Monday, July 2, 2012

The 2012 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!


Purring for your pledges!

It's that time of year again! The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, the web's premiere source of adorable kitten photographs, is holding their annual drive to raise funds for Dog-A-Thon, the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society's annual walk for homeless pets, taking place on July 21st!

As I wrote last year, long before I was blogging about cats, I was visiting the IBKC for my daily dose of cuteness. The blog follows the adventures of families of kittens from the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society, fostered by Laurie Cinotto and her husband, Craig Miller. Also part of the mix is the irrepressibly floofy Charlene Butterbean, their six-year-old cat who "lends a paw" in raising the fosters, all of which have sweet names to match their whimsical little personalities. Since beginning the blog in 2007, Laurie and her family have fostered over 100 150 kittens to date!


The IBKC is an extraordinary website, and as such, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill animal shelter fundraiser, either. Cinotto uses her creativity and enviable crafting skills to turn it into an epic show of adorableless, where her current batch of kittens man the "phones" for your pledges (check out the evolution of the set here). In each of the four years since its inception, Laurie and her kittens have managed to raise increasing number of cash, from an impressive $23,000 the first year, to a staggering $66,000 in 2011. This year, their goal is $75,000 (or squillion, in kitten-speak), and with 19 days left and counting, they are well on their way!

Last year's donations were used to build The Petunia Louise Community Cat Room, with remaining funds going to help fund foster programs, shelter improvements, reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families, and feed and provide medical care for kittens, adult and senior cats. They are also working on a new program this year to help elderly pet owners on fixed incomes, who can’t afford to feed their beloved companions.


Laurie keeps the fundraiser exciting with lots of pictures and daily posts, so even if you can't make a financial donation, it's still fun to stop by (and share!). There are daily challenges (today's is "Donate $25 if your Facebook profile pic is your cat. $50 if it's your dog."), matching challenges, kitten naming auctions, and more. This year, she will also be selling a splendid limited edition IBKC poster by Boo Davis, that will be available for purchase shortly.

I am so amazed by Laurie's hard work and dedication (and let's be honest, her incredible kitten photography skills!), and see her as a role model in my own life. She is someone who has taken what she is passionate about, and admirably turned it into a vibrant community, and a real way to help homeless cats in need.

Please visit the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee for yourself to peep some cute kitten pics, and learn more!

Update: The posters are now on sale HERE!

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1 comments:

Random Felines said...

we LOVE them IBKC babies (and Charlene too!!)

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