All You Need Is Love. Love Is All You Need.


Story and photography by Anna Cooke


There’s a little-known law, passed by the Florida State Legislature 15 years ago, that requires public schools to create a kind- ness-to-animals course. The courses are to be based on rules and regulations set by the state’s commissioner of education, the State Board of Education and the local school board. When Bruce Fishalow, executive


director of the Humane Society of Marion County, discovered the Florida Humane Education Statute (233.061) he saw an opportunity. “As a Humane Society, I felt we weren’t making enough of a positive impact on kids that we’ve wanted to make. We just hadn’t hit our sweet spot,” Bruce told us during our recent visit to the shelter. Bruce recalled purchasing an older


model church van from a local church for the shelter, confident it would be put to good use. Just how, he wasn’t certain, at the time. For Roseann Morton, the shelter’s board president for the past seven years, education has always been important. Between Bruce and Roseann, a


meeting of the minds took hold. The idea of a bus visiting the schools with the purpose of teaching children about the humane treatment of animals – from pets to wildlife – developed. Now called the Magic Bark Bus, its bright yellow exterior design was inspired by the Beatles’ song, Yellow Submarine. Local artist Maggie Weakley painted the whimsical sea life illustrations around the bus, and added faces of dogs and cats in the painted submarine portals “Our mission is painted right on


Top photo: A student meets Mikey, the Magic Bark Bus mascot. Wyomina Elementary School students entering the Magic Bark Bus.


36 THE NEW BARKER


the outside of the bus – Humane Education: Teach Today, Practice Tomorrow,” said Bruce.


www.TheNewBarker.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104