Benefit for animal rescue draws more than 400 supporters
By Lauren Parker-Gill, News Editor, The Times
Stephanie Leister and her dog Paisley, who was adopted from LaMancha Animal Rescue, participated in the Critter Crawl 5K at Hibernia Park last week.
COATESVILLE – Hundreds of people turned out on a beautiful, sunny morning for LaMancha Animal Rescue’s Critter Crawl 5K race and 1-mile walk/run, many with their dogs in tow, at Hibernia Park last week.
Andrea Kraft, Christy Poole and Amy Wolstenholme, all volunteers with the rescue, began planning for this fundraiser months ago with the hopes of having 150 registered runners and walkers. With the help of more than 60 volunteers, they far exceeded their initial goal with over 420 attendees, plus more than 120 furry friends, and raised nearly $6,000 for LaMancha Animal Rescue.
“This event exceeded our expectations. We are so thankful for the community support and the opportunity to see how many of our adopted animals have turned out!” Wolstenholme said.
Off they go! The runners and their dogs enjoyed sunny skies and comfortable temperatures for the 5K race that raised nearly $6,000 for LaMancha Animal Rescue.
Many of the participants had adopted their dogs from LaMancha and turned out to support the event. The day turned into a mini-reunion of sorts, especially for puppy siblings Walter and Zoe. They are Catahoula Leopard mix pups from a litter that arrived with their mom, Stella, at LaMancha last August. The volunteers at the rescue all cared for Stella and her pups until they were all ready to be adopted and could go home with a new family.
“It was wonderful to see all of the support for the rescue.” Kaitlin Henninger, owner of Walter and participant in the 1-mile walk. “I loved how the rescue volunteers tied a special ribbon on the dogs that were LaMancha alums. It was nice little tribute to all of the animals they have been able to help find loving homes.”
Siblings Walter and Zoe were adopted from LaMancha last fall and happily reunited to participate in the Critter Crawl 5k fundraiser.
Henninger, along with her husband Kyle, mounted a GoPro camera on Walter’s back with a special harness, to capture the Critter Crawl from his perspective. Special thanks to the Henningers for giving us permission to include their video, as a part of this article: https://vimeo.com/163484573
Overall winners of the 5K were Alex Greenwood, age 16 who finished in 20:19 and Meredith Lambert, age 32 who finished in 22:10.
Awards were given to the top male and female finishers in each age group. For a complete list, please visit: http://lamancha5k.com/
Sponsors included: DesignWeb, 77 design co., Photography by Ro, Moore Music, Applebrook Inn Pet Resort, DNB First, The Plum Pit Food Truck, Saginaw Day Camp, Breuninger Insurance, Porsche of the Main Line, Diamond Rotary, Turkey Hill Stores.
Vendors included: Lionville Pet Valu, Glen Mills Pet Valu, United Pet Nation Fundraisers, Saginaw Day Camp, Tastefully Simple with Jill Snyder, Precious Paw Prints Jewelry, Pet Jerky Treats That Are Safe, Beacon of Knowledge Ministry, Veronica’s Doggie Delights, Clarissa’s Cut-Outs, Scentsy with Bridget Williams, Katie’s Country Creations, Origami Owl with Andrea Fox, Memory Stones by Pete, Merrick Pet Care with Jake Hewson.
