‘Animal’versary scheduled for Oct. 1

The 10th Annual ‘Animal’ versary to benefit the Coastal Animal Rescue and Educational sanctuary (SC-CARES) will be held on Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Charlie and Judy Bouknight are hosting the event at The Pet Gallery at 4494 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet.

Providing there is enough assistance to get them there, ambassador animals will be present.

There will be food, crafts, games, music and fun, along with the knowledge that your support will help provide an animal a safe home at the sanctuary, which is home to more than 150 animals. Many of the animals have life stories that are heartrending, but that was before they were rescued and taken in by Skip Yeager and Cindy Hedrick, who struggle to keep them safe.

According to information from SC-CARES, there is a possibility the non-profit sanctuary could win $20,000 this year if people will write enough good reviews on the Great Nonprofits website. Many people go to that site to decide which nonprofit to donate to. There are many nonprofits of all kinds listed on the site. A search for S.C. CARES in South Carolina will take you to the correct place to write your review. If you have never visited S.C. CARES, located in Georgetown County, you may tour the facility and learn about the animals by appointment only.

In an article for The Sun News on August 6, Cindy Hedrick wrote about how the idea of a sanctuary became a vision for her and Skip Yeager, and how that vision became a reality that has managed to exist.

She wrote: “Our donors, sponsors, volunteers are the reason we’ve survived and the animals we’ve grown to love and care for appreciate it more than we could ever understand. So many of the creatures of S.C. CARES have come from horrible situations, never knowing what it felt like to be loved in such a compassionate and consistent manner. To all of you who have helped make all of this possible, we are forever thankful!”

“Now, 10 years later, we have been able to help so many animals, our counts are usually close to 150 creatures,” Hedrick wrote. “If you’ve ever visited SC CARES you’ll see all the structures, barns and enclosures that have been built by caring volunteers and donors that helped financially. So we are two ordinary people who saw a need and made a way to make dreams come true, but we couldn’t have done it without you. If you donated, volunteered, or helped us in any way please give yourself a hug! If you’d like to support the sanctuary visit www.sc-cares.org and help us have another 10 years.”

S.C. CARES is a no kill/no breed shelter for many species of animals. If you would like to learn more, visit S.C. CARES on the web where you can see some of the animals and hear their stories during an informative interview with Hedrick and Yeager by Diane DeVaughn Stokes.

Visit www.sc-cares.org. To write a review, go to www.greatnonprofits.org. donations can be made on Facebook and the SC-CARES website.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘Animal’versary scheduled for Oct. 1."