Congratulations to Sharon Sleighter, winner of the “Hero Next Door” contest, brought to you by Care2 and Tom’s of Maine. Sharon will receive a $2,500 prize, and a matching $2,500 for her charity, Legacy Boxer Rescue. Sharon is an animal rescue advocate from Texas who has helped to place hundreds of dogs from overcrowded shelters in forever homes. One of Sharon’s supporters described the impact she has had:
“Sharon gives nothing but 110% of her time, energy and love to this cause. In her eyes everyone makes a difference, she just leads the charge. This group does amazing things every day for our beloved Boxers! Sharon is a true angel for these beautiful creatures that would not have a voice without her!” – Shannon Stewart
It was a very close contest between our ten finalists. Victoria strong received an outpouring of support for her work to cure SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), a disease her baby Gwendolyn suffers from. The contest also gave everyone who has been touched by Cathy Speck, an advocate for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), the opportunity to thank her for being an inspiration. There were nearly 24 thousand votes cast in all, and thousands of encouraging comments. Thanks to you all for showing these heroes your support!!!
Here were the final rankings:
1. Sharon Sleighter, Hurst, TX (6458 votes)
2. Victoria Strong, Santa Barbara, CA (6304 votes)
3. Cathy Speck , Davis, CA (4986 votes)
4. Rose Sliepka, Lancaster, CA (1789 votes)
5. Linda Cathey, Beaumont, TX (1643 votes)
6. Stephanie Gallagher, Chandler, AZ (1230 votes)
7. Catherine Robar, Halifax, NS (1224 votes)
8. David Toner, Vancouver, BC (887 votes)
9. Marilyn Ortt, Marietta, OH (484 votes)
10. "Farmer" Frank Nazzaro, Kingston, NY (187 votes)
In honor of Sharon’s win, we’d like to encourage you to take further action to support homeless pets. Here are some ideas of how you can make a difference:
1) Click to Feed Pets in Need (it’s free)
2) Sign the pledge to put an end to puppy mills
3) Get informed with the latest animal welfare news
Congrats again to Sharon, our 10 finalists, and all 700 nominees! You should be very proud that you have touched those around you with your extraordinary efforts to make a difference.
Congratulations to our contest winners! See the full list of winners »