By Gabriella Payne
Our furry friends have certainly helped many of us get through the difficulties of the past 18 months and one local woman is now going above and beyond to return the favour for animals in need.
On Saturday 13 November, the Australian Animal Protection Society (AAPS) is excited to be hosting a fun and unique fundraising event – the ‘Snores for Paws’ campaign.
Held at their Keysborough shelter, the campaign will see resident pets and staff whip out their sleeping bags for a mega sleepover in a bid to raise awareness and money to help animals in need – and one Pakenham woman has decided to take part in her own special way.
A resident at the Evergreen Retirement Village and passionate volunteer and secretary at the AAPS, Rhona Van Der Kaay has always been a huge animal lover and when she heard about the Snores for Paws campaign, she knew she had to get involved somehow.
“I’ve been living here at Evergreen for about two years now, but I’ve been involved as a volunteer at the AAPS for almost 13 years,” Rhona said.
“I’m now the secretary for the society and when I heard that they would be having a sleepover at the shelter with all the staff, I thought, what could I do to help?
“So I’m going to have a sleep out on my couch at home, along with my dog, and I’ve asked the residents at Evergreen if they would like to sponsor me – so that’s how I’ll do my bit,” she said.
Rhona said that she and her dog Jacob wanted to help raise money for the society, so that they could continue their good work into the future and help support our furry friends.
“One of the girls [at the AAPS] came up with the concept and I just thought it was a great idea – we want to make it an annual event,” she said.
Rhona said that her fellow residents and the staff at Evergreen had been so supportive of the idea, and she hoped that by sleeping on the couch for a night, she’d be able to “do her bit” to assist the not-for-profit.
The general manager of the AAPS, Megan Seccull, said that the campaign was a great way to not only raise funds for the shelter, but would also provide an insight into the needs of the shelter’s furry residents.
“Snores for Paws has a two-fold benefit – raise brand awareness of AAPS, and much needed funds – but more importantly find out how our lovable pet residents cope during the night-time when we aren’t here to look after them,” Megan said.
“It will give us great insight into their behaviour and nocturnal needs.”
The AAPS team hope to raise $250,000 to go towards upgrading and building new facilities and said that any donation, no matter how big or small, would help make a difference.
“We rely heavily on our amazing volunteers and the generous donations from the community to provide vital financial support – so Snores for Paws is a big focus for us in 2021,” Megan said.
To help support the Snores for Paws campaign, head to the AAPS website at https://www.aaps.org.au/
