Page 3 - 2018HOLIDAYS

Saturday, December 15, 2018 El Dorado News-Times 3C
Photos by Caitlan Butler/News-Times
Setting up: Left, Alarica Dietzen, Mike Means and Richard Dietzen work together to make Santa Paws ornaments. The ornaments each feature an animal currently residing at the Union County Animal Protection Society’s shelter, along with a self-addressed donation envelope. The ornaments can be found on trees in various locations throughout El Dorado. Right, Angelica Wurth (left) and Michael Kellys help make Santa Paws ornaments at PJs in November.
Santa Paws fundraiser helps benefit UCAPS year-round
By Caitlan Butler
Staff Writer
The Union County Animal Protection Society is currently holding their annual holiday fundraiser, Santa Paws.
The fundraising campaign, which started last week, has been a staple of the holidays for over 20 years, said UCAPS Executive Director Mike Means.
“Santa Paws ornaments
and the Santa Paws trees
are at various locations around town throughout the Christmas month through New Years and what you
can do is you can go to any
of the locations and pick an ornament,” Means said. “You can take that, you have an envelope, a self-addressed envelope ... and you can send [your donation] in.”
This year’s Santa Paws campaign is unique in several ways. This was the first
year UCAPS was eligible
for matching donations on Giving Tuesday, which took place Nov. 27. Through fundraisers on Facebook,
UCAPS received over $5,000 in donations.
Additionally, Camp Fire
El Dorado clubs 56 and 94 are working with UCAPS this year to maintain their Santa Paws Christmas trees. The children involved will replenish Christmas trees with donation envelopes when needed, as well as promote the fundraiser.
“Camp Fire is all about serving the community,” said Camp Fire El Dorado Club 94 leader Sarah Langley.
“We decided to help with
the Santa Paws so people will adopt pets and help out UCAPS.”
In November, Means and several volunteers met together at PJ’s Coffee to prepare ornaments that were to be hung on Christmas trees around town. The ornaments each show a photo of an animal that is living at UCAPS this holiday season – some cats, a lot of dogs and even one chicken.
“I think I sent like, gosh, probably close to about 100 pictures of animals that are currently at our shelter,”
said UCAPS Manager Tanja Jackson. “My hope for the holidays is that they all have a home.”
After the ornaments were prepared, Camp Fire Clubs 56 and 94 put the Christmas trees up around town and decorated them. Santa Paws Christmas trees can be found at:
• PJ’s Coffee
• Timmins Hardware
• Petsense
• in the Gallery of Shops,
downtown off Main Street • Union Kennel and Farm
Supply
• Walmart’s North entrance • Ward Vet Clinic
• Goodwin Animal Clinic
• El Dorado Animal
Hospital
• Jefferson Street Books
• Sports Alley
• Regions Bank
• Smackover State Bank —
Smackover branch
• The Big Tease Hair Salon Means said UCAPS doesn’t
have a specific goal for the amount of money they raise, but noted that the nonprofit depends on small donations.
“We depend mostly on just
everybody in town, basically, and the county, to help us out with this and most of our donations come just from average folk who give $20 or $25,” Means said. “We try to cover as much as we can for the coming months [when] it’s hand-to-mouth.”
UCAPS only receives $10,000 in public funds, which come from Union County, Means said. That amount covers about one month of UCAPS’ expenses, he added.
Santa Paws is one of UCAPS’ biggest fundraisers of the year, Jackson said. Money raised will go toward the animal shelter’s upkeep, including food and medical services for the animals that reside there.
Means said UCAPS hopes to continue the work they’ve done in spaying and neutering animals in El Dorado and Union County, as well as start some new initiatives in the new year.
One project he said they hope to start is a trap-neuter- release program for feral cats in the area. Means said
UCAPS has also started microchipping the animals they adopt out.
UCAPS teamed up with
the South Arkansas Arts Center this year to promote Santa Paws alongside SAAC’s upcoming production of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” Their float in the El Dorado Christmas parade featured Snoopy’s doghouse along with several UCAPS dogs.
“We’re going to make it a Charlie Brown Christmas,” Means said.
Jackson emphasized that for the animals at UCAPS, fundraisers like Santa Paws can make all the difference.
“This is basically life and death,” Jackson said. “We’re a no-kill shelter, but their lives depend on the donations we receive.”
UCAPS is a no-kill shelter, meaning that unless medically necessary or unavoidable because of safety concerns, they do not kill any animal that walks
See PAWS, Page 4C