Every donation made until December, 31, will be matched by PetSmart Charities! If ever there was a time for you to help homeless cats of LA, it is now!

Your heartfelt donations to spay/neuter homeless cats in LA go twice as far when you donate now, thanks to PetSmart Charities who will match whatever you donate, dollar for dollar!

PetSmart Charities has challenged FixNation to raise $51k in new donations before the end of this year – December 31, 2011! For every dollar we raise from a new donor, PetSmart will match it!

Please help us meet this challenge by sharing this fundraiser with your friends and families! We’re asking everyone who cares about LA’s cats to support FixNation by making a donation today!

It’s so easy!

Your donation of $10, becomes $20!
Your donation of $25, becomes $50!
Your donation of $100, becomes $200!

Thank you for joining FixNation in helping LA’s homeless cats!

After you’ve made your donation, consider how you can inspire others!

But you can do more than double your donation with Petsmart’s Matching Gift!  You can help raise MORE funds by hosting your own fundraiser on Crowdrise.  Make this your challenge too!  

Start YOUR campaign to help homeless cat!

Do you need a new coffee mug or sweater?  Make gift-giving count this year by giving a gift to homeless cats.  Ask your friends and family to contribute to your campaign.

The best gift of all will be knowing that you helped save lives!

THANKS, EVERYONE, FOR HELPING MAKE COOL CATS FOR FIXNATION AT THE G2 GALLERY FEATURING THE CARL VERHEYEN BAND ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2011 SUCH A SUCCESSFUL AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE!

Community spirit, art, music, cats and charity all came together at the wonderful G2 Gallery Friday night August 19, where everyone joined hands to support FixNation, and “get down” with the Carl Verheyen Band, performing as the “Cool Cats”.

Our hosts, Susan and Dan Gottlieb, the founders and owners of the G2 Gallery, deserve special thanks for offering up their unique venue and all it embodies on a night like this. And, for leaving everyone in awe, we also thank our star attraction, Carl Verheyen and his band mates, Dave Marotta and Walfredo Reyes, Jr., the talented, merry troupe who simply dazzled those in attendance with their special brand of musical offerings.

Carl Verheyen Band on-stage at event: Carl Verheyen (Guitar), Walfredo Reyes, Jr. (Drums) and Dave Marotta (Bass)

We would also like to thank and acknowledge the contributions of all those who purchased tickets, the donors who purchased tickets for complimentary invitation purposes, everyone who contributed to what became a terrific array of auction items, the G2 staff who worked so hard on putting the event together, the FixNation volunteers and staff who did so much to make things easy and efficient at the event, and all of those who came after what, for most, was a busy work day.

The venue’s size limited attendance to 100 and was a sold out event. Downstairs, the room was elegantly laid out to accommodate a buffet table of catered food items, a wine and beverage bar, a display of all the silent auction items, the check-in and ticket distribution table, and a table offering Carl’s CDs and DVDs for sale. Upstairs, in the main Gallery room, a stage was set up before rows of chairs to accommodate all the guests.

Here are a few photos from the event:

Event Special Mention

Many of the guests that came to the event did so thanks to the generosity of two major donors, grateful for the opportunity to help and to accept our public thanks. These are:

The Dax Foundation, and its principal, Dave Weisman, a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, specifically wanted to enable supporters of ours to attend and support the valuable mission of FixNation, a cause near and dear to his heart. For more on Dax Foundation and its unique role in helping make our world a better place, please visit www.daxfoundation.org.

Open Letter

To all of the donors, clients, employees, volunteers, sponsors, friends and supporters of FixNation:

Each year, Los Angeles Magazine searches out to find a limited number of special companies and organizations that deserve to be honored and recognized as the “Best of LA” in categories representing the wide variety of goods and services that make up the rich texture of Los Angeles as a community. This year, we are proud to say that FixNation – your FixNation – has been named the Best in our category – stray cat (spay-neuter) clinic.

