Sanctuary Is Forced to Turn Away Helpless, Needy Animals

GEORGETOWN, SC – December 15, 2010 – SC-CARES (Coastal Animal Rescue and Educational Sanctuary), founded by Cindy Hedrick and Skip Yeager, is one of the all too few rescues and sanctuaries focusing on the forgotten creatures. The commercialization of dogs and cats for profit is a visible and well-known problem.  Millions are spent annually and even more tears are shed to control, protect, and kill millions, yes millions, of innocent creatures yearly. Less well-known is the plight and suffering of exotic and other domestic animals. Exotic animals, those beautiful, mysterious, romantic creatures, are taken from the wild, bred in captivity, bought, sold, traded, neglected, abused, and thrown away, at the whim of people. In 2006, after 10 years of evolving, Cindy and Skip took a leap of faith and relocated from Lexington, NC with 35 animals. SC-CARES, four short years later, is home to over 135+ resident animals, animals that have to be fed (some twice a day), cleaned, sheltered, and loved every day. 

These are intelligent, feeling, social creatures, Yeager explains. They develop relationships, they mourn, they have emotions and feel stress and loneliness. He adds, Part of our mission is to tell the stories of these animals; we want to show the plight of these beautiful creatures that humans have created (bred) out of greed, pursued out of ignorance, and neglected and abused out of apathy.

Hedrick explains her Holiday Wish on Causes.com, saying, We are totally donation- and volunteer-based. With all the generosity and support of local donors and dedicated volunteers we have come to a point where the resources, in funds and manpower, to maintain the sanctuary are taxing our ability to raise money and recruit volunteers. Yeager adds, We are turning away animals because we lack the space, money, and manpower to care for them. It is a difficult and heart-wrenching decision, but we have a responsibility to our current residents.

As a 501(c)3 public charity, all donations are tax-deductible; see GuideStar.com. SC-CARES survives through the generosity of caring compassionate people, and they are looking for help.

SC-CARES is pursuing several avenues to increase awareness and hopefully donations: RAZOO to process donations without fees; Cars4Causes so people can donate even junk cars; emails; a Cause (SC-CARES) on Causes.com that everyone can join and recruit for via Facebook; and local fundraising events. Visit their website for support options.

During this time of year they ask everyone to Remember the reason for the season, re-dedicate yourself to compassion for all of Mother Earth’s creatures and wish each, large or small, a safe, happy, and loving New Year.

About SC-CARES

Incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 2007, SC-CARES is located on 24 acres near Georgetown, SC within driving distance of Charleston and Myrtle Beach.