Calendar Winner and December Donation Pledge

Yes, I have a winner for my 2011 wall calendar! It is…

Choices, aka Anne!

The calendar will be on its way to you on Friday. The rest of you who requested bookmarks will be receiving an email from me shortly so I can get your mailing addresses.

Now, onto something important, and related to Thanksgiving. Like many of you, I have a great life — a very nice roof over my head, wet food for every meal (with no meat by-products!), treats and lots of toys. Even if I do have to endure unwanted kisses on a daily basis, it’s still a pretty good deal. That is why I regularly try to give back to kitties who are less fortunate than myself. That’s why I have chosen to donate a dollar for every one of my 2011 wall calendars purchased to Rikki’s Refuge, and why I have the widget in my sidebar for those of you who would like to donate directly to them yourselves. That widget is only going to be up for a few more days! In December, I will pick a new rescue for the sidebar widget, and a new pledge (although I will still be donating calendar money to Rikki’s Refuge — that is ongoing until I stop selling the 2011 calendars).

Here is where you come in: I want you to pick the group for my December pledge! I asked my Facebook fans for suggestions, and now you can vote on them in the poll to your right. You have until November 30, and you can pick two, in case you have a hard time deciding, although there will only be one winner. The rescue with the most votes will get a donation widget on my blog, and I will donate a dollar from each Dear Sparkle book sold on Amazon during the month of December! I know a lot of you already have one or both of my books, but keep in mind that they do make nice gifts and stocking stuffers!

Here are the rescues you will be voting on:

Blind Cat Rescue: I have written about this North Carolina rescue and sanctuary before. They formed to create a safe place for supposedly unadoptable blind cats who would otherwise be euthanized in shelters. Now they are saving up to build s second building to house FIV/FeLV cats.

Cat Angel Network: This Pennsylvania-based rescue organization focuses on adoption and educating the public about the proper cat care and the importance of spaying and neutering.

Kitten Associates: I nominated this one myself, because even though it is a new organization, Robin, the woman running it, has been doing amazing things! (You can read about some of her work in her award-wining Covered In Cat Hair blog.) Located in Connecticut, Kitten Associates not only rescues cats from high-kill animal control facilities in Georgia, it is also working to help make life better and adoption more likely for the cats in this part of the U.S. Some of the Kitten Associates kittens being fostered in GA are very sick right now and incurring a lot of vet costs.

Cat Adoption Team: This large, sophisticated cat shelter is located in Oregon and cares for between 400 and 600 cats on a daily basis. From 1998 through December 2009, they have adopted out nearly 22,000 cats!

PurrEver Ranch: A Tennessee-based sanctuary and hospice for elder, abused and less-adoptable cats, this organization makes sure that their seniors have a home for life, saves death row cats, and feeds feral colonies. This group is a favorite amongst my Facebook fans. They are losing their home and really need money to relocate right now.

Lauren’s Zoo Special Interest Adoptions: They rescue, care for and adopt out all species, specializing in special needs animals that often need extra medical care. They have placed pets all over the southeast US and are located in Alabama.

Please vote on the rescue that you think should be the recipient of my December donation pledge — voting is open only until midnight, Pacific Time, November 30!