BUCKHANNON – The founder of Jordan’s Way LLC will visit the Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Center to help the entity organize a live stream to raise money for often-overlooked shelter animals.
Kris Rotonda, the founder of Jordan’s Way LLC, will be live-streaming and completing challenges to help raise funds for LUAC Friday, Oct. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. Rotonda founded Jordan’s Way after his shelter dog, Jordan, passed away.
According to a press release, Jordan spent the first three-and-a-half years of her life being overlooked in a shelter. Rotonda adopted Jordan, and she lived with him happily for 11 years before she died of cancer. After she passed, Rotonda made it his mission to honor her life by raising awareness for overlooked shelter animals and helping them get the attention they deserve.
Part of that mission has sent Rotonda on a multi-state trip through Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky to visit shelters and help them raise funds through engaging live streams. LUAC director Jan Cochran said he will be live on the Claws and Whiskers Facebook page from 6 to 9 p.m., completing fun challenges to help raise money for LUAC.
“He’s (Rotonda) going to be live here at the shelter, and we really want to see a good crowd here, too, so the animals and people can have fun with the challenges and maybe donate,” Cochran said. “He wants to visit 300 shelters in the area, and we were one of them.”
Some of the previous challenges have included giving the dogs treats once a certain amount of money has been raised or asking human participants to cover their faces with whipped cream and letting the dogs lick it off when another fundraising goal is met.
“No animal should have to spend their life in a shelter, and I am passionate about highlighting and supporting the many organizations across our country who work relentlessly to ensure these pets find loving homes, despite their age, breed or health issues,” Rotonda said. “Each stop on the Jordan’s Way Tour offers the ability to bring awareness to the importance of the saying ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ to an entirely new community.”
Cochran said all the funds raised during the live stream will go toward medical expenses for the animals at LUAC. She’s never seen such an influx of unwanted domestic animals, she said.
“It’s nonstop – the adoptions are so slow right now, and animal surrenders are so frequent – but it’s everywhere,” she said. “Doddridge County called me today and asked me if we were having the same problem because they’d never seen it this bad, and I haven’t either, not in the 21 years I’ve been here.”
“It just seems like it’s constant; people are always calling and wanting us to take something,” Cochran added.
LUAC is also offering a rabies clinic at Freedom Ag and Energy (the former Buckhannon Southern States) on Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon. A rabies vaccine will cost $10, a microchip will cost $15 and a nail trim will cost $7. The event is cash only.
