It's not a specific interest in agricultural or animals that drew Samuel Kelly '26 to Philly Goat Project (PGP) for his Junior Project. What he wanted was an experience that would let him spend plenty of time in nature doing hands-on work, and not in an office or sitting at a desk. 

“I chose this as my Junior Project because I wanted to do something outside, and thought working with the goats would be fun,” he said.  

Kelly lives in West Mt. Airy, not far from The Farm at Awbury (part of Awbury Arboretum) where Philly Goat Project is located, but he hadn't previously been to their headquarters. He became familiar with PGP after seeing their goats at an off-site event, and decided to spend his January interning with them.

Philly Goat Project is mission-driven animal therapy project, which offers free and accessible experiences with goats in the city of Philadelphia. Their staff and volunteers take care of the herd of 13 goats, mainly nubians and Nigerian dwarfs. Many of the goats are named after Philadelphians of note, like Ray (after Raymond Pace Alexander, the first Black judge appointed to the Court of Commons Pleas), Teddy (named after Teddy Pendergrass), and Violet (named after Violet Oakley, a Germantown resident, Quaker, and the first American woman to be commissioned to paint a public mural).

Kelly's regular daily schedule consisted of a morning shift from 8-11 a.m., and an afternoon shift ending at 5 p.m. In the morning, the goats are fed, given medications, brushed, and the barn is cleaned, and then the whole herd is taken on a walk around the arboretum; the goats are led by halters by staff and volunteers. No matter the weather (which included some very cold, snowy days in January), the goats are given this daily exercise. 

After the walk, the staff and volunteers spend time with the goats in their pens. At the end of the day, the goats are fed again and returned to the barn. One afternoon, Kelly's mom, Hedie Kelly, popped in to visit, along with his brother Abraham Kelly ’29 and two other eighth grade GFSers. 

Another important volunteer job is trick training with the goats.

“I’ve learned a lot so far about teaching the goats tricks,” Kelly said. "They have their different personalities and preferences, and some are more stubborn and others are more cooperative."

Trick training is a focus because the Philly Goat Project is a community-facing organization. Kelly Corrigan, LSW, Director of Therapy and Wellness at PGP, noted that familiar tricks, like “touch,” “shake,” “up,” and “circle” can create a bridge of familiarity for people who haven’t interacted with goats before. 

“People realize that these are animals who can listen and interact with you, and that can help people be less nervous and more comfortable," she said. "Also, because these are therapy goats, and many people who come here have mobility issues, some of the tricks and commands can help us and the goats work together to position themselves around peoples’ mobility devices. They can walk around to get to a place where the person can more easily interact with them.” 

Corrigan said it was great to have Samuel on-site each day; many of their volunteers come only sporadically, so it's uniquely helpful for a volunteer to show up every day and become a knowledgeable member of the team. 

While Kelly said he wasn't sure if a career working with animals is for him, he had a great experience at Philly Goat Project, and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to spend time outside, getting to know his new goat friends.