$35,087 raised for St. Jude in single day
Chillicothe, OH- Wearing black and white striped jail jumpers, employees of Petland, Inc. raised $35,087 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a non-profit charity committed to finding cures for childhood cancer.
“We couldn’t have surpassed our goal without the strong backing of our Petland family, friends and business partners, locally and in the pet industry,” said Petland President Frank Difatta. “It is amazing what can be accomplished when our Petland family members put their hearts into charitable work.”
More than 70 corporate employees of Petland, Inc. were “arrested” Wednesday, March 14, and “charged with kindness” by a judge from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Bail was set at more than $29,000, the amount raised by Petland the previous year for St. Jude.
According to Debbie May, director of communications at Petland, Inc., the company conducts an annual fundraiser for St. Jude, one of two national children’s charities at Petland. The company established Safari Stan’s Children’s Charities in 1994 to raise money for St. Jude via canister collections in its retail pet stores. Petland also fulfills pet-related wishes for terminally ill children nationwide through the Make-A-Wish Foundationâ of America.
Melissa Kempf, an event marketing coordinator for St. Jude, attended the all-day fundraiser at Petland’s corporate headquarters in Chillicothe, Ohio, along with other St. Jude representatives.
“If every company would commit to doing something like this for St. Jude, just imagine the possibilities,” said Kempf. “We are so thankful to Petland. The company has been our top ‘Captured for Kids’ fundraiser in Chillicothe over the last several years.”
Petland, Inc. is a 40-year-old global franchise operation, headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio, with more than 190 quality, full service, retail pet centers across the United States, Canada, Japan, Chile and South Africa. This year, Petland ranked among the top franchises in Entrepreneur® Magazine’s “Franchise 500®.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is one of the world’s premier centers for research and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children, primarily pediatric cancers. St. Jude is the only pediatric research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas and opened in 1962. For more information on St. Jude, please visit the hospital’s Web site at www.stjude.org.