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5th Annual Walk-A-Thon
By Shirley Brown
CATWALK 2005 WALKERS, TAKING STEPS TO END PET OVERPOPULATION
The rain came down, but that didn't stop supporters of Folsom Feline Rescue. With umbrellas in hand, 75 walkers from all age groups participated in CatWalk 2005 to raise funds for cat and dog spay/neuter services. And raise funds they did! The group collected more than $4,800 through individual pledges and from local business donations.
This year the 5K walk in old town Folsom began with ceremonial ribbon cutting. John Bennett, President of FFR, cut the ribbon that was held by several local "Miss" representatives. Miss Sacramento County, Christiana Clark; Young Miss Folsom, Kaycee Sturtis; Miss Teen Greater Sacramento, Ralena Pinkard; Miss Teen Rancho Cordova, Alicia Pierson; and Miss Rancho Cordova Princess, Wittney Pierson, all helped kick off the April 23 event.
This was the first year of the annual event that local Girl Scouts and their leaders volunteered. Folsom Girl Scout Leader Karen Morphy and her daughter, Girl Scout Leila Morphy, coordinated the Girl Scout participation in CatWalk 2005. Approximately 25 Scouts helped with the event in some capacity. Some distributed pre-event publicity; some helped with registration; and some put on their rain slickers and walked.
The Brownies, the younger Girl Scouts, got into the spirit of the event by painting their faces with kitty whiskers and kitty noses and by carrying their plush toy kitties while they strolled the walk-a-thon route!
In addition to the assistance from the Girl Scouts, Folsom High School students joined in to help. The Green Teen Club of Folsom High helped with post-event chores. Their Club President, Gabi Sybeldon, coordinated the efforts of the Green Teens.
After the walk, a celebration lunch was held for the walkers at Yager's Bar and Grill on Sutter Street. Jennifer Nitrio, CatWalk Chairperson, thanked all the walkers, sponsors, and volunteers and then presented awards to the top pledge gatherers.
The top pledge gatherers were: Laurie Rich and Larry Barrows, who brought in a combined total of $395; Shirley Brown, who brought in $360; Christy Drewry, who brought in $305; Sam Smith, who brought in $225; and Sharon Wheeler and Daphne Belshaw, who each brought in $200.
Janet Bennett, Vice President of FFR, stated that with the money collected at CatWalk 2005, the group can offer approximately 120 spay/neuter procedures to the community. By offering cat and dog spay/neuter services, Folsom Feline Rescue strives to decrease the number of animals being born, and ultimately the numbers that are euthanized due to lack of homes and lack of shelter space.
Our sincere thanks to this year's event sponsors and donors: The Folsom Telegraph; The Pet Gazette; SureWest Foundation; Zoe's Cruises & Tours; American River ACE Hardware; Phyllis Fitzgerald; Xelectrix; Mitterholzer & Associates; Bike the West; Stan and Maureen Kelly; The American Visions Art Gallery; California Musical Theatre; Noelani Day Spa; La Bella Day Spa; Mellow Me Out Day Spa and Wellness Center; Trader Joe's; Checkers Express Deli; Tahoe Joe's Famous Steak House; Lake Forest Café; Western Feed & Pet Supply; Douglas Ranch Supply; Roz Boscia, Boney Bones; Linda Garrett, Cat Trees 4 Less.