by Kirsten Grenier
It doesn’t matter if you’re a rockstar vocalist or can barely carry a tune. The animals at Happy Tales Humane don’t care, and they need your help.
The no-kill animal shelter is participating in The Big Payback, a 24-hour online giving day on May 6 to benefit nonprofits throughout Middle Tennessee. The shelter decided to have a little fun with the opportunity, and they are looking to the community for help.
Happy Tales Humane is holding a video contest and encouraging people of all ages to participate. Individuals, groups or businesses will record a video singing a song that mentions an animal in its lyrics. Once the video is submitted, along with a ten dollar minimum donation on May 6, it will be uploaded to the Happy Tales Humane Facebook Page. The public will then watch the videos and ‘like’ their favorites. Whichever video receives the most ‘likes’ will be featured in the shelter’s next Public Service Announcement.
“We wanted to come up with a campaign that would be fun and include the community,” Executive Director Debbie Cure said. “We live in Music City, so what better way than singing for the animals?”
As Williamson Source reported in November, Happy Tales Humane was asked to leave its home since 2001 at The Factory in Franklin. The shelter has been looking for a new location since and has been unable to fully operate. Funds raised from The Big Payback will go toward a new home.
“Our goal at Happy Tales Humane is to relocate to a new space that will allow us to serve the community and the animals to the best of our ability,” Cure said. “The long-term goal is to be able to purchase land and build a farm where we can do more controlled care, behavior training, long-term medical care and hospice care for those older animals that end up with no home and no place to just live out their lives. Our more immediate and specific goal…is to give the animals in our care the one-on-one attention and time that they require to be placed in the best possible home for their needs. ”
Those who wish to participate in the video contest may e-mail entries to [email protected]. Videos may be no longer than 30 seconds. Participants must donate on Big Payback Day, starting at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6 and ending at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7. Those who don’t wish to create a video may still donate. To learn more about Happy Tales Humane, click here.
