Announcing the GEORGIA PUPPY CARAVAN!
August 19 - 23, 2009
New Jersey to Georgia and back!

ARF member and leader of Rescue M.O.M.S. (Making of Miracle Stories), Karen LaSasso, is planning a major rescue operation in support of the dogs and puppies in the kill shelters of Georgia. The GEORGIA PUPPY CARAVAN will bring awareness to all the highly adoptable animals in our nation's shelters. "Why buy, when a shelter dog will die?" Through publicity garnered by the event, our country will get to see, up close and personal, the wonderful, loving animals that need homes and need our help. So far, over 50 cars and 2 RV's will be part of the caravan leaving Lindenwold, NJ, and trekking to Georgia together. Our friends at RescueInk, for whom ARF transported a rescued bait dog a few months ago, will be taking their RescueInk van along. Mr. Dave Roehm of Ningum Films along with his business partner (who has a series on the Discovery Channel) will be traveling with the caravan, along with a film crew to shoot a documentary of this journey. We need volunteers to help in various ways...I'll detail that at the end of this email after giving you a little more information about the itinerary.

Itinerary:

Wednesday, 08/19/2009 (early AM): ARF Ground Crew drivers and Rescue M.O.M.S. drivers (bring your kids along!) depart from Lindenwold, NJ, early morning. Drive to Summerville, GA. Check into hotel and get good night sleep.

Thursday, 08/20/2009 (AM) - ARF Pilots fly into a local airport this morning with donated supplies for the local animal shelters. The pilots will be met by members of the caravan. Once the supplies have been removed from the planes and the filming of that event has been done it is onto the Chattooga Shelter. Chattooga is the shelter that was in crisis mode one month ago and had to kill 18 animals due to lack of food. The volunteers of this shelter along with Ann King of Save Our Pets Foodbank have been working to save the Chattooga Shelter animals and have been preparing for the caravan's arrival with media, PR etc.

Thursday, 08/20/2009 (PM) - Depart for Atlanta, which is 2 1/2 hours hours from Summerville. Check into hotel and get good night sleep.

Friday, 08/21/2009 (AM) - Wake up, breakfast with group and on to shelters in the area. These shelter visits will all be prearranged and confirmed with the directors. Back to hotel and free night for anyone wanting to visit the Atlanta area, "relax" and hang out.

Saturday, 8/22/09 (AM) - ARF Pilots fly into a local Atlanta airport this morning with donated supplies for the local animal shelters. The pilots will be met by members of the caravan to unload supplies. The film crew will also be there.

Saturday, 8/22/2009 (PM) - Dogs and puppies will join the GEORGIA PUPPY CARAVAN as it heads back to the Animal Adoption Center of Lindenwold, NJ. The dogs will be chosen, pulled from the shelters, vetted and quarantined in advance of the caravan's arrival. On Saturday, we will be united with the animals we will be taking home. Children will be traveling with their parents as part of this caravan and we want to capture on film when the children see these rescued lives for the first time...pure, raw emotion and joy are sure to be captured on film. Once the dogs and puppies are received, we will then be starting our journey home with the rescued lives and hopefully create a lasting impression on everyone who eventually views the film.

Sunday, 8/23/2009 (PM) - Arrive back at the Animal Adoption Center to an arrival party with the media filming as the caravan pulls up. ARF Pilots and Ground Crew are welcome to attend the arrival party. By putting this into film we can show the nation that there are NO obstacles if you want to help save a life.

Many steps need to take place in the upcoming weeks. Here are a few areas where we need help...please volunteer if you can:

1) We need to set up GEORGIA PUPPY CARAVAN donation points in towns within flying distance of Summerville, GA, and Atlanta, GA. If you live in a town within 200 nautical miles of Summerville or Atlanta, please volunteer to publicize the event to your town, particularly to the children in your schools and pilots at your airports. We will provide fliers for you to hang up around town. The food and supplies donated to you will be picked up by ARF pilots at your local airport and delivered to the Summerville airport and Atlanta airport as noted on the itinerary. If you'd like to volunteer for this, email Julia at ARFmail@aol.com. Pilots are also welcome to volunteer as the point person for their town and airport.

2) If you live in a town along the route of the drive between Lindenwold, NJ, and Summerville, GA, please volunteer a "pick-up point" along the highway where you can deliver large amounts of food and supplies after getting the donations from your own town. If you'd like to volunteer for this, email Karen directly at kat12242003@yahoo.com

3) We need more drivers willing to caravan from New Jersey to Georgia. If you'd like to volunteer for this, email Karen directly at kat12242003@yahoo.com

4) We need pilots willing to fly donated supplies into Summerville's local airport and into an Atlanta general aviation airport. If you'd like to volunteer for this, email Julia at ARFmail@aol.com

Thanks to ARF pilot Brad Childs who is putting his business to the task of collecting 50,000 lbs of dog food for Georgia shelters. See his ad that has gone out to 15,000 people here. If you have friends or family in the Pittsburgh area, please let them know about Brad's promotion!

5) If you are not in the area but want to donate to the effort (helping to cover the cost of the hotel stays and meals for the volunteers), please email me at ARFmail@aol.com and I'll provide instructions for your tax-deductible donation.

Involve children in this effort in every way you can! We want to pass the torch to the next generation and give them the knowledge, education and resources to make the necessary change in our nation...we believe we will see a day when no animal goes without something as simple as love and a home to call their own! Please make this journey with us!

Julia and Karen
ARF and Rescue M.O.M.S.

