Hey everyone, I just want to give a shout out to four 285 restaurants and their owners who came through big for me and the rescue I foster with, Hope For Animals. Our rescue takes in the hard cases, the sick and broken dogs that have little to no chance of getting out of the shelters alive. We rehabilitate them, socialize them, spay/neuter them, vaccinate them, microchip them, vet their potential adopters, do home visits, and finally place them in their new forever homes. It is a VERY expensive venture and the adoption fees we charge don't come close to covering it, so we rely heavily on grants and private and business donors. We've had an incredibly difficult year this year, multiple pups we brought in did not make it despite our best efforts, and the amazing efforts of the veterinarians we work with. Parvo, heart disease, cancer, just cases of severe neglect...and this was all by midsummer. Our coffers have been so drained the last few months that we have not been able to bring in any new pups, just focus on the fosters currently in our care.
Enter some 285 heroes! We had a huge event this past Sunday at the Stand Up For Pits comedy show in Englewood. We were chosen as one of the lucky, local rescues to benefit from the fundraising and awareness campaign that this great organization, the Stand Up For Pits Foundation, engages in as they travel the country. As part of this effort, they held a silent auction before and during the event, and it was up to us to find bid-worthy auction goodies. So, I hit up some local businesses soliciting donations, and the following four restaurants came through huge:
Zoka's Restaurant and Bar in Pine Grove (
www.zokas.com/
)
Brooks Place Tavern in Aspen Park (
www.brooksplacetavern.com/
)
Crossroads Pub & Grill in Pine Junction (
www.crossroadspubgrill.com/
)
JJ Madwells in Aspen Park (
www.jjmadwells.net/
)
The event was an unmitigated success! Every single item we displayed was bid upon, and we raised enough money to get back in the black and continue doing the work we are so passionate about. While it was a comedy show, I found myself in tears much of the time as I thought of all the pups we'll be able to save moving forward. Tears of gratitude.
THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! From the bottom of our hearts, from me personally, and especially from all of our four-legged furry friends! For everyone reading this, if you are a dog lover, please support these businesses and let them know why. This kind of selfless generosity is part of what makes our community great, and they deserve to be recognized for it.
Hope For Animals (
www.hfaccr.org
)
Stand Up For Pits Foundation (
standupforpits.us/
)
