| burrogirl |
 Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:48 am
Post subject: PASADO’S SAFE HAVEN APPOINTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER |
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For Immediate Release
PASADO’S SAFE HAVEN APPOINTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Fifteen years ago, the senseless death of Pasado the donkey moved a small group of dedicated individuals to begin a crusade. "Friends of Pasado’s" was formed. Though we were a tiny group, we worked (with the help of others) to pass The Pasado Bill, making intentional animal cruelty a felony. We offered rewards to identify animal abusers and ultimately fight for their convictions. But we wanted to do so much more.
In 1998, we purchased 25 acres for a sanctuary where we could bring abused and/or neglected animals to live out their lives in a peaceful, caring environment. Since then, the generosity of underwriters has allowed us to expand the sanctuary to 80 acres. We have an additional 60-acres in Lewis County that are currently being developed into "Pasado’s South". And just last week, an additional 50-acre parcel in King County was donated for the purpose of rehabilitating animals in need a quiet, protected environment for recovery.
There have been so many animals in need of our help, and too many rescues to count. We proudly celebrate every creature we have saved, and mourn those we could not reach in time.
The Oprah Winfrey Show put Pasado's on the international map in 2000 (who knew that Oprah aired in India, Iceland, and every other corner of the world!).
And then Hurricane Katrina hit. Pasado's saved 1,200 animals and received extensive media coverage on CNN, Animal Planet, ABC News and Nightline. The impact of this major exposure convinced us of one thing: we could never go back to our humble beginnings in a one-room office with one phone line. We had grown well beyond that already, but we had to expand further. And we needed the help of someone with a unique skill set we lacked.
And so, after long consideration, we began the search for an outstanding individual— a unique leader with national experience, business acumen, a vision for the future, and above all, someone with a deep passion to help all animals.
And we found her.
On September 4th, Donna Cappa will become Pasado's first CEO. She has been the Director of Development and a strategic manager for the renowned Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah and has worked with an amazing range of people, foundations, and corporate partners.
Prior to Best Friends, Donna launched highly successful IPO's and managed to grow a start-up business into a multimillion-dollar corporation. When one of her children was diagnosed with a rare disease, Donna formed her own non-profit organization from scratch to benefit those affected by the disease. Donna is well versed in both the non-profit and for-profit arenas. She brings 20 years of experience in operational management, strategic planning, marketing, development, and e-commerce.
Donna's role with Pasado's Safe Haven is to take us to the "next level". We have reason to celebrate our past achievements— from our mobile spay/neuter program to our A.A.R.F.F. initiative for senior dogs, from the building of Kitty City to our successful lobbying efforts in animal-cruelty legislation. But we would like to expand these efforts and more. We want to be able to help the many good people from around the country who have approached us to use our program protocols and model legislation in their areas. In addition to carrying out our mission outside Washington State, Donna will bring enhanced cruelty investigation protocols and spay/neuter services to Washington State.
Donna has worked with the likes of animal loving luminaries such as Ellen DeGeneres, Mary Tyler Moore, Kevin Bacon, Dario Franchetti (Indy 500 driver and Ashley Judd's husband), Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), and Tamar Geller (Oprah Winfrey's personal dog trainer). We expect great things to come to Pasado's Safe Haven due, in part, to her relationships.
Donna became an animal advocate at the age of 6 when she couldn't resist an animal in need. "I found an abandoned, starving kitten in an abandoned neighborhood field known as the "Old Oak". I snuck her into our house, where I tried feeding her crackers until I was discovered by my mom who showed me how to care for her properly," Donna recalls. "Although it was already a full house with too many mouths to feed, my mother didn't have the heart to make me give her away. She was one of many family pets for 14 years."
Donna grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut and has four children: oldest daughter Rianne and youngest daughter Marissa, will join Donna in Seattle. Younger son Matthew is a Freshman in college studying Criminology. Her eldest son, Philip, attends the University of Western Australia in Perth Australia and is studying Law. Both daughters work in animal rescue as well. They share their home with two cats (Logan and Gambit) and a golden retriever named Nick.
For the animals,
Susan Michaels
Co-Founder
Pasado's Safe Haven
www.pasadosafehaven.org |
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