Get Rescued in Gulfport
Big Cat Rescue had a wonderful day as invited exhibitors at the recent “Get Rescued …in Gulfport” event on March 1, 2008.
The outdoor street festival, in downtown Gulfport is enthusiastically supported by residents of this pet friendly community, offering animal rescue groups from all over Florida an opportunity to showcase their rescue and raise much needed funds.
Get Rescued.....in Gulfport was established in 2005 with the sole purpose of bringing together 501 (c) (3) registered nonprofit animal rescue charities. Over 50 groups attended this year’s event.
Thanks to ESG Printing our newly wrapped Big Cat van made a beautiful rolling bill board and attractive backdrop for our Big Cat booth at the all day festival.
Education Directors Coleen Kremer and Beth Kamhi enjoyed a very busy day spreading the word and received lots of interest from the many visitors who were largely animal and conservation fans.
The evening followed with a wine tasting and silent auction including Big Cat submissions for special tours at the sanctuary.
Our hats are off to Terri Ensign, Lynda Shehan, Donna Johnson, and all who organized this very successful event. Thanks for inviting us, and we will look forward to seeing you all again in Gulfport next year.
By: Education Director Dr. Beth Kamhi
Get Rescued in Gulfport Part II
Preparations started months ago when I received a call from one of my best friends, Terri Ensign, regarding an exciting event that would happen March 1st in Gulfport. Terri decided, as part of her marketing strategy, to design and incorporate a web page tailored specifically to disseminate the information about rescue efforts on a global scale. As a result, Get Rescued in Gulfport was one of the best organized rescue events in the state of Florida.
By invitation only, vendors arrived early to set up their booths and educational material. As everyone was putting up their canopies and tents, glancing up and down the main street in Gulfport, one exhibit stood out and was wild looking. Passing the various dogs that came from miles around to taste the yummy treats and homemade cookies to get a closer look at this wild vendor, it was obvious why Big Cat Rescue had been invited to this special rescue event.
Unlike the other vendors, Big Cat Rescue did not have any exotic animals or rescues they brought to the event. What they did bring was awareness to the plight of the Big Cats and offered educational materials that generated questions and moved people to take action. Connections and relationships were highlighted as Beth Ann Bluder and Colleen Kremer took turns patiently explaining to people Big Cat Rescue’s mission and vision. Stories were shared about some of the cats living at the sanctuary, and tears often streamed down the faces of the uninformed public.
The dark side of how the cats are often exploited for economic gain, live lives of unnecessary confinement as they are undernourished and abused, over bred with the surplus ending up as “throwaways” or how little thought is given to the possibility of these magnificent creatures having any emotional life or being given the respect and dignity of a sentient being had a tremendous impact on the people who stopped and shared how much they loved the big cats.
By the end of the day, people who came out to support this rescue event discovered that the rescued animals were there to help rescue them, to help educate and free them from their old behaviors and belief systems. Everyone who passed by Big Cat Rescue knew the cats had shared their vision and dream of a world where getting rescued was no longer needed.
By: Laura Lassiter www.Soul-Be-It.com
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