My first full year of blogging has slipped by without my even noticing—but I won’t let that interfere with the celebrations. What celebrations? Why, the first (annual?) What If Knits Save-the-Cats (and Other Animals) Blogiversary Raffle.
Here’s the general plan: I’m going to put together an excellent group of prizes. To be entered in the raffle, just make a small donation to any of the animal protection/rescue sites listed on my links page (more info and links below). Then send me an email (shATwhatifknitsDOTcom) to let me know about your donation. For every $2 you give, I’ll put your name into the draw. Give $2, your name goes in once. Give $20, your name goes in ten times. We’ll be using the honor system, so just tell me when you donate. I’ll believe you. As an incentive to get the word spread, I’ll add your name an extra three times if you post about this raffle on your own blog with a link back to mine. I’ll do the actual prize draw at noon, California time on Thursday, February 14 (it’s all about the love, people!).
The Prizes
I’m still working on these, so the list below is just for starters.
The grand prize will be my recently completed Swallowtail Shawl, worked in Louisa Harding Cinnabar, and displayed here with the help of the lovely Beatrice.
(Bea is all for anything that brings money in to animal rescue groups. If other people rescue those needy creatures, then her own mother won’t feel compelled to bring them home.)
Because it’s knit with worsted-weight yarn, the shawl measures a full six feet across. The mix of cotton, rayon, and metallic fibers gives it a lovely drape and makes it easy to dress up or down.
Other prizes will include knitting books, yarn, and additional hand knits. I’ll post a full inventory on Monday.
The Organizations
You’ll get raffle entries for donations to any of the following groups.
Best Friends. The largest no-kill shelter in the U.S., Best Friends specializes in caring for the animals other groups can’t handle. Cats with urinary problems? They go straight to the Incontinental Suite. Dogtown allows dogs to live in “packs” that have large play areas and cozy shelters. There are also special accommodations for birds, bunnies, farm animals, and wildlife. Besides providing on-site care for all these animals, Best Friends coordinates workshops across the country that help other shelters develop their own no-kill programs.
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. This native-animal rescue group works to help the creatures whose lives and habitats are disrupted by the spreading human population. Every year, they care for hundreds of creatures, ranging from bobcats to baby squirrels. (Have a local native-animal rescue group you’d rather give to? Fine with me! Let me know about your donation to them, and I’ll count it towards the raffle.)
Project Purr. This group provides care for Santa Cruz feral cat colonies—and tames and finds loving homes for wild cats when possible. (Again, if you have a local equivalent to this group and you’d prefer give to them—I’ll count it.)
Alley Cat Allies. Does on a national level what Project Purr does locally, caring for feral cats, making sure they get neutered so that colonies diminish in size over time, and providing support to local rescue organizations. They also track local, state, and national legislation affecting ferals.
The Duke University Lemur Center. We humans are primates, and some of the most charming members of our extended family are lemurs. Lemurs exist only on the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, where poverty and habitat destruction put them all at risk of extinction. The Lemur Center engages in global research and conservation efforts, including raising and releasing captive-bred lemurs back to the wild.
The Jane Goodall Institute. This organization works to preserve primate habitat, improve ecology education, support non-invasive research on primates, and to ensure quality of life for primate species the world over.
Those are the basics. Keep me posted on your donations and your postings. Melissa will work on a button. I’ll get more prizes (and prize photos) posted.
Hi! You are so sweet for doing this! I don’t care if I win at all. Just wanted to let you know that we send a hundred plus yearly to Best Friends, get their magazine, and have supported them for many years! We also support the Elephant Sanctuary which rehomes elephants. We have sent money to help buy more acreage for these wonderful creatures, monthly support, and even our bank checks which gives them a percentage. We also support groups that protect wolves in Alaska and our national parks! The list goes on and on! Our own personal needs are few as our children are grown. So, we happily take care of the animals. It’s nice to see that other people care too!
Wow!! OK, even if we didn’t just chat via Rav, i’d be signing up. I can not believe you’ve put up that gorgeous shawl for raffle! And as we said, kudos to you for using your blog to make a difference in what you believe in.
$20 to the Silicon Valley Wildlife Center, as I used to be one of the guilty, hiking up and down those poor animals habitats every weekend. My house may have been in SF, but it’s not just the urban sprawl that disrupts their lives – we humans spend a lot of time trudging around those animals’ beautiful homes, camping, picnicing and making noises they are not used to…
I just adopted a mouse lemur from the Duke site for $50.00.
A great idea, S-H, and a beautiful shawl up for grabs!
I’ll check these sites out and get back to you anon…
Can I be entered for donating to our local cat rescue centre where we got our cat, Bart, from? they are so strapped for cash and I take cat food up there when we go past. Your shawl is gorgeous, I don’t know how you can part with it!
I just donated at the Best Friends Site ($2) and blogged about it too. While you are at my blog, please click on the Animal Rescue Site Button – sponsors of the site donate for each visit to the site. Thanks for having this raffle!
I just donated $25 to Best Friends as a memorial to my little girl, Lola who I lost in January.
Thanks for doing this raffle. I hope it encourages a lot more people to donate!
$20 to Best Friends – one of my favorites! One of my dear friends lives in Vegas and she and her partner spend a great deal of time at BF. She was/is instrumental in the Pahrump rescue of the cats and the process of finding homes for them (one in her increasingly growing family). We are looking forward to a working/volunteering vacation there next summer. We sponsor a horse and love the magazine. I take it to school after we have read it and use it with my class of HS Special Ed. kids! Thanks for doing this! Laura
Hi there. What a beautiful shawl you are donating and for such a wonderful cause!
We did a 25$ pet sponsorship at Best Friends. I think this is a fantastic organization and their work is very important. Aside from this we usually do donate to Greenpeace, Sierra Club and a local Wolf sanctuary. I will definately mention your post on my site to generate more people to this cause!
I’ll post about this tomorrow! Happy blogiversary!
You’re featured on my post tonight, and what a wonderful way to celebrate a blogiversary.
I’ll definitely be donating and will email you with the final amounts — because I can’t decide and will probably donate to more than one of these amazing charities!
Thanks so much.
Donated $20 to Wildlife one. Great idea! Will link to this later today when I post.
Hi Sarah, I put a link on my blog and I’ll donate to some of the charities.