There is Something Quite Special About Cedar Creek People

From The Aiken Standard

Submitted article

From FOTAS' beginning, residents of Cedar Creek were ready to dig in and help at the County Shelter. They became the heart of our adoption and transfer programs; so, in spite of increased intake, we reduced the euthanasia rate significantly.

Three Cedar Creek women put a sellout FOTAS golf tournament on the map. Two Cedar Creek clubs joined forces and held a "For the Birds" fundraiser with handcrafted birdhouses. At this event we met a construction engineer who volunteered to assist FOTAS with the county's New Shelter Building Program. 

Now it is all about Sandra and her "milestone-birthday-give-back."

Anyone retired hopes to achieve this milestone birthday, and as Sandra looked forward to hers, she decided to celebrate it in a way that would acknowledge two big loves: her friends and the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

Sandra is an animal lover, so it was easy to try out volunteering a couple of mornings a week with a friend at the County Shelter in April 2010. Then both women were derailed by health issues. 

Only Sandra was able to return to the shelter. Unable to drive, she hitched a ride with Caroline and Denise. Now she, too, works with the dogs at the shelter four out of six days it is open, making them adoptable and giving them every chance to find a good home.

"Love blossomed," Sandra said. "But exposed to so much need, I thought, what can I do?" She comes back to the present to answer her own question, "Anything. Everything."

Sandra is a planner. She worked on her party months in advance. The invitations included a FOTAS donation envelope. Her husband Dick's gift was to help her with the party plans, and to match every dollar that her friends contributed.

Thirty-three people were there to hear Sandra say: "I want to thank all my friends for being here with me on my birthday. Each of you is special to me in your own way. Also, thank you for appreciating my love and passion for helping animals, especially those in such desperate need ..."

Sandra, her husband and friends raised more than $1,200 for our community shelter.

There are many things that money can help with. We need cage banks to help keep healthy cats healthy long enough to get adopted, kennel decks for the overflow pens to get dogs who are waiting their chance off the wet concrete, puppy and kitten food, durable dog, cat and kitten toys, medical funds for dogs and cats in foster care and our own refitted transport trailer to ship dogs to our rescue partners. More than anything we need a new shelter.

There is something special about the people of Cedar Creek. There will be something incredible about Aiken County when we do our part to make our new shelter a reality.

What can you do? Something. Anything.

FOTAS volunteers work with the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 411 Wire Road. For more information, email info@fotasaiken.org or visit www.fotasaiken.org.