🐾 Student-Led · Brooklyn, NY

Helping Animals
Find Their
People

RTL wants to help support local organizations that rescue and rehabilitate all kinds of animals — one event, one dollar, one life at a time.

Support Our Cause 🐾 Our Events

🐶🦊 🐇🐻 🐱🐼

🎉🎈🎊

We raised $5,000+
for the animals!

Thanks to bake sales, bracelet drives, crochet critters, and so much love from our community — we hit a major milestone. Every single dollar went straight to animal rescue. 🐾💚

$5.0K+ Total Raised

100% Student Led

💚 Partner Orgs

Help Us Raise More!

Our Mission

Supporting local organizations
that rescue & rehabilitate
all kinds of animals

RTL wants to help support local organizations that rescue and rehabilitate all kinds of animals. We raise awareness, fundraise, and show up — because every animal deserves a second chance.

Learn More About Us

Coming Up

Our Next Events

🐾 Animal Event

Build A Basket

Build a thoughtful basket with food and supplies to support homeless dogs and cats.

📍 JMHS Cafeteria After 10th

⏳ May 19th

🎨 Create baskets for homeless pets conservation

📸 @respect.the.locals.rtl

Support Us 🐾

🐢 FUNDRAISER

Flutter For A Fund

Support butterfly habitat rehabilitation by purchasing butterfly keychains, LEGO flowers, and fruit snacks at Flutter for a Fund on May 21–22 during lobby periods 5–10.

📍 JMHS Lobby Period 5-10

⏳ May 21-22

🎨 Fundraising for butterfly conservation

📸 @respect.the.locals.rtl

Support Us 🐾

Who We Are

Students Making a
Real Difference

Respect The Locals is a 100% student-led organization born in Brooklyn, NY — raising money, awareness, and community love for the animals who need it most.

$5.0K+Raised for animals

4+Partner orgs

100%Student run

What We Do

Three Ways We
Show Up for Animals

💰

Fundraise

Bake sales, bracelet drives, crochet critters, GoFundMe — we use every creative avenue to raise real money for real animals. Every dollar we raise goes directly to the organizations doing the work on the ground.

📣

Raise Awareness

We talk about adoption, fostering, animal welfare, and the organizations making a difference in our community. Awareness is free, and sometimes it’s the most powerful thing we can give.

🤝

Community Partnership

We don’t just donate and disappear — we build real relationships with local rescue orgs so our support is consistent, targeted, and as impactful as possible.

Who We Support

The Organizations
on the Front Lines

RTL raises money for these organizations — they’re the ones doing the daily work of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals across Brooklyn and beyond.

Help Us Support Them 🐾

🐾

Animal Care Centers of NYC

NYC’s largest open-admission animal shelter network — taking in every animal regardless of condition or species.

🐕

Animal Haven

A no-kill shelter in Manhattan rehabilitating and rehoming dogs and cats, with a focus on the hard-to-place ones.

🏠

AMA Animal Shelter

A Brooklyn-based shelter that needed urgent help to keep their doors open — and RTL showed up with bake sales and heart.

🐾

Sean Casey Animal Rescue

A Brooklyn-based rescue dedicated to saving animals from euthanasia and finding them loving homes — one of NYC's most beloved community shelters.

The Person Behind It All

Our Founder

Founder & President

Abigayle DePalo

My name is Abigayle DePalo, and I founded RTL as a sophomore in high school. Since then, it has grown into something far greater than I ever imagined. I’ve always had a deep love for animals — something that comes naturally from my upbringing. My mother shares that same passion, and growing up, we fostered animals, pet-sat, and welcomed many different pets into our home. Animal care was woven into my childhood.

The idea for RTL came from a moment that deeply impacted me during a visit to a zoo in Pennsylvania. I noticed animals displaying clear signs of distress and abnormal behavior, and it was heartbreaking to witness. That experience opened my eyes to the reality that not all animals are treated with the care they deserve — and it made me want to do something real about it.

