Red’s Memorial: Decision on Donations
This a follow up page to Remembering Red and the page on how to place charitable donations (both links open a new tab so you stay on this page).
This is my selection subject to any further ideas.
I have read all the comments which discussed where the money should go. Thank you very much for your thoughts.
Criteria for selection
- We should select more than one charity as it is financially more prudent. I want to make sure Marc’s money works as well as it can.
- If a PoCer has regular contact with a charity we then have some knowledge of the charity from first hand experience. I like that. It is reassuring as we know where the money is going. I therefore favour such charities. Also, these charities have a connection with PoCers and I believe that should be factor in deciding.
- If the selected charity is outside the UK it should have a PayPal donation facility. PayPal charge for a transaction, of course, but the banks do too if you pay internationally and in my experience they charge more than PayPal. Also it is still quite cumbersome and troublesome making international payments even in the 21st century. It requires telephone calls, authorisations and bank details etc.
- I have picked five giving $200 or currency equivalent to each.
Selected Charities
- Friends of Felines’ Animal Rescue Center – Marc suggested this organisation. They have PayPal and a website. Update: one day after this post. This part of the donations is Marc’s call and he has told me in a comment that he actually prefers Kays Hill so Kays Hill it is. Kays Hill is a small animal sanctuary in the north of England doing wonderful work.
- The Cat Network in West Allis – Ruth (Monty’s Mom) visits and knows the place. They have PayPal and a website.
- Cats Protection – Wear Valley & Darlington – They don’t have PayPal but I can pay by debit card and hold back the equivalent in my PayPal account. They have a website. Cats Protection is a network of branches so there is a local element to what is a large organisation. Recommended by Ruth and Barbara
- Arc – Goa, India – Companion animals in India need help. They have PayPal and a website.
- Warm Fuzzy’s – Elisa recommended it. Marc wants to donate to small, semi-unknown organisations and I agree. They operate on a shoestring. The have 35 cats in their care. They have pressing financial demands. They have PayPal and a website.
In addition, Marc said I could take $50. Well, I’ll donate that to the Snow Leopard Trust. They do great work. We should not forget the wild cats.
Evidence
It is important that everyone sees evidence of payment. What I will do it provide screenshots of PayPal payment confirmations. “Screenshots” are in effect photographs of the computer screen. Ruth and Babz can provide documentary of some kind.
Feedback
Please provide feedback if you want to. I will listen. I’ll make the payments on Friday 5th July 2013.
id love to be able to donate to one of the charitys sometime as its a good thing to be able to help some that are in need.
we love you too lol
Thanks again girls Ruth an Babz and Michael, donation just come through , really appreciated
Hi Marion. We love Cats Protection.
Babz and I have been up to Kays Hill this afternoon with some cat food and bedding, bric a brac etc. They are frantically busy.
Leanne says to thank you very much Marc and Michael and as soon as she gets a minute she will write an update for PoC with some photos from the cattery. Like our Cats Protection, they are full up, but have queries every day to take more cats in, which if they refuse are often dumped at their gate.
So the donation couldn’t be coming at a better time for them 🙂
thats wonderful ruth i know this post is a year late good to hear it was much needed. Just wish i had of know earlier. But im here now.
Thanks Kylee, a lot has happened since then at Kays Hill, storm damage has struck them twice but thankfully they have lots of local support.
It’s our Cats Protection branch struggling now with taking in 17 cats from a closed down Sanctuary, all needing extensive veterinary treatment. Only one Marion was allowed to take couldn’t be saved, she was PTS, so very sad.
We are planning a fund raising event soon to help, I will write about it for PoC and take some photos x
Congratulations to all the rescues who benefitted from these generous gifts.
Yes, it’s always about saving the kitties!! Wherever they may roam.
One thing about kitty rescue, even though many of us are strictly volunteers- wherever we are there is “job” security. They need us more than ever- plain and simple!
Michael, don’t need to read the commentary. Trust you. -Cal >..<
Wonderful!
Thanks Dan. Hope you are OK.
Thank you so much on behalf of The Cat Network, and the cats of West Allis, Wisconsin thank you! I’m glad Warmfuzzy’s is getting help too though, because they really, really need it.
The Cat Network is definitely a very good shelter and they have had a lot of luck lately adopting out cats, including many black cats. I have been providing them with pro-claw materials to hand out with each adopted cat, to discourage declawing. Thanks to Dr. Ron Gaskin and our own Kattaddorra for helping me with those materials.
