Thursday, March 24, 2011

a raffle to help the animals in Japan

Hi, I'm Suzanne Tadros owner of Walk the Dog pet sitting in Manhattan Beach, California.  Over the past 2 weeks I've been watching the news from Japan and wondering what I could do to help. I donated to the red cross, but the feeling of "doing something good" quickly faded that night when I saw a You Tube video of 2 dogs in Japan. That video broke my heart.  After quite a bit of online research to find a reputable rescue organization based in Japan I found the Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK), a non-profit that has helped over 3,700 dogs and cats over the past 21 years. ARK was founded by Elizabeth Oliver, who originally moved to Japan to teach English and her love for animals caused her to start ARK in 1990.  Elizabeth posts updates on her website and the stories of the heroic efforts of the ARK volunteers are truly amazing.

While I do have a business administration degree, I certainly don't have a "fundraising" background - so I've teamed up with Kathy Nelson Clarke (of Kathy's Dog Walking) and Rebecca Mandell (Dog's Best Friend). Together we are hoping we can spread the word and make a difference for these animals. 

Please help ARK to continue their efforts of rescuing, housing, feeding, and giving medical attention to the animals that are injured and homeless in Japan.

We have received raffle items from several local businesses that have agreed to donate their work (see links in blue on the right). We hope that we can persuade you to donate (every small bit counts) and you might even win something really cool in the process.

How the raffle works:

You will receive 1 raffle ticket for each $10 donation (approx. 810 Japanese Yen).
For $20 (approx. 1620 Japanese Yen), you would receive 2 tickets. 
For $50 (approx. 4050 Japanese Yen), you would receive 5 tickets. 
For $100 (approx. 8100 Japanese Yen), you would receive 10 tickets.
And so on - you get the idea....

Step 1: Make a donation to the Animal Refuge Kansai via their PayPal site:



The currency is in Yen (since they are a Japanese based non-profit) here is a currency converter, should you need it.
You will need to click the button "update total" after you type in your donation amount.
Be sure to include your email address in the transaction so that you receive an electronic receipt.

Step 2: Please forward your receipt to us - so we know that you participated and know how many raffle tickets to send you. Our email is: WeCareRaffle@gmail.com
Please email us your receipt right away, by skipping this step you won't be eligible for the raffle.
(so sad!)

Step 3: Within 24-hours of emailing us your receipt we will forward your "electronic" raffle ticket numbers back to you.

The drawing will take place at 10 am Monday, April 11th, 2011.

Thank you so much for your support & helping us spread the word. 

Suzanne Tadros, Kathy Nelson Clarke, Rebecca Mandell and many others (see list of amazing contributors on the right)