A Spectacular Woman Doing Amazing Things…

Holly Lipschultz, not only shares a passion as a lover of books (she’s a librarian, and an author in the making) but she is taking wonderful care of our condo in Chicago. More than that, she’s doing something to better the life of animals. Adopting cats, and running her butt off for them too.

Sunday, October 7th, 

Holly Lipschultz will be running 

the Chicago Marathon—26.2 miles!

What is so amazing about this is, she has only been running since March. Okay, she actually started running January 2011 as she trained for the Couch to 5K program, which was held the following April. But she stopped running after that, until this year.  

Why does Holly run?

“Initially, running was just a way to force me to get off of my butt, since I was having a hard time getting motivated to exercise when depression was making me lethargic. However, if I have a goal, I'm more likely to overcome the psychological hurdles. Being the overachiever I am, I decided to try to run the Chicago Marathon. It was a bucket list item that I was certain I would never do, but my husband Jeff was encouraging, and so registered for the marathon. And also being an overachiever, I thought, if I'm running, I might as well do the full experience, including the fundraising."

But she’s running for more than the health of it. She’s running for the health of her feline friends at PAWS Chicago.

 

Why PAWS?

“For one thing, we used to foster kittens for them, and they were fantastic to work with. For another, they are very efficient with their money, compared to a lot of charities. They don't have a lot of "bloat" at the top, organization-wise, meaning that they actually do spend the money they get on the animals.

I really like how they have a cage-less environment at their adoption center, as it makes the dogs and cats less stressed. Secondly, I like how they truly are no-kill. They don't euthanize any animals simply because of physical impairment or illness--they actually try to heal the dogs and cats. Red, the pit bull, isa good example. He was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot, and most other places would euthanize big dogs like that. They, however, gave him physical therapy and a mobility aid, and absolutely doted on him while he waited in the shelter until the right adoptive family came along."

 

PAWS has a special place in my heart especially because of my youngest cat, Joe, who started out as one of our fosters. He was sick for quite a while (mostly a prolonged kitty cold) and was "failing to thrive" in his previous foster home. PAWS just kept on treating him, and we fostered him until he was large enough to be adopted. I absolutely fell in love with his cuddly personality during that time, and WE ended up being the adoptive parents! 

 

While there are many shelters in the US, I had to ask Holly, “Why Paws?” What makes them so special and why should we donate to them?

“People should donate to PAWS Chicago because of their status as a no-kill shelter, their efficiency with money, and their effectiveness in curbing the animal population in the City of Chicago while rescuing the homeless animals. Through their comprehensive spay/neuter and adoption program, the number of euthanized unwanted pets throughout Chicago has drastically dropped from approximately42,000 in 1997 to about 17,000 in 2010, saving many lives that way.

 Holly is not alone in her efforts...

What is one Person Doing In Cyprus 

to prevent numerous Cat's from wandering the streets?

Frank Created the Cat Sanctuary with over 200 guests.

  

How can you help support Holly's efforts?

By clicking HERE to donate

All donations will go to Holly’s favorite charity: PAWS

Holly says, “People can also donate their time and love by helping out at the shelter or by fostering--not just for PAWS, but also for other reputable animal clinics near their home.”
 

And if you’re reading this after the race, you can always support our friends by clicking HERE.

Enjoy the Journey, and take a moment to show Holly Support as she flies through the City of Chicago on October 7th!

XO Karlene