Saturday, March 3, 2012

Run, Don't Hop to Run for the Buns

We have some special guests here to share with us today. Rachele and Brandon are from the Sacramento House Rabbit Society to tell us all about a real neat idea and fun event to help raise funds and create awareness to help out some of our long-earred pals.  If you are not used to the idea of them as pals, here is your chance to find out more about it!
 
RS (Rabbit Slippers): Hi, what a great idea to have a Run for the Buns.
 It is the first one I have ever heard of! What can you tell me about the "Bun Run"?

R& B (Rachele & Brandon): Run for the Buns is a family friendly event that we put on each year and is hosted by Healthy Habits Studio. It's fun day with lots of activities, adoptable bunnies, a ton of bunny info, and yummy treats! There are several variations to the event: timed or not and different distances. The event is taking place:
March 25th, 2012
The time of the first race starts at 8am.
RS:  Tell us a bit more about the organization , what it does, who and what it helps.

R & B: Sacramento House Rabbit Society is the Sacramento chapter of House Rabbit Society. We advocate for keeping domestic rabbits as house pets, work on being an educational resource for the public on how to be responsible bunny care givers, and rescue rabbits from local shelters. We rely on our wonderful foster homes to be able to provide shelter & love to rabbits while they await adoption. One of our most important roles is just to provide care information for people who have bought rabbits and did not research their care & now don't know what to do for care or behavior issue.

RS: Is this the first Run for the Buns?  If  not, how many others have their been?

R & B: This is the fourth or fifth RFTB.  The idea came from Rose Zahn, owner of Healthy Habits Fitness Studio in Midtown. Rose is an avid rabbit lover & wanted to make a contribution to our organization.  She suggested family-friendly event in the Spring to promote awareness of pet rabbits to contrast with the Easter stereotypes. Along with our Fall "Hoppy Hour", these events provide the bulk of our fundraising.

RS: I like the fact that there are different levels of physical participation too.  I see categories set up for those who want to walk, but don't  want to do a serious run, to very serious marathoners and everything in-between. I think the variety is inviting to make people more interested in participating. My guess is this will raise more money. Is this the intention?

R & B: Of course our end goal is to raise as much money as possible to support our rescue and outreach efforts, especially with this being our biggest fundraising event of the year, but we also want for everyone to have a lot of fun and to make the event accessible for almost anyone that is interested in participating. We have many families that anticipate and participate in our event every year. People run with their dogs and baby strollers.

RS: How would somone  register to participate in this run?

R & B: They can register on the Healthy Habits website at www.healthyhabitsstudio.com (the online registration form should be ready by the time this is published, but if not, they can call (916) 444-7729 or email frontdesk@healthyhabitsstudio.com

RS: Are there deadlines?

R & B: For discounted rates, yes

Individuals: $35 donation / includes t-shirt ($45 after March 15)
Family: $60 donation / includes 2 t-shirts ($70 after March 15)

You can also register on the day of the event

RS: Are there any requirements for participation?

R & B: You should be physically able to participate in whichever activity you choose (we want folks to be safe and happy) but even those that choose not to run or walk should come on down and enjoy refreshments, silent auction, and much more!

RS: Do participants receive anything such as a tee shirt?

R & B: Yes, we have some very cute t-shirts that you will get with registration, plus there are fun activities planned for after the races.
We sell past years shirts at the event, for very discounted prices, so you can keep your collection complete. Our graphic designer has created some really unique work.

RS: Tell us a bit about the rabbits your organization helps.

R & B: Most of our rabbits come from local shelters but we also have special cases, such as Timothy, that just tug at our heartstrings.

Timothy's story is here:
http://www.allearssac.org/fostergallery.html#timothy
Timothy
There are always more rabbits than there are homes for, so we can give a few rabbits more time to find the perfect home. We also try to create demand for pet rabbits by educating people if a rabbit might be right for them. We also socialize the rabbits from the shelters, so they can relate to people better and be a better pet. We make sure they are all spayed or neutered before they are adopted & that they are all litter trained.

RS: What is the mission (goals) of your organization?

R & B: HRS is committed to educating people about the unique nature and proper care of these wonderful, intelligent companion animals. Our goals and mission are spelled out right at the top of our homepage: http://www.allearssac.org/
 



RS: Do you also have any messages for people about the run and your organization?

R & B: Run for the Buns truly is fun for the whole family and it's a great way to get to know our organization better and meet some of the folks that keep us going. Adoptable rabbits will also be at the event, so you also just drop by learn about rabbits as housepets at a fun event. Often people just stop by to hold a beautiful, sweet, soft bunny on a cold morning.

Rabbits are the 3rd most surrendered pet at local shelters, a fact many do not know and this fundraiser is not only fun, but helps us to be able to save bunnies from shelters who otherwise wouldn't have a chance at finding a forever home.

RS: If people are interested in learning more about adopting rabbits or anything related to rabbits, how can they get in touch or find out more?

R & B: Our website is at www.allearssac.org

We are also on facebook www.facebook.com/allearssac and on twitter at www.twitter.com/allearssac and on google plus
+Sacramento House Rabbit Society

RS: Feel free to share anything else you may wish to share!

R & B: There is a great misperception about rabbits. Many people had them in hutches in the backyard & never interacted with them. We really strive to make people aware that these are complex, social animals with brilliant personalities that may be the ideal companion  for people if cats or dogs don't fit their family or lifestyle. All of our volunteers and fosterers are just amazed at the positive effect rabbits have had on them. They wouldn't trade it for anything.



RS: If people can't participate in the Bun Run, what other ways can they help your organization? (ie., volunteering, donations, etc.)

R & B: We always could use volunteers, foster homes, and donations, yes please! :D We do offer a yearly membership option for people that want to help, it's a once-a-year donation and you also get a copy of our bunderful newsletter mailed to you. We'll have membership applications at Run for the Buns, and you can also download a copies from our website.

Watch our website; we will have an all-volunteer meeting in May if you would like to learn about volunteer opportunities or get involved somehow.

RS: Thank you for joining us and sharing all about the Run for the Buns! It sounds like such a fun and exciting event.



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