By Samantha R. Evensen
Girl Scouts in Junior Troop 1950, a group of fourth and fifth grade girls, have taken the initiative to focus on some of the issues that face their local community.
They’ve put together a fundraiser dubbed Paws Fur a Cause, in order to raise awareness for more responsible pet ownership.
“I love girl scouting and we’re certainly known for our cookies, but we’re so much more than cookies,” says Jo Dee Nicosia, a volunteer Girl Scout leader.
Girl Scouts at this level are working to achieve their Bronze Award. The girls are building leadership skills, learning how to make decisions and working as a team to achieve a common goal. The girls accomplish this by a three-step process; Discover, Connect and Take Action. They identify a need or problem in their community, they build a team who believes in the cause and they make a change by hosting an event in order to resolve or support a change.
The event will be taking place Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Apollo Beach Recreational Center and Dog Park, 664 Golf and Sea Blvd.
All are encouraged to come out and participate in the event with or without their pets.
Paws Fur a Cause will offer a 1-mile fun run, field fetch, obstacle course, and a furry fashion show.
There is a suggested donation of $5 for each event you participate in.
All proceeds for the event will go to Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary, a nonprofit corporation that provides continuing care, life management, and enrichment to wild animals that need a home.
On the day of the event, registration will open at 10 a.m., although pre-registration is recommended so that those participating can get an early start.
The fun run, obstacle course and the field fetch will run simultaneously starting at 10:30 a.m and ending at 12:30 p.m.
The event will conclude with the doggy fashion show at 12:30 p.m as well as an award ceremony and raffle drawing.
Troop 1950 is inviting businesses to host a 10×10 canopy table during the event. Monetary donations are also being accepted such as sponsorships that are offered at several different levels or tax-deductible donations such as gift cards, tickets, gift certificates, or gift packages featuring a business’s specific product.
There are already businesses that are eager to support the cause, such as SoHo Cycling, Camp Bow Wow, Aquarius Water Refining, and so much more that have donated gift cards and offered their services for the event.
For more information, please contact Jo Dee at 938-1805 or email jodee@tampabay.rr.com.