I posted with all my groups--rescue, aviation, and transport.
Is Lindenwold---- S. Jersey Airport?

What a super idea!!
Linda

Linda, yes, Lindenwold is a south Jersey airport. Thanks for cross-posting.

Here's an update on responses I've received:

1) Hi, We'd be grateful if the Murray County Animal Shelter in Chatsworth (which is near Summerville in NW GA) could be involved in this effort! I am a volunteer at this high-kill shelter and we could definitely use the support.
Lisa Hester

2) Is this for real?! Would like more information. I live in Atlanta and am involved with several animal shelters. Please contact me. Rubye Reid

3) Hi, My name is Suzi Faulkner and I have had one of my rescue dogs flown by you. I am not sure if you could use my help, or not but I am in Mooresville, NC, approx 30 miles north of Charlotte, NC. Your caravan travels up and down I77 before hitting I95. I have a boarding kennel that I donate part of to rescue organizations for a very minimal fee. We let the dogs stay over and we supply food, shelter and bedding and anything else they need. I know you will be traveling right by me and if you think you could use my services, I will be glad to help out. Suzi Faulkner

4) Anyway you could stop at the Cobb County Animal Control in Marietta, Georgia? You would be going by us before you get to Atlanta. Cindy Ganues

5) What a wonderful idea!!!! We have all been praying for the animals in the Georgia shelters. I would be honored to collect food and supply donations here in Tallahassee and deliver them to the Tallahassee airport. Just let me know what you need me to do. We have a small animal rescue and sanctuary outside of Tally.
Karlene Deware, Kingdom New Destiny Animal Sanctuary

Thanks to all for your support and your help and your desire to get involved!

Julia
ARF

Julia,
the pittsburgh wants to help...what can we do, I can take a few days off for sure...let me know

Where can I view the actual route? I would like to post it to contacts I have along the route.

the pittsburgh crew is starting to build some momentum, we now have storage for food, promotions will be finalized today, and other businesses are getting involved. our goal, which is a big goal, but yet a goal, is an 18 wheeler full of food.

we will see what we can do over here in the CITY OF CHAMPIONS.

I will be picking up a skid of treats--jerky style--for this. Very heavy.....how can I get it down to S Jersey? Any ideas?

Linda

Update from Karen LaSasso on June 27th: So many things have been coming to the table with the caravan. Please go to the website-www.themomsrescue.com for up to date donation drop off locations and information. Rescue Ink will be traveling with the caravan. Please view their site at www.rescueink.org We have been contacted by National Geographics who has done a series documentary on Rescue Ink and they LOVE the caravan idea and happily approved Rescue Ink to travel with us. Based on this enthusiastic approval, another idea was born. On Friday August 21, 2009, a premiere event party will be hosted by our friends in animal rescue from Atlanta. David York (Fulton Co Ga,New Leash on Life),Ann King and Cindy Poortinga (Save our Pets Foodbank,GA),Joan Sammond (GA SPCA), and Jodie Richers (Dogs on DeathRow,GA) all are instrumental in putting together the GA end and biggest venue possible for our arrival. We have a block of rooms at a Marriot on peachtree St. in Atlanta with1 and 2 bdrm suites (please contact me for reservation info). Our gameplan as of right this minute is as follows- Chattooga Shelter in Summerville is a very rural county lacking simple things like food at times. Most dogs and cats don't stand a chance to get rescued. They have 19 runs and most of the time they are double filled. They have a very hi-kill rate. For our Paws for a Cause program, we rescued many loving animals from this shelter. We , as the MOMS and our children felt it in our hearts to travel to the shelters in which our fur babies were pulled from. We wanted to retrace their final steps up until they were placed in our arms. We owed it to them. Our wish is for every animal to take a journey into loving arms and we stop the reproduction of so many through S/N. Our intention with Chattooga is to empty out this shelter, 2 weeks prior to our arrival. This is a way to vet, foster and quarantine and ready the animals for our transport home with them. Once we arrive on Thurs. 8/20/09 into that shelter, with our film crew, we want to film the next mass exodus of every dog/puppy in the shelter. (Want to monetarily sponsor the cats and kittens to be saved as well). Imagine the statement if, on film, we collectively (ARF members, MOMS w/our kids, and Rescue Ink members) walk into this shelter and carry everyone of these animals out. Our children then are filmed in an empty shelter and make the BOLD statement on film that "This is our dream, that one day in our lifetime-every shelter in our country looks like this,EMPTY!" I know as a nation of animal lovers, we shield ourselves from things that may hurt us if it involves an animal. With a feel good, heartwarming approach of the biggest of man (rescue Ink and ARF pilots) to the smallest of children-any message that we need to drive home can be accomplished since it won't be difficult to watch. Next what will happen (I am hoping) is that all the people viewing our "project" film say how can I help? What can I do? What do we need to do to prevent this from continuing and make the children's' vision come true? Let us all work collectively to empty out our shelters. "With the proper education, knowledge and resources, we have the power to make change!" With the media attention we will be receiving, we can make the changes. Please join us in this grand event and make a significant difference in the lives of many, many starfish!!!! Thank you. I can be reached at anytime at 609-665-1224 or 609-567-1424

Julia.
If you have a flyer for this event, I will post it at my new home field (HBI) and try to get some other pilots to fly donations down. Sounds like a great deal!! Tom

Hi Linda,

Any donations up in our area just have to get to Lindenwold, NJ, or thereabouts. I'll probably set up a fly-in to Flying W the weekend prior to the Caravan's trek down to Atlanta.

Thanks!

Julia
ARF