BRIDGEWATER — Last March, Kayla Heluk had a grand Sweet 16 birthday party. It was held at the upscale L’Affaire Ballroom in Mountainside. She was clad in an elegant white gown. The theme was Broadway and musicals. She had the time of her young life.

But instead of being showered with a pile of presents, Kayla asked her family and friends to make donations to the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter in Bridgewater and the Plainfield Area Humane Society. She asked for donations of cash, food or toys for cats and dogs.

“She loved it,” said Karen Heluk, Kayla’s mother. “It was all her idea. She wanted a big party but she didn’t want any gifts for herself. She has always been into helping people and helping animals. I wasn’t surprised. She’s such a good kid.”

Kayla, a sophomore at Dunellen High, received $1,300 in cash and gift cards and “tons of pet food and toys.” She split the donations between the two facilities. She made a similar donation to the Plainfield Area Humane Society on her ninth birthday on a smaller scale.

“I really love animals and I had no reason to ask for gifts or anything for myself,” Kayla said. “I figured the shelters needed it more than I did. It’s one of those animal things, I guess. I just feel like I connect with them more and I needed to give back to them.”

Kayla, who grew up in a house full of pets, didn’t stop there. She had been volunteering at the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter for several months and shortly after making her donation, she decided to adopt a black senior cat. She named him, Biffy.

The adoption was one of 710 at the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter in 2014, which nearly tripled the 254 adoptions in 2013, when the shelter was in danger of closing. The shelter saw its biggest spike in adoptions in December, when 112 cats, dogs, and small animals found new homes, compared to just 34 in December, 2013.

Currently, the shelter, which is located on 100 Commons Way, has 15 dogs and 50 cats available for adoption. It is open seven days a week, Sunday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for pet adoptions.

“We are so grateful to the community for opening up their hearts and homes to pets in need,” said the shelter’s manager, Brian Bradshaw. “Our success in saving so many animals is due to public support, volunteer participation, and the dedication of our staff. We value our ties to the community. We are very excited about our surge in adoptions, but the shelter still faces challenges in 2015.”

Shelter officials attribute the surge in adoptions to increased exposure through social media. The shelter has 3,600 followers on Facebook, and has expanded community outreach efforts, extended adoption hours, and expanded shelter enrichment programs for pets in the kennel and cattery.

After facing a severe financial crisis in 2013 when Somerville discontinued its contract with the shelter and Bridgewater threatened to do the same, the shelter is now on solid footing, officials said. A new action plan convinced Bridgewater to remain and Green Brook decided to contract with the shelter, joining Manville.

“When I first walked into the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, it was just a different type of animal shelter,” said Kayla, who is one of 300 registered volunteers at the shelter. “I’ve never seen a shelter like that before. It was bright and clean and quiet and everyone was excited to see you.

“It seemed like a happy place to be. The animals were getting everything they needed. It didn’t smell like an animal shelter. It was clean like a house. It seemed like the perfect place for animals to be until the found a new home. So I decided to volunteer.”

Many of the volunteers are students from nearby Bridgewater-Raritan High School and Raritan Valley Community College. Students from Montgomery Academy in Bernards also volunteer, shelter officials said.

Kayla adopted Biffy, who is at least 10 years old, in early April. She also has a dog, guinea pig and hedgehog at her Dunellen home. She said her love of pets comes from her mom, Karen.

“Kayla is so poised and so wonderful,” said shelter program manager Rose Tropeano-Digilio. “She’s so kindhearted towards the animals. Her donation to the shelter says so much about her companion for animals. Even her adoption of the senior cat. Most people are looking for kittens but she took a senior cat.”

Kayla said she plans to go to college and get a degree in the veterinarian field. She said she wants to get involved involved on the technology side of the field as oppose to becoming a veterinarian.

“I actually want to do more with technology,” she said. “I want to work in the labs and take X-rays and learn everything about the different animals. I’m looking forward to it.”

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