CT’s ‘Kid Governor’ Visits Animal Shelter In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — Connecticut’s 2022 Kid Governor, Makhi Ettienne-Modeste, visited the Where the Love Is animal shelter in Hamden this past weekend to see first-hand how abandoned and abused dogs are rescued and prepared for new homes by area volunteers.

Makhi, a sixth grader at John F. Kennedy School in Windsor, toured the kennel facilities with 11-year-old shelter volunteer Valentina Quijano, a North Haven Middle School sixth grader who volunteers at the shelter, according to a news release.

Makhi has been Kid Governor since January, promoting his platform “Protecting Our Pets” by video conferencing with students and blogging on the state’s website here. He is the first male and person of color to be elected Connecticut Kid Governor since the Connecticut Democracy Center started the Kid Governor program in 2016, according to the news release.

Brian Cofrancesco, director of the Kid Governor Program for the Connecticut Democracy Center, said its goal since 2015 has been to give students a voice to be heard, as well as teach them about government and civics.

Makhi, who was elected by fifth graders across Connecticut on Nov. 4, 2021, is serving a one-year term alongside his six student cabinet members.

“As part of his platform, Makhi has partnered with the Department of Agriculture for a live educational program conducted virtually for Connecticut fifth-graders on how to recognize signs of animal abuse,” the news release states. “He also worked with the Department of Children and Families to hold a statewide poster contest.”