Archive: Around Town

Tompkins County SPCA Executive Director Jim Bouderau announced that Rachel, Amy and Anne Dickinson will chair the 2nd Annual March for the Animals on October  1st 2011. The Dickinson sisters are chairing the March For the Animals in memory of their mother, Jane Genung Dickinson, who died at the age of 81 on February 1st of this year.

“We have received dozens of gifts and kind notes in memory of Jane, and we thought this might be an appropriate way for the family to honor her while increasing the community's recognition of, and participation in the March for the Animals” says Bouderau. All of the Dickinson’s are pet lovers and have had an array of pets adopted from the SPCA over the years.

Anne Dickinson noted “Rosie [pictured] was my Mother's cat adopted from the Tompkins County SPCA many years ago.  Rosie lived 10 years with my Mother in Freeville.  Rosie came to live with me in Rochester shortly after my mother moved. . . many of the people who contributed to the SPCA in memory of my mother have fond memories of Rosie”

Rachel Dickinson is a freelance writer, and author who writes about science, nature, environmental issues, birds, birding and travel.  Her writing appears in such magazines as The Atlantic, Audubon, and National Geographic Traveler. Her first narrative nonfiction work, "Falconer on the Edge: A man, his birds, and the vanishing landscape of the American West", has been available since 2009.

Amy Dickinson is the author of “The Mighty Queens of Freeville”, and is a syndicated advice columnist, penning the "Ask Amy" column, which appears in over 200 newspapers daily, including the LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the Washington Post, and read by more than 22 million readers.  In addition to her advice column, Amy is a regular panelist on NPR's comedy quiz show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." She also can be heard regularly on NPR's national talk show, "Talk of the Nation."

Anne Dickinson lives Rochester, and is the Assistant Dean in the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, for the University of Rochester.

Amy  noted, "I’m honored to be asked to co-chair this year’s March for the Animals along with my sisters Rachel and Anne. We’re participating in memory of our mother, Jane. Our mom was a passionate advocate for animals and a lifelong supporter of the SPCA. We’ll be remembering her, and of course marching in honor of our best feline friends and animal companions, Rosie, Sophie and Chester – all adopted from the SPCA!”

The 2nd Annual March for the Animals will take place on the TC3 campus in Dryden, NY on Saturday, October 1, 2011. It is the primary single-day fundraising event for the SPCA, raising $53,000 last year, with a goal of $100,000 this year. Unlike many local walk-a-thons this is not an endurance event. The March is a family friendly event, appropriate for all ages, and physical ability levels. TC3 is making an exception to their no-dogs on campus policy for the event so that marchers can bring their well-behaved leashed dogs for the event.

“Our vision is to see hundreds of community members in their SPCA March shirts participating in support of our mission and raising money so that we can continue providing shelter, medical assistance and ultimately the forever homes for every adoptable pet in Tompkins County” says Bouderau.

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