By Alicia Squillante
The nights are noticeably cooler, the days seem slightly shorter and the leaves are beginning to descend en masse; fall is coming and with it all the usual suspects will be coming around regarding fall and winter events. One such event will be arriving on Sunday, October 21 at Curtis Hixon Park: Stride For Strays.
Stride For Strays is an annual walk that benefits the Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT). This year the proceeds from the walk will help defray the cost of a new air handler system for the new, larger building for the nonprofit, which is now located on 502 N. Gilchrist Ave. in Tampa.
The older location became far too small and the Executive Director, Linda Hamilton, decided it was past time to upgrade to a larger facility. “This incredible new clinic transforms us from a cramped, crowded, 2,800 square foot facility to a state-of-the-art clinic that will be on par with what you expect from a local animal hospital,” says the nonprofit’s Website. “We’re still ACT, and we’re still going to provide the affordable animal health and spay/neuter programs that have made us who we are today. “
This year’s Stride For Strays event will feature live music and entertainment, beer and wine, pet contests, people and pet massages, pet adoptions, face painting, paw printing, games, raffles and prizes and of course the walk itself. “The event has become well know as one of the most entertaining afternoons you can have with your friends, family and four-legged loved ones,” says the Stride For Stray’s Website. Pre-registering for the event is recommended and can be done on the Website. If you do not want to walk, you can still register as a non-walker or you can simply donate to ACT.
They are currently seeking sponsors and vendors for the event, so if you’d like to help out a great cause, you can visit them at www.strideforstrays.org. If you’d like more information about the Animal Coalition of Tampa, please visit www.actampa.org or call 250-3900.
