Holiday Shopping Gets Easy: Give a Manatee!

There is a way to steer clear of some of the holiday hustle and hype this year. Consider adopting a manatee for loved ones and good friends online, or with a phone call, right from the comfort of your own home.

An adoption from Save the Manatee Club is a HUGE favorite on gift lists everywhere. It costs $25 and includes an adoption certificate, photo of a real Florida manatee, biography, membership handbook, a subscription to the Club’s quarterly newsletter, The Manatee Zone, and the bi-monthly e-newsletter, Paddle Tales, and free shipping. Or for $35, each new member who joins the Adopt-A-Manatee program online will also receive a 24” x 12” full-color 2009 wall calendar (while supplies last). A personalized holiday message is offered with each adoption.

There are 32 manatees to choose from in the Club’s three Florida adoption programs at Blue Spring State Park near Orange City, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Homosassa, and in the Tampa Bay area. The Club’s quick and easy online gift catalog features a variety of manatee items, including jewelry, toys, books, and all kinds of marvels for manatee fans and gift givers alike. The catalog items can be viewed and purchased at http://www.savethemanatee.org/manateegifts.htm.

For more information about manatees, or the adoption program, contact Save the Manatee Club at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646), or visit their web site at www.savethemanatee.org. Also, sign up for the Club’s free E-Newsletter.

Law that bans homosexual adoption ruled unconstitutional

Today, a Miami State Court Judge ruled that a 1977 Florida law that bans homosexual adoption is unconstitutional. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman says that the law violates equal protection rights for homosexuals and that there is no valid reason to consider sexual orientation when approving adoption. The state has already filed an appeal.

News links
Huffington Post Story
CBS Story
US News and World Report Story

Lucky Cat Tells His Tale

(As it appeared in the April 3rd edition of the News & Press)
To All the People in Darlington, Hello—
My name is Lucky. I am a very fortunate cat because someone saved my life. You see, my owner died and left me with my 51 friends in our home. A nice man, a friend of our owner, inherited the home we lived in and also inherited 52 cats. My friends and I had food and water but we also had fleas and illness. It was an overwhelming task to care for us.
I became very sick and anorexic. I really wanted to live, but most of my strength was gone. Somehow, I crawled from my home and made it to my neighbor’s house. I could barely “meow” or hold my head up. Two ladies picked me up and one lady drove me to an emergency clinic in Lugoff, SC. Much of my blood was gone from fleas and my veins were hard. The nice lady brought me home to Florence. No one thought I could live.
A very nice man, Dr. Chuck Hewitt at Westside Veterinary Clinic, did everything he could to save me. My name is “Lucky,” and with prayers and Dr. Hewitt’s help, I am alive and well! They tell me I am the strong one because I alerted some friends and neighbors that help was needed in our home for my 51 “friends.”
These ladies came in with flea medicine, shots, antibiotics, and started with my buddies. They cleaned litter boxes and washed our water bowls. They even had time to sit on the floor with us and rub our heads. You see, we needed medicine and we needed love because we were sick and frightened.
It’s been almost ten months since I made that trip to Lugoff. Many things have happened. Several of my friends didn’t survive, but most of us did. We have had shots and been neutered and spayed. Some have been adopted (free) to good, loving homes. We have been loved and taken care of by my lady friends. The ladies feel that God surely had His hand in our ten-month journey.
Friendships became deeper and some things became important in life while other things didn’t seem important at all anymore.
I have just a few very special cat friends left at the home. The house is for sale, and my special friends need to be adopted to very loving homes. Some of us are still a bit skittish, but we are willing to try to be good kitties if someone will love us and give us a good home. We would be so grateful.
My name is Lucky, and God gave me a second chance at life.
Contact: 907-3225 or 393-6494