People can submit photos of their furry friends to help raise more than $1,000 for charity by 5 p.m. today.
UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine is hoping to raise $1,040 through its second annual Paws for a Good Cause fundraiser. Last year, the college raised $520.
During the fundraiser, anyone can enter a pet’s photo into a cutest-pet contest for a $5 fee, said Kathryn Mendez, an organizer and program assistant for small animal clinical sciences.
Prizes are given to winners of the cutest pet, which is determined by the number of votes the animal gets, Mendez said.
She said the college hasn’t decided how voting will be conducted this year. Last year, the 95 photos were uploaded to Facebook, where people could cast a vote by liking it or commenting on it.
“We have a goal of $1,040 this year, and it would just be an awesome feeling if we could double what we did last year,” Mendez said.
The money raised will be given to UF Campaign for Charities, which will distribute the funds to charities around Gainesville, said Karen Thomas, a community relations specialist for UF’s Office of University Relations. The Campaign will give money to about 100 agencies this year.
Christina Cusick, the senior secretary at the dean’s office of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said she hopes more people submit photos of their pets. This year, she said the most unusual pet she’s seen is a hamster.
She also said she hopes the college can double what it raised last year.
“The most rewarding feeling is that the little bit of work that we are doing is helping someone else out in our community,” Cusick said.
Entries can be submitted to crcusick@ufl.edu or mizerk@ufl.edu. They can also be dropped off at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
