May 4: Blankets & Blues. Annie'sBlankets thanks the many volunteers, musicians and guests who braved the windy day to attend this truly special event at Pinnacle Farms in San Juan Bautista-- guests kept warm dancing to the fabulous blues group, The Lara Price Band, featuring Mighty Mike Schermer. Thank you to Katherine and Phil Foster for opening their farm and their hearts to Annie'sBlankets. Thank you, also, to the many Blankets & Blues silent auction donors and sponsors. A good time was had by all and, most importantly, Blankets & Blues guests donated 300 blankets and towels. Students, seen below, at North Monterey County High School folded the bedding and the bundles will get new life at animal shelters in San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Enjoy the photos and stay tuned for the photo gallery. Here's to Blankets & Blues 2009!
April 26: Meet Tracy Achelis. Annie'sBlankets welcomes Tracy, seen here with Bruno and Kuno who, along with Tracy's
husband Vincent, has spearheaded the Contra Costa County expansion. Tracy has already found six Contra Costa County Drop-off Sites, as well as six Contra Costy County Donation Destinations (a staff member at the Antioch Animal Sevices Center is seen here accepting an Annie'sBlankets bundle). Annie'sBlankets thanks Tracy and Vin for helping give new life to old blankets and towels in Contra Costa County. Welcome to the team!
April 25: Fold Fest at North County. Annie'sBlankets thanks these truly special Condors, Maribel Martinez, Juan Ramirez and Marisol Martinez, for folding over 100 blankets and towels.
April 12: We Care Fair at Del Monte Center. Annie'sBlankets thanks Yuniya Khan, of Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula, and Kristin Paris, Career Center director at Pacific Grove High School for organizing this special event created to foster the spirit of service. The fair solicits organizations that specifically utilize youth as volunteers and that provide volunteer opportunities for all ages; Annie'sBlankets does both and was proud to be invited. Thanks to Penny and Jim Mount for helping work the booth at the We Care Fair, and to Dolly Mount, seen below with a young fair-goer, for attracting many enthusiastic animal lovers!
April 11: North Monterey County High School Helps Annie'sBlankets Break 20,000. The students at North County have participated in Friday Fold Fests for the past two years, so it is fitting that this particular effort helped boost the Annie'sBlankets donation total past 20,000! The students pictured here folded and bundled 162 towels; all the bedding received new life at the City of Salinas Animal Services Center, seen below (and also the recipient of the very first Annie'sBlankets bundle in 2006), and the County of Monterey Animal Services Center. Annie'sBlankets thanks the Condor kids for their enthusiastic work, especially Marisol Martinez, who has attended every Fold Fest!
March 20: Annie'sBlankets assists Best Friends. Thank you to Annie'sBlankets Woodside volunteer, Shelia LeClaire, for sending three dozen blankets and towels to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The organization took in 22 pit bulls seized from ex-NFL star Michael Vick and has provided sanctuary to the dogs. Annie'sBlankets is pleased to help offer comfort to these recovering animals and proud that volunteers like Sheila are part of our team. Thank you, Sheila... and Best Friends.
March 9: Pooches in the Park. What a special day! Thank you to Santa Cruz Volunteer Coordinator Liz Senteney, pictured here, for working the Annie'sBlankets booth, as well as to the Girl Scouts from Troop 1074 of Watsonville and their leader, Lisa Altizio. The Girl Scouts, also seen below, have been promoting Annie'sBlankets during their cookie sales this past month, and they spent the day at Pooches keeping company with adoptable dogs from the Santa Cruz SPCA and directing event-goers to the Annie'sBlankets booth. Thank you Liz, Liza and Troop 1074! See the photo gallery featuring more pictures from the day.
March 9: Contra County County Expansion. Thank you to Danville resident and Annie'sBlankets volunteer, Tracy Achelis, for orchestrating the Annie'sBlankets expansion into Contra Costa County. Tracy, with help from her husband Vincent, has found seven new hosts in the area: Molly's Pup-Puree, in Danville, Alamo Pets and Round Hill Country Club, in Alamo, Pet Food Express, in Danville and San Ramon, Clarke Memorial Swim Center, in Walnut Creek, and Talbots, in Walnut Creek. The bedding donated at these sites will find new life at such Contra Costa Donation Destinations as Antioch Animal Shelter, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, SPCA Dublin, Community Concern for Cats, Pets and Pals, and Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). We are thrilled that Tracy's efforts will enable us to provide comfort to so many more lost and injured animals awaiting treatment and adoption. Fortunately, Tracy is also the Annie'sBlankets Contra Costa County Volunteer Coordinator. Thank you, Tracy and Contra Costa County! See specific locations of the new Annie'sBlankets Drop-off Sites.
March 8: South County Dogs. Look for the Annie'sBlankets link at South County Dogs, the free interactive resource for dog owners and dog lovers living in the south Santa Clara County area. Links to a wide variety of resources can also be found there. Thanks to Penny Mount for spearheading this project as she directs the Annie'sBlankets South County expansion efforts. Great work, Penny!
March 2: Chi Epsilon's Idea of the Month. Thank you to Chi Epsilon #5493, the Los Gatos-Gilroy sorority service group, for adopting Annie’sBlankets as its community project. The energetic and enthusiastic ladies at Chi Epsilon are assisting Annie’sBlankets throughout the month of March, helping Annie’sBlankets promote public awareness of the needs of homeless and ailing pets. Already Chi Epsilon members have donated over 50 blankets and towels, thanks especially to Chapter Chairperson and Annie’sBlankets Gilroy-San Martin-Morgan Hill Coordinator Penny Mount. Penny has reported that the Epsilon Sigma Alpha International Council featured Chi Epsilon’s collaboration with Annie’sBlankets as its Idea of the Month for March! Congratulations, Penny, and thank you for bringing these two groups together.
March 1: Meet the new Annie'sBlankets Los Gatos Volunteer Coordinator. Annie'sBlankets welcomes Kristin Stephens, seen here with Los Gatos High School senior and long-time volunteer, Ranelle Thomas, for taking over the coordination of Annie'sBlankets activities in Los Gatos, including making sure our two permanent Drop-off Sites, Bow Wowzer Boutique and Peet's Coffee & Tea, are running smoothly. Thank you, Ranelle, for stepping in as interim coordinator while until we found Kristin. And thanks, also, to outgoing Volunteer Coordinator, Susan Diamond, for her excellent work in getting Annie'sBlankets established in Los Gatos. Best of luck!
Annie'sBlankets Outreach:
Annie'sBlankets is currently involved in three outreach efforts:Merced County Animal Control: Some of the blankets donated to Santa Cruz-area Annie'sBlankets collection sites will go to this shelter, which is in desperate need of bedding.