The cover and inside piece on this accolade, the latter featuring a photo of “Super Cat”, are on the pages which follow¹. Karn and I were invited to and attended the recognition party LA Magazine hosted last night at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where we met many other honorees and the publication’s key executives involved in this years BOLA. It was our honor to do so, not for the personal recognition it provided, but rather the opportunity it provides to shine the light on our mission – one that all of you share, and do so much to bring us closer every day to the end of feline homelessness and the dawn of humane enlightenment in our society.

Truly, you are the ones who deserve this award and recognition, so it is my genuine pleasure to share it with you in this spirit…

Sincerely,

Mark Dodge

President

¹ Article erred in citing our start year as 1999, which is when we launched Best Friends Catnippers. FixNation actually started in 2007.

FixNation is Deeded the Plot to Toto’s Final Resting Place in Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Toto from The Wizard of Oz is one of the most well-known and beloved canine movie stars of all time. Say the word Toto to almost anyone in the world and they immediately know who you are talking about.

As a film, The Wizard of Oz was epic when it was released back in 1939. It was witness to the launch of Technicolor, it won several Academy Awards, and to this day it’s one of the biggest films in pop culture history. At least once a year, the movie airs and both young and old sit rapt in front of the TV. If you grew up with the Wizard of Oz, you remember being fascinated by talking lions and tin men, getting scared silly by flying monkeys and wicked witches, and falling in love with the adorable little Toto. And some of us drooling over Dorothy’s red glitter shoes, but that’s for another web post.

What most people don’t realize is that since Toto’s death in the late 1950′s, Toto has gone completely unrecognized by the Hollywood community. There is no star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, no memorial statues…absolutely nothing to honor this little dog’s big acting career.

But that is soon about to change!

CLOSE-UP: Toto

Toto was one of the many animals trained by Carl Spitz back in the golden years of Hollywood. Carl Spitz was a German immigrant who became a famous animal trainer for the studios, opening up his Hollywood Dog Training School back in 1927. Spitz pioneered the training technique of using hand signals to get animals to perform. Toto was actually played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry, who had been abandoned at Spitz’s kennel four years before The Wizard of Oz was made (yes, Toto was a rescue!). Spitz officially changed the dog’s name to Toto after the movie became so popular. Toto went on to co-star in many films with some of the era’s biggest actors.

When Toto died towards the end of WWII, Carl Spitz buried the little dog behind his house and kennels. Then in 1958, the Ventura Freeway was expanded across the San Fernando Valley. CalTrans bought up the Spitz property for construction purposes and the entire area was destroyed. Toto’s final resting place had been plowed over in the name of progress.

Fast Forward to 2010

J.P. Myers, an L.A. local, was talking to a co-worker about an episode of the Huell Howser show, where Howser interviewed author and grave hunter Steve Goldstein about the lives and grave sites of famous animals. Through that conversation, Myers realized that Toto had lived and died just blocks down the street from where he had gone to elementary school on Riverside Drive, and this really hit home. Myers had just successfully launched a Facebook fan page and campaign to get Jack Norworth, who penned “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a more appropriate grave marker than the nondescript gravesite where he had been buried. It dawned on him that the same action was needed for Toto, so Myers picked up a copy of Steve Goldstein’s book, LA’s Graveside Companion: Where the V.I.P.s R.I.P., to dig up more information. He contacted Goldstein directly, and Goldstein agreed to partner up on the project.

Hollywood Forever to the Rescue

Goldstein and Myers reached out to a number of local cemeteries around Los Angeles, only to get turned down by every single one. Finally, they contacted Tyler Cassity, owner of Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Hollywood Forever is the final resting place for hundreds of big-name celebrities such as Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Hattie McDaniel and Johnny Ramone, to name a few. Cassity, an animal lover, immediately recognized the impact that Toto had on American culture and graciously offered to donate the VIP plot and the memorial marker for Toto. It was agreed that the plot should be deeded to an animal group so that Toto’s gravesite would always be protected and well cared for. Cassity suggested FixNation, and Myers and Goldstein quickly agreed. FixNation has been fixing the feral cats at Hollywood Forever for some time now, in coordination with the cemetery and its caretakers.