The Cat Network also has taken in a lot of motherless kittens lately, some as young as just a couple of weeks. They have some amazing volunteers working with those vulnerable babies. The money will be much appreciated during kitten season.
Thank you Ruth. I am pleased that you have first hand experience of this rescue organisation. It helps a lot. I have to take some chances – for example, the Indian charity – but the less the better.
I think this is absolutely perfect,the 5 charities the favourites of some of the most loyal members here,I don’t think anyone could object to that.
I love you Micheal and I love you Marc
xx
Thanks Rose. No one has screamed at me yet 😉
What a wonderful result, I’m so pleased and honoured that both of our favourite cat charities will get a share of this money, and pleased for all the charities overseas too. Thank you so much to Marc and Michael and all the POCers for making this possible in memory of Red.
Nicely done Michael. Very orderly as usual. This was so fun to participate in with other POCers, as we are affectionately known.
Thanks dw. It is tough to do these things because the decision means quite a lot to other people and to the cats. I really appreciate your support. I hope we are a little powerhouse of good for the domestic and feral cat.
I think it’s perfect!
Good job, Michael and Marc!
Thanks Dee, that means a lot to me.
Michael – what about Kay’s Hill? Can I suggest Kay’s Hill instead of Friends of Felines – there’s a good reason – I think they need it more. FFRC is a great rescue but on hindsight I remembered that they got alot of support in a shelter competition and won $10,000 – they aren’t big but they do have a webcam and alot of followers and they are wonderful and not all admin and you guys should all visit their webcam if you want to see kittens and cats and wonderful people – it is good hi resolution too. When I was alone without Lilly having moved to Switzerland before I met Red I would leave it on at night next to my bed so in the morning I would wake up the cat’s playing in the night – it made me feel better 🙂
But Kay’s Hill needs it more I would suspect and I really like them. You know I go to England for work sometimes – I would normally be going in a couple weeks to Silverstone but I got out of it this week “no cat sitter” 😉 – but I’d even go up and visit them if it could be done reasonably in a day from London. It’s far up north though right? A couple/few hours on the train to see the cats would be just my idea of a nice day out.
Those are my thoughts/suggestions.
But do visit the FFRC website or webcam (Friends of Felines Rescue Center) because it’s a lovely place.
Of course Marc. That is fine. You can do as you please on this one ;). I’ll put a note against it.
Marc how kind you are! Yes Kays Hill need it very much too and I’m very happy two UK Rescue Shelters are being helped by your generosity.
I hope no one is upset about it because as Michael said, it’s all to help cats and both places are full of needy cats and are caring for feral colonies too.
I hope to do a PoC article and photos for each of those so everyone can see where the money will be helping.
THANK YOU again on behalf of North East England cats.
It’s quite a long journey up to here and back in one day but if you ever come I’m sure Kevin and Leanne at Kays Hill will make you welcome, maybe even put you up in the cattery overnight as you love cats so much lol only joking
I’d spend a night in a cattery 🙂 ….an article would be fun about the two places, I’m all for that, but don’t feel like you have to either 🙂
I’ve made a start on the CP one Marc as Marion is right here in Shildon and we are well in touch, but will need to get some new pics at Kays Hill and an update for their article, or Leanne might even like to write it herself.
We were going to try to get up there today with some stuff we have for them but it might be next week after all when Babz is on holiday.
I enjoy writing so no hassle. I’m still reeling from your generosity and the fact that you and Michael chose 2 UK charities x
Thank You so much this is greatly appreciated and thanks to Ruth and Barbara too for suggesting us.
All our kitties send purrs and head rubs and as we had 13 born last week and more kittens arriving every day that’s a lots of purrs >^..^^..^^..^^..^^..^<.
Wonderful news for our branch of Cats Protection and I’m sure Marion will be delighted because things are quite desperate here with too many unwanted cats and there are 2 nursing mothers too at present recently taken in to give birth,
There will be no problem of proof as Marion will provide you with a receipt….
THANK YOU so much Michael and Marc
Pleasure Ruth. Great organisation. I hope I don’t receive some difficult comments because some people will be a bit upset (maybe) but no matter which cat charity receives the money, the cat benefits every time so we should all be pleased. I don’t want anyone to be displeased.
At the end of the day the objective is to help cats. We should all be pleased and proud that we are doing just that.