David Baity (Weird Frontiers RPG) Benefit Raffle for Paved Paws Animal League

David Baity asked to make a guest appearance at The Tavern, and as we do every year, we are very happy to have him and the cause he is helping. I happen to be a huge cat person (and Sadie, our orange tabby, is a rescue from our backyard in October of 2020).

It’s that time of the year again when I throw a bag full of gaming loot on the table and ask you to donate for a cause that is near and dear to me. Most of you are familiar with the charity raffle I’ve done over the last several years to raise money for local no-kill rescues, but for those of you that aren’t in the know, I’ll try to make it short and sweet.

I have a real soft spot for most things running around on four legs, with cats being my favorite people on planet earth. One Saturday, several years ago, I happened to be in a PetSmart store and saw some ladies spending their Saturday trying to adopt out felines that they fostered after ensuring they were healthy. It never really hit me until that day the amazing things these rescues do, and the sacrifice they make. It wasn’t long afterward that I decided to do my part. I threw together a gaggle of nerdy goodies and set up a prize raffle where all money raised was donated to these special people and the animals they give a chance at life to, while at the same time giving some cool gifts away.

This year is only different in that a few local businesses in the area have been kind enough to donate items, some of which aren’t related to gaming. I'm hoping that these donations will bring folks into the raffle that aren't into gaming. The way the raffle works is simple! You donate directly to Paved Paws Animal League by way of https://paypal.me/pavedpaws , and for each dollar you donate, you gain one ticket/entry for the raffle. The raffle will run from 3/6 through 3/20 at midnight. From there, I’ll have someone in the industry draw names. Winners will pick prizes in the order their name is drawn.

I’m very excited to open the raffle up locally this year in the hopes it raises awareness in the community and helps raise more money for the cause.

In the past, I’ve split the donations up between two rescues, but this year I’m going to keep it simple and go with Paved Paws Animal League. Sheri Kassalias is the founder of the rescue, and it was formed in May 2015. They have a full board and are a foster-based rescue with no brick-and-mortar facility. 

I’ve been a big fan of Sheri and those helping her for several years now. I’ve witnessed her many heartaches through the years brought on by the animals she couldn’t save, and the joyful moments when an animal is saved and eventually made healthy enough to adopt out. There aren’t many weekends where she’s not out at a local pet food store in the area selling some cool hand-crafted items to raise money for animals she’s getting ready for adoption. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Sherri cares for five feline colonies that she feeds every night, rain, or shine. This also means trapping those that haven’t been fixed so that they can be spayed or neutered and then re-released back to their colonies unless there’s a rare case where a cat has been abandoned. These lucky moggies are often tame enough to be re-homed after their medical needs are attended to. Add occasional transporting of animals out of state to be adopted, and some dabbling in wildlife rescue, and you can see why I think they’re a legit place to park some funds.

All you must do to donate to this tax-deductible charitable cause is click the link above. Please remember two things when you do: With your donation, please leave the word “Raffle” so we can keep things separate from the non-raffle donations that may come in while the raffle is live. And second, please remember to select “Friends & Family” when you use Paypal so the rescue isn’t charged a PayPal fee. Once you donate, I’ll add you to a master spreadsheet once for each dollar donated ($10.00 means 10 chances to win!).

Please also consider sharing this post with any group that you think might be interested in the raffle.

Thanks so much!

Dave

PS: All the prizes are shown in the pictures attached to this post!