A dedication ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 18th at 11:00 a.m. at Hollywood Forever Cemetery to unveil the new grave site and marker. The ceremony will be open to the public, so please come out and join! All parties will come together to celebrate and give tribute to this little dog’s big achievements. Thanks to the heart and vision of Myers, Goldstein, Cassity and Hollywood Forever, little Toto will be honored with the recognition this little legend so worthily deserves.

For Toto, finally, there’s no place like home.
 

Toto’s dedication ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 18th from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Admission is free to the public and there is free parking on site inside the cemetery. Kids and pets are both welcome. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 90038.
 
Join the Toto Memorial Marker Facebook page

Read LA Weekly coverage

The annual Day of the Dead celebration is an ancient, spiritual tradition that dates back thousands of years to Aztec times. Celebrated in Mexico and widely throughout the Hispanic community, Dia De Los Muertos honors the memories of our ancestors and the beloved souls of friends and family who have passed. It is a time when the veil is lifted between the living and the dead, and the two realms come together in a festive tribute to life, death and rebirth.

The largest celebration in the nation is the event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, LA’s oldest memorial park. The annual event at Hollywood Forever typically draws crowds upwards of 11,000 visitors. This year, they will be combining the celebration with the Mexican Independence Bicentennial and the Revolution Centennial. Traditionally the actual day of Day of the Dead is on November 2nd, but this year the celebration at the cemetery falls on October 30th, which is the day of many Halloween activities.

FixNation will be hosting a hand-crafted altar at the event dedicated to all of the beloved kitty souls who have crossed over. We will especially be honoring and celebrating the many homeless cats who have passed who never knew love in their lifetime here on earth. We will also have literature to hand out in English and Spanish about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, in order to educate the public about peacefully co-existing with the cats within our community.

Festivities will be held at Hollywood Forever on Saturday, October 30th, from 2pm – 12 midnight. Come join us in the celebration!

The day and evening activities include:

- A traditional, opening procession taking place at 2:00 p.m., when the spirits will be guided into the afterlife, followed by ritual Aztec blessings and Fire Dance

- Hundreds of colorful, artistic community altars from all facets of the public, remembering and paying homage to their dearly departed

- Several stages featuring originally conceived and choreographed performances by renown musicians and dancers, everything from indigenous tribal burial dances to Mexican classical music to modern rock-folks groups, with a special performance by the lead singer of Cafe Tacuba, Ruben Albarran

- A superlative Mausoleum (Cathedral) art exhibit featuring various, unique life-size “Calaveras” presented by 15 culturally-conscious local artisans

- Fine Mexican cuisine and a wide spectrum of Day of the Dead merchandise available to purchase

- Storytelling, art workshops and face painting for the kids at the “Children’s Space”

- The ghosts of the Mexican Revolution and Independence parading through the entire memorial park throughout the day

- Theatrical and musical performances culminating in a featured concert under the evening stars, accompanied by a light scheme production to guide back and celebrate the spirits of our beloved souls

We want to honor your beloved kitties as part of our altar memorial, even if you can’t join us in person.

We want to honor all of the beloved cats that our friends, trappers, volunteers and donors have loved over the years, cats who are no longer with us. For anyone who has cared for and loved a precious kitty soul who has since passed away, whether a companion cat in your home or a feral on the streets, we ask for you to send us a photograph of your feline friend to include in our altar. We will post your photo on our altar so the memory of your beloved kitty will be honored and celebrated with us on that special day.

If you would like to send in a photo — you can either email a digital image to INFO@fixnation.org or you can send a hard copy print to our clinic office at 7680 Clybourn Ave, LA, CA 91352. PLEASE NOTE: Hard copy photos will not be able to be returned, so please make sure it’s not your only copy!  Anyone, anywhere is welcome to send in a photo for us to include in our altar. You don’t need to be a resident of Los Angeles to participate.

We hope you can join us for this historical celebration. Together, for one day and night, we will mingle and dance with the kitty souls we have lost, with joyous celebration and with love in our hearts.