I started this organization because I wanted to make a difference. Seeing the impact we’ve already made has only motivated me to keep going — and I’m excited to continue growing and helping even more animals in the future.

What We're Up To

Our Fundraisers

Each fundraiser we host is rooted in compassion, bringing our community together to support animals in need. Through creative events and shared experiences, we aim to spread awareness, inspire kindness, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of the animals we care about.

Jan 14th & 15th, 2026

Frosty Tales ❄️

We turned cold days into something meaningful for Animal Haven. Selling crochet animals, bracelets, and adoptable snow bunnies. To bring a bit of winter wonderland to James Madison while also raising money for a good cause. Also, a shoutout to the James Madison Crochet Club for making our quickest-selling items yet!

Raised $500 Open ↗

Sep 27th, 2025 • Oct 18th, 2025

AMA Animal Shelter 🍪

When AMA Animal Shelter needed help fast, we didn’t hesitate. Through multiple bake sales, we didn’t just sell cookies but also raised as much as we could to support their fight to stay open. Even though we didn’t hit the full goal, we played a real role in keeping their mission alive.

Raised $3,000 Open ↗

May 14th, 2025

Duck for Donations 🦆

Our mini duck fundraiser raised nearly $500 for Animal Care Centers of NYC, helping animals find homes while people adopted and named their own miniature ducks. It was the beginning of RTL, and our ducks still linger throughout James Madison High School

Raised $500 Open ↗

Community Drives

Our Drives

Beyond fundraising events, we run community drives to collect supplies, raise awareness, and bring people together for animals in need. Every drive is a chance to show up, give back, and make a tangible difference in the lives of the animals we care about.

NOV 26, 2025

Food Treats And Toys 📦

A food, treats, and toys drive where we collected and donated essential supplies to shelters and rescues, helping provide animals with the care, comfort, and nourishment they need..

4 Organizations Reached Open ↗

MAR 25, 2025

T-Shirts Into Toys 🧸

We transform old T-shirts into handmade toys for sheltered animals, giving new life to clothing that would otherwise end up in landfills. These toys provide comfort and enrichment for homeless dogs and cats, turning something simple into something meaningful.

1 Shelter Reached Open ↗

Animals First

Animal-Based Events

These are events where the animals take center stage. From meet-and-greets with rescue animals to hands-on experiences that connect our community directly with the creatures we care about — every event is a chance to fall in love with an animal who needs a home.

MAR 24, 2026

Fuzzy Friends 🧸

Our Fuzzy Friends workshop brought students together for a creative and playful experience, making Beanie Boo–inspired crafts out of pipe cleaners and turning simple materials into adorable creations.

25+ People Reached Open ↗

DEC 29th, 2025

Duck Bedazzling 🦆

A duck bedazzling event where we gave back to those who made generous donations, while also providing students with a fun opportunity to express their creativity in school.

40+ People Reached Open ↗

Make a Difference

Every dollar goes straight to the animals

We're Brooklyn high schoolers who show up — bake sales, bracelets, craft fairs. $5,000+ raised so far. Help us keep going.

Donate on GoFundMe 🐾

Safe & secure — takes 30 seconds

$5,000+ raised for animals

100% student-led · Brooklyn, NY

☕$5 feeds a rescue animal

🩺$20 funds a vet check-up

🏠$50 supports a week of shelter care

🐾Any amount makes a real difference

Where It Goes

Your money goes directly to animals in need

🏥

Medical Care

Rescued animals often arrive injured or sick. Donations fund vet treatment and rehabilitation so they can heal and find homes.

🍽️

Food & Shelter

Local rescue orgs need ongoing support to keep their sanctuaries running and their animals fed, safe, and cared for every day.

🏡

Forever Homes

Funds help rescue orgs connect animals with loving families through adoption outreach, fostering programs, and events like ours.

Helping AnimalsFind TheirPeople

We raised $5,000+for the animals!

Supporting local organizationsthat rescue & rehabilitateall kinds of animals