NHSPCA: About the Society

April 23, 2008

Contact: Sheila E. Ryan
Director of Development and Marketing
Phone: (603) 772-2921 ext. 106

The New Hampshire SPCA announces that the 16th Annual Paws Walk 2008 will be held on Sunday, June 1st at Stratham Hill Park in Stratham, New Hampshire. The NHSPCA is currently seeking corporate or group teams, individual walkers, sponsors, vendors and exhibitors. Participation is open to young and old, with or without dogs to walk. Funds raised will go toward the care of the nearly 4,000 animals that the NHSPCA will take in this year. All interested participants are encouraged to attend our Paws Walk 2008 Information Night to be held on Thursday, May 1st at 5:30 PM in the Learning Center at the NHSPCA. Please RSVP to Meghan Larsen at mlarsen@nhspca.org or (603) 772-2921 ext. 105.

Thanks to a new online fundraising tool, raising money to help the animals is now easier than ever! Walkers have the ability to create their own unique fundraising page and forward it to contacts via email or link the page to MySpace or Facebook profiles. "It is a fantastic way for people to really expand their network and cast a wider fundraising net," said Meghan Larsen, Annual Fund Coordinator at the NHSPCA. "We are already seeing some tremendous success for fundraisers." Last year's event raised over $50,000 for the animals and this year's event is expected to raise even more. The team recruitment goal has been met but teams are still encouraged to sign up. Pledge sheets and other information can be found at www.nhspca.org. Fundraisers will qualify for awesome individual prizes. Teams who reach their fundraising goal will also qualify for the Team Grand Prizes with special youth team prizes for teams made up of walkers who are 16 years old and under.

The event will feature fun and excitement for pets and people. Families are encouraged to come and enjoy the day. Youngsters have lots to do at Kids Korner where they can take part in crafts, face painting and have a blast in the bounce house. Special demonstrations will take place throughout the day and will feature NEAT, the NHSPCA trainers, and others. Vendors will be on hand throughout the day for those who need that perfect gift for their pet - or themselves. New this year will be a post-walk concert held at Main Stage featuring the classic rock band, Old B's of Hampton.

The NHSPCA would like to thank all of our tremendous sponsors for supporting Paws Walk 2008, especially our Top Dog Sponsor, Lamprey Brother's, Paws Walk Sponsor, Wadleigh Falls Veterinary Clinic, Main Stage Sponsor, Bid2Win Software, Inc, and our Activities Sponsor, The Boulders at RiverWoods. We would also like to thank The Friends of Stratham Hill Park for partnering with us on this crucial fundraising event.

The Paws Walk offers two routes for participants to choose from. The 1 ¼ mile route goes throughout the park on mostly flat terrain while the 2 mile route takes walkers up to the top of Stratham Hill to find breathtaking views of Great Bay and the surrounding area. Registration begins at 10:00 AM and the walk begins at 12:00 PM preceded by The Blessing of The Animals. We are pleased to announce that Ralphie and Suzanne from WERZ will be our hosts for this year's walk. Please stop by and say "Hi!"

For more information contact Meghan Larsen or Sheila Ryan at (603) 772-2921, ext. 105 or visit the NHSPCA web site at www.nhspca.org.

The New Hampshire SPCA is a community resource center that provides animal adoption, education, investigation and sheltering services in a professional and compassionate way. The Adoption Center is open from 11 am – 4pm on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 am – 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday, and closed on Wednesday. For more information about the NHSPCA, visit www.nhspca.org.

News Release