8 Year-Old Raises $8,500 for Local Animal Shelter

When Caroline Cox, a student at Woodside Avenue School, received an assignment to "pay it forward," she completed it by including two of her interests, swimming and animals.

Cox swam 33 laps of the Olympic-sized pool at the Wyckoff Family YMCA. According to northjersey.com, after collecting from for than 50 supporters who made per-lap donations the youngster had $8,538 in hand. Cox, who has two cats, dedicated her donations to the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge.