Saturday, January 15, 2011

Be the Change.

Welcome to my first Blog the Change for Animals post.

Since starting The Other Winnie Cooper in September of 2010, I have been blogging about animal issues close to my heart. I have posted about a shelter in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont that is helping to foster and care for 20+ cats that were abandoned by a hoarder. On National Pit Bull Awareness Day I blogged about Sharona, my pit bull, and all the challenges that come with the misperceptions of owning this controversial dog type (I called it Sharonapalooza, read those posts only if you want to meet the best dog ever!). For Winnie's birthday, we asked you (dear readers) to help us donate dog and cat food to our local food shelf. I have mentioned/advocated for my local animal shelter, The Humane Society of Chittenden County on many occasions (like, here, here, oh and here).

So, what oh what should I write about for the Blog the Change for Animals event?

Today would have been the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s 81st birthday. This weekend is a holiday and a three day weekend for many people in the U.S. because this great man stood for what he believed in and inspired many others to do the same. A famous quote from Martin Luther King Jr. says that, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"
Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. Visit MLKDay.gov.
The words and life of Martin Luther King Jr. resonated with me from an early age. I was born in the mid- seventies, many years after the Civil Rights era in the U.S., and I grew up in the 1980's which is not a decade known for its altruism and spirit of giving. Yet, somehow the 1950's and 1960's have always been fascinating and inspiring era to me, and Reverend King's message about doing for others is at the heart of this blog post.

One of the things I have been able to do for others (in this case, the animals, of course) is to raise money and awareness of their needs. Well, this weekend also happens to be my birthday too! For my birthday, I asked my friends and family to help me raise money for the Humane Society of Chittenden County. Honestly, I think my closest friends and family probably think, "Here she goes AGAIN with the raising money for animals!" and many haven't or won't donate because they think it's just another one of my many fund-raising ploys. It is, but it is also one of the events throughout the year that brings me great joy. I love that the day of my birth can bring food, shelter and eventually forever homes for animals that cannot live on their own, do not have a voice and need us, their human caretakers to help give them the best life possible. Ultimately the change I am blogging for today is the prevention of animal suffering (in my neck of the woods at least).

Every little bit helps, and I will continue to hound (natch!) my friends, coworkers, family and complete strangers (hey, that's you!) to donate and help animals. If you are interested in making a thirty-something woman's (gulp!) young girl's birthday wish come true, go here. Donate. Be the change.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thoughts? Comments? Opinions? Yes, please!

12 comments:

  1. Happy birthday.

    Thanks for this lovely post and for all you do to help others.

    You deserve a lovely weekend

    Love and licks Winnie the greyhound

    ReplyDelete
  2. Winnie Cooper is seriously cute. You are right about that! I loved reading your post about your many ploys for raising money for animals. I often feel that my friends and family don't take me seriously because I am always trying to get them involved in any dog-related fundraisers with me in our area. At this point, I have only encouraged participation in events, but I love the idea of trying to get donations (monetary, food, time, etc) as a birthday gift. What a wonderful and selfless way to spend a birthday. Happy Birthday to you, and thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy birthday! And what a super great idea! My mom just said, "Now WHY did I never think of that?" So I guess I know what my mom will be doing for her birthday this year.

    Thank you for everything you're doing to help animals. You really ARE being the change!

    Wiggles & Wags,
    Mayzie

    PeeS. Winnie is so very cute and well, Sharona is BEAUTIFUL!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a very good birthday present! Congratulations btw.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy birthday -- and kudos for making a feel good occasion a do good occasion. I'm of the firm opinion that people need to be nice to me on my birthday, even if it annoys them. So I say milk it for all it's worth.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks everyone for visiting, reading and taking the time to comment. Thanks too for all the birthday wishes! Helping out a good cause certainly makes me feel younger, even if I can't help getting older!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing the very appropriate MLK quote. And thanks for being the change. Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can't think of a more rewarding way to celebrate your birthday! What a great idea!!
    And I really can't believe the similarities we have - at least I was forewarned when I came to your post, you must have been floored! Synchronicity??

    Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post. Thank you. And Happy Birthday!

    -Chandra at Daley's Dog Years

    ReplyDelete
  10. MLK is such an inspiration- his autobiography is a must read.

    Such an excellent message- thank you for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Our Mama is literally down to her last dollar... so we can't donate now! But we try to do what we can, with blogging, and with our Mama volunteering, to help pets everywhere. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Way to go! That is such a nice thing to do for your birthday.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to know what you think! Thanks.