Location: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 90038. Arrive early for desired parking. General admission to Hollywood Forever is $10 per person and children under 10 years old get in for free.

Give thought for one minute on how many future homeless cats we have collectively prevented by spaying and neutering this many. It’s mind-boggling! And yet we still have much more to do…

This amazing achievement is a result of the combined effort of hard-working trappers, the caring public, dedicated volunteers, skilled vets and staff, supportive cat rescue organizations, and last but definitely not least, our most generous donors. We can’t thank you all enough for helping us achieve this goal.

WAY TO GO LOS ANGELES!

Click here to read the special news coverage by Best Friends Animal Society.

Ericka has been working in news for over ten years. Born in Peru, Ericka moved to the United States at a young age. She graduated from Rider University with a communications degree. She then set off working for big industry names like Univision, Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” and WSVN in Miami and Telemundo 47 in New York. Today,  Ericka is the evening weather anchor for Telemundo 52 in LA, one of the largest Spanish television networks in the world. In 2009 Ericka earned her meteorology degree and earned the prestigious American Meteorology Society seal of approval. Her personality, versatility and knowledge have gained her respect and a huge following. Ericka’s Photo galleries and Internet segments such as “Ericka Te lo Cuenta” are amongst the most trafficked in the Telemundo website.

Ericka joined forces with FixNation because of her love of cats and strong desire to help the community at large. Sharing a common vision of “No More Homeless Cats in LA”, Ericka is using her vivacious personality and tapping in to her wide fan base to help drive home the importance of spay/neuter and to explain what Trap-Neuter-Return is all about.

“Many people in the Spanish-speaking community have a great love of animals and want to help the cats within their community, but simply don’t know about TNR or what resources are available to help them locally” says Ericka. “By letting people know about FixNation and the free spay/neuter services they offer, I can help show people how easy it is to make a positive difference in the world around them.”

Ericka visited FixNation with her camera crew and showcased the coverage and story on her heavily trafficked Telemundo website. She also invited FixNation’s Spanish-speaking team members to join her on air, with tame kitten in tow, to talk to her audience about free-roaming cats and the benefits of TNR.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that Ericka is helping us reach the Spanish-speaking community,” says Kim Senn, VP of Operations at FixNation. “Ericka is an extremely popular, influential woman with fans who follow her everywhere she goes. We are thrilled to have her help in reaching out to the Hispanic community on the importance of Trap-Neuter-Return for our community cats.”

More exciting plans are in store in throughout 2010 for Ericka and FixNation to team up on educational outreach projects for the Spanish-speaking community. Together, through education and increased awareness, they plan to turn the tide on the plight of homeless cats and to reduce the pet overpopulation in Los Angeles, helping both people and animals alike lead better lives.

To get to know Ericka Pino, go to:

http://www.Telemundo52.com/erickapino

To view her gallery of FixNation, go to:

http://www.telemundo52.com/noticias/5868721/detail.html

Caring for Our Community Cats

FixNation clinic is featured in the recent Best Friends Magazine, 25th anniversary edition. The article is titled “Caring for Community Cats in California” and highlights our East Valley Outreach Project.

Click here to read the entire article.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2009 issue of Best Friends Magazine. Reprinted with permission from Best Friends Animal Society.

]]> http://fixnation.org/2009/11/caring-for-community-cats-in-california/feed/ 0 http://fixnation.org/2009/07/buy-tickets-carl-verheyen/ http://fixnation.org/2009/07/buy-tickets-carl-verheyen/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:28:05 +0000 admin http://fixnation.org/?p=3564 Proceeds from the live concert fundraiser event featuring the talented Carl Verheyen Band go to benefitting FixNation. Please join us for this stellar live performance and evening of fun. Tickets on sale today!

 
DATE: Friday, August 19, 2011
TIME: 6:30 pm doors open, 8:00 pm band performs, 9:45 pm silent auction ends
LOCATION: The G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

All ticket prices include the live performance, food, drinks, valet parking, participation in our silent auction and a gift bag.