Some feathered as well as four-legged creatures kept busy Sunday afternoon lending their support as part of PAWWS to Heal.

PAWWS stands for Passionate Animals Working With Survivors.

Abuse survivor Toni Schriver founded the non-profit organization, which provides animal-assisted therapy for young people.

Sunday, PAWWS companions Roxy the dog, Phoenix the parrot and two kittens, Ziggy and Marley, turned out at the Warner Park recreation center to meet with local families. Kids could get a picture taken with Phoenix, get their faces painted, create a pretzel wreath and take home a gift. PAWWS enlisted the help of a number of local businesses for a month-long toy drive.
"Since we're always asking ... donating, donating, donating ... we wanted to give back to the community," Schriver says.
"It seems like everyone really enjoyed it. There's games, food, get to play with the animals and learn what the animals are for," Norah Boynton with the Family Support and Resource Center says.
PAWWS invited a number of different organizations to the event to teach families about the role of animals in therapy. You can learn more about the organization by logging onto its website www.pawwstoheal.org.