By Sandy Kamen Wisniewski, Founder of Animal Education and Rescue
It's been almost 11 years since I started Animal Education and Rescue. I can't believe it. In one sense it feels much shorter and yet in another it feels like a lifetime ago. On Sunday June 29 at 10:00 a.m. I intend to spend 12 miles walking, reflecting and honoring the journey that led me and us to save thousands of lives and bring joy to so many more.
Often when I think of the journey I have been on I can only describe it as a spiritual journey of sorts, filled with many-a miracles and many lives brought together in a deeply touching way.
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When thinking back on these years my mind leads me back even farther, back before the start of AEAR. It is my childhood, full of powerful memories of the animals that came into my life and formed me into the person I am still yet becoming.
Some of my childhood experiences were tragic in nature, rout with gripping, painful grief. My first dog Pepsi and his horrible, tragic death was the first of those experiences. Other memories of animals in my youth brought me great comfort, such as Buddy, my cockatiel. He was the first pet of my very own and came into my life when I thought my life wasn’t worth living. Going through what I did as a child, I believe, moved me forward creating a well-worn path towards Animal Education and Rescue.
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“If we follow our hearts, even when things get tough, ultimately we will reach where we are supposed to be.”
So it is in honor and memory of those animals that I will walk from where AEAR was born in Libertyville to Highland Park, my childhood town, where it all began.
During the twelve-mile spirit walk we will honor some of the animals that profoundly touched my life, some that touched many people’s lives and a few of the childhood animals that molded my destiny. It was very difficult to pick just twelve (plus a few I bunched together) since hundreds of those precious animal’s images flash in my head and live in my heart. But those honored on the walk are ones many of you may recognize and some of them who are still with us today.
Many, many thanks goes out to my mom Joyce and my sisters Marcy and Alli who have supported me from the time I was a little girl and many thanks to the people who support all of us as we continue to do what we do as a special and unique organization today.
In peace, love and happiness,
Sandy Kamen Wisniewski
How You Can Get Involved…
FOLLOW US VIA THE INTERNET
If you’d like to join us “in spirit” follow along our walk with us as we post on Facebook at each mile and periodically in between. You can also click on this link: that will be posted on our web site and Facebook that shows you the map of our entire walk.
If you’d like to sponsor Sandy, the founder of AEAR, as she walks the 12-plus miles you can do so by going to our web site at www.aear.org and our secure PayPal account.
JOIN US
If you too would like to honor an animal or animals we are featuring or you’d like to represent any other animals that have touched you or maybe you want to represent all animals, walk with us! You can walk just the mile or miles you wish or the whole walk. You can ask people to sponsor your walk with us…whatever amount they would like to sponsor, one, ten or whatever dollar amount a mile or whatever they would like for the whole walk or you ‘cause they care about you and what you do. (We are featuring certain animals that have deeply impacted us but all proceeds will go towards all the animals in our care.)
We will have our van available to shuttle people to and from their car if they want to walk just a certain distance. We’ll make sure to give that number to anyone who wants it when they walk.
