My daughter and her best friend are always looking for new ways to help our local animal shelter, Save-A-Pet. Lemonade stands, saving change, donating food, blankets, towels, etc., you name it. This year my daughter even told me to take half the money that we were going to spend on Christmas gifts for her, and use it to help the animals that need it the most. In the weeks after super storm Sandy, we delivered much needed dog and cat food to Happy Hounds Dog training, and Fetch Doggy Boutique to be distributed to those in need along the South Shore and in Staten Island.
My daughter and her friend also play basketball in the Three Village league, and are on the team that I coach...yes, I hand picked them. So last week as we sat in Bagel Express eating a post-practice breakfast, the girls thought of another way to help Save-A-Pet. They suggested that our basketball team donate $1.00 for each basket it scores during the season. I liked the idea because not only would it make the girls on the team feel good about helping the animals, but it would also motivate them to shoot to make more baskets. I then pitched the idea to our team, The Wildcats, and the team families all agreed to each sponsor a game throughout the season.
I then spoke to my friend, Lynne Schoepfer, the Executive Director of Save-A-Pet, who loved the idea, and hoped that it would catch on. She also explained that the storm had placed an extra burden upon the shelter as many affected families looked to them for food for their pets. They also took in quite a few animals from families that lost their homes, and rescued several kittens that were found in a storm drain.
So let's see if we can spread the word and have other teams in our community infuse some "feel good" motivation into our youth sports while helping to develop a desire to help others.
For more ways to help Save-A-Pet, to see animals available for adoption, or to learn about upcoming fundraising events you can visit www.saveapetli.net.
Go Wildcats !
Mark T. Freeley, Esq. - www.NorthShoreInjuryLawyer.com
