Dr. Cecilia Fisher, a Cape Coral pet veterinarian, is a recurring participant at PJ's and Paws, and her husband, Sam Fisher, is a Lee County school board member.Photo provided
The most adorable sleepover to raise money for local rescue animals will be held in Cape Coral this weekend.
Cape Coral Animal Shelter Holds 4th Annual Meeting “Pajamas and Feet — A Night at a Shelter to Help Animals” This Friday, proceeds will go directly to shelters and low-cost clinics.
16 local people will participate in the sleepover. “Celebrity” or “Representative” Participants from local businesses don their favorite pajamas and spend the evening with CCAS animals.
Participants will be matched with one of CCAS' resident dogs or assigned to one of the cat mansions and encouraged to decorate the cat. “Suite.”
Humans can read to K9s and felines, sing to them, take them for walks, play with them, or just spend time with them. At the end of the night, when everything is quiet, humans can spend the night cuddling up with their new friends.
In the evening, “Paint Party” There, puppies and kittens will draw abstract art with the help of participants and send it home as a keepsake.
“This is one of my favorite events, it’s a lot of fun and I think it’s going to be a really great night for the animals and for the people taking part.” CCAS Executive Director Liz McCauley said:
The first Pajamas and Pose was a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, McCauley said, and as fundraisers were canceled or postponed, CCAS found creative ways to raise money while practicing social distancing. He added that he needed to find it.
“We felt this was a fun way to raise funds and awareness for adoptable animals.” she said “Amazingly, we raised over $36,000. It was so much fun that it's now one of our signature events.”
Each participant will work toward a goal of raising at least $2,000 through their networks and social media, with the overall goal of raising $40,000 to support the lifesaving efforts taking place at the shelter.
“Every penny counts to us right now.” McCauley said. “As always, we're full. We have a lot of puppies in our house right now. We have a lot of nursing mothers too. So many kittens. And it costs a lot of money to take care of them. So every dollar raised goes directly to caring for the animals here at the shelter. We appreciate your donation.”
During the event, there will be a Facebook Live check-in, giving each participating company and celebrity a chance to shine in their pajamas and show off their four-legged friend for the night.
Participants in 2024 are: Cape Coral pet veterinarian Dr. Cecilia Fisher. Brittany Probeck, Galeana Dodge Jeep Fiat. Taylor Petras, WINK News. Lisa Petruska, Premier Plus Realty Company, Gretchen Cuthbertson, Cape Coral Animal Shelter. Shelley Moore, Berkshire Hathaway Florida Real Estate. Attorney Amy McGarry – Amy McGarry Law Office. Charlene Ruocco, Superior Builders Group, Jennifer Miller Shore Premier Finance/Centennial Bank. Jane Williams and Melissa Harvey, Point 57/Junglebird/Ship/Front Porch Social. Nicole Manning; Noelia Iglesias, Cape Coral Animal Shelter; Chelsea Castria, Hearts. PetSmart's Kelly Caines, Lauren Millan, and Dana Walpole; Kristen Cardoso and Tricia Magliola Langbein, Century 21 Sun Belt home team. Rich and Mary Macchiaroli.
“The great thing about this event is that we have people who come every year, and new people come every year.” McCauley said. “We get a different group and it brings us a broader audience, which is really great. It allows our mission to reach more people.”
Ms McCauley expressed her gratitude to the community who have shown so much support since the shelter's establishment. He has adopted over 4,200 animals from CCAS, and the shelter plans to expand in the near future.
“The community has been amazing, supporting us through volunteering, donating, and spreading our message.” McCauley said. “This was definitely a community effort to keep us strong.”
For more information about CCAS and Pj's & Paws events, find them on social media or visit capecoralanimalshelter.com/news-events/signature-events/pjs-paws/.
