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Date: 9/28/2022
LUDLOW – The Foundation for TJO Animals’ Ride Like an Animal Challenge Party is taking place at the Ludlow Elks at 69 Chapin St. on Oct. 1 from 12 to 3 p.m.
Guests will enjoy live music from the band Last Minute, raffles, great food, games and much more. Event sponsors include Kitchen & Bath Design Center, Florence Bank, Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, Teddy Bear Pools & Spas, Keller Williams, and Paw Street Barkery.
Proceeds will go directly to the medical care and treatment for the animals in need at Thomas J. O’Connor (TJO) Animal Control and Adoption Center.
“We want to spread awareness in the community about the Foundation of TJO,” said Communications and Marketing Manager Jill Carra. “What we do and what we provide for all those animals in need at TJO. We want people to come out, celebrate and support our TJO animals.”
Founded in 2007, the Foundation for TJO Animals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising funds for the local, homeless animals at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center. With a focus on providing financial assistance and grants for veterinary care, the Foundation has a direct impact on saving the lives of animals in the shelter.
The Ride Like an Animal event itself is one of the signature events the foundation has done for over 10 years. It’s usually a one-day event, a motorcycle ride through Western Massachusetts during the day and then they all gather for a big party at the end.
Due to COVID-19, Carra told Reminder Publishing they haven’t had it for a couple of years but wanted to get back to doing something because they have so many folks that just love this event. The foundation decided to do a different variation of the event and came up with the Ride like an Animal challenge, a scavenger hunt throughout Western Massachusetts that kicked off at the beginning of the summer all the way through Labor Day. They picked 13 locations in the Western Masschusetts area for participants to visit.
This year’s event was not just for motorcycle enthusiasts, anyone could participate, with any mode of transportation. Some of the spots included: The Basketball Hall of Fame, Randall’s Farm, The Good Dog Spot in Chicopee, the River Valley Coop, TJO, and a Super Challenge at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, VT. Participants had to stop at those locations, take a selfie and submit it to the foundation to show they’ve completed that particular stop. Once the scavenger hunt is finished, they’ll have a party to celebrate the whole culmination of the challenge throughout the summer. As of now, the foundation has almost 90 people registered that did the scavenger hunt.
“We had no idea what to expect because this was a new way of doing the event,” Carra replied. “We wanted to do something for our supporters who love this event, and it was a great way to open the event to new supporters as well. Even though it was different from what we normally do, we wanted to hold the event, and we’re so thrilled with the responses that we received.”
Advance tickets are $15 online. Tickets at the door day of the event are $20. Register online at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/btZkIHxu8idXFTgeVb72wA. For more information, go to www.tjofoundation.org, email info@tjofoundation.org or call 306-5161.