Screening of Award-Winning Film at Villanova Friday

Unique film documents groundbreaking work being done by Hand2Paw connecting homeless youth with homeless pets.

On Friday March 28^th at 7 pm in the Driscoll Hall Auditorium at Villanova University, there will be special screening of Villanova Social Justice Documentary, Heel’d.

The evening will feature guest speaker Hugh Organ from Covenant House Pennsylvania, a nationally respected expert on issues faced by homeless youth. 

“People think that because I work with homeless youth that I work with bad kids every day,” said Organ.  “That’s not the reality.  I work with a lot of really good kids, kids who have been traumatized, put down, and cast aside.  This documentary shines a light on one of our great kids, Jerome, and how Hand2Paw and the Pennsylvania SPCA reached out and made an incredible difference in his life.” 

“Youth homelessness and animal homelessness are both huge problems in this country,” said Penny Ellison, Executive Director of Hand2Paw.  “But they both tend to be invisible problems.  What Hand2Paw is trying to do is bring both of those problems out into the light, make people notice that there are millions of homeless animals and millions of homeless young people.”

The film focuses on the experience of Jerome, a formerly homeless teenager living at Covenant House, who began volunteering at Hand2Paw and then landed a job at the Pennsylvania SPCA.  It documents in a powerful way the change that occurs in Jerome’s life from bonding with the animals at the shelter.

Heel’d was created by students at Villanova who each year produce a documentary about a social justice issue highlighting an organization making positive changes in society.  Past films produced by Villanova students have won national and international film festival awards and have been featured in The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the CBS Morning Show, and the ABC and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia.

The screening is open to the media and the public.  For more information, contact Penny Ellison, penny@hand2paw.org.