Run Seal Beach’s overarching goal has been presenting grants to local organizations, aiming to give back to their community. This year, RSB had an opportunity to speak with one of our many past grant recipients and wanted to share more about how your support has helped others.
The CatPAWS organization has been dedicating themselves to helping the cat population since 2005. Their muse, Helen Sanders, began caring for her local homeless family of cats. She was a strong, devoted woman who never stopped fighting to ensure the feral cat colonies were looked after. One of her close friends began the organization after Helen’s death in 2005, con-tinuing to raise awareness of the thousands of cats being euthanized because of overflowing shelters and a lack of resources. The CatPAWS organization has grown slowly over the years, supporting “Trap Neuter Release” efforts, vaccination help, and even medical bills for those trying to keep their cats. CatPAWS has done great work trying to get more cats into a loving home. They are currently averaging about 400 adoptions per year for 2020 and 2021.
Run Seal Beach had the pleasure of ‘sitting down’ with Deborah Felin, a member of the CatPAWS financial team. Felin has been a volunteer for the organization for years. With further funding, she truly believes CatPAWS has the potential to grow much more than it already has. CatPAWS has a variety of ways they lend a hand to the community. Their largest contributions are adoptions, Spay and Neuter vouchers, as well as medical bills.
Last year alone, CatPAWS aided the Orange County community with approximately 500 vouchers for pet owners, averaging at about $100 each! Spay and Neuter vouchers cost them roughly $50,000 alone. An even bigger expense is the organization’s medical bills.
“Most cats from shelters need some kind of medical expense … it can be anywhere from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, averaging us at about $100,000 per year. Run Seal Beach has been a helping hand in these efforts. With our grant, CatPAWS was able to continue covering hefty medical expenses for owners adopting and trying to keep cats in their forever home,” Felin said.
Hoping to soon see her first year, Coconut, a wonderful kitten in the care of CatPAWS, was diagnosed with an inoperable heart condition back in May 2021. With the help and donations made to the organization, Coconut is still fighting and has now been adopted! This is one of many stories Felin can tell you about their efforts to do good for these colonies.
Run Seal Beach has been a helping hand to organizations like CatPAWS and this year, with your help, we can do it again! CatPAWS and Run Seal Beach have been partnering up for years to gain volunteers for the Annual Race.
“I’m not a runner! But it is definitely something I’m willing to volunteer for and continue our partnership with,” Felin said.
At Run Seal Beach we want to build a sense of community and be a resource for you to give back to the organizations you know and love. Run Seal Beach has grown exponentially since its establishment becoming a ‘semi-pro circuit’, as Deborah Felin likes to call it. People have begun to fly out to participate in our events and donate to the community we all cherish. For more information on donating, registering, or volunteering for a race please visit runsealbeach.com and consider joining us on Saturday, March 19. Thank you for your support. For more information on CatPaws efforts and how you can help, visit helen-sanderscatpaws.com.
