Well, hello there friends! Hello, 2022! You may have noticed that my planned one week hiatus morphed into a two week hiatus but never fear. I am back to share all of my inspiration and ramblings with you in 2022. An unexpected case of a stomach virus took me out for a bit and I just decided to not force myself to get back to writing before I was ready so took some extra time off. With that being said – I am late to do the Comments for a Cause this month but never fear. Today is the day so please read on.

Last month I chose the Alzheimer’s Association as the recipient for our Comments for a Cause. So many people are affected by this disease and it affects both those with the disease AND those who love them. If you want to read a little bit more just click here to go to that original post.

Thanks to each of my readers who faithfully read and comment on my posts, Chris and I are happy to report that we are making a donation of $127.50 to Alzheimer’s Association to help with their research in finding ways to help folks who have this disease. I know I say it all of the time but I really do have the best followers here on It’s Just Life. You keep the comments coming and that makes me so happy.

If you know me you know of my ongoing love affair with cats. It started when I was itty bitty and has not waned once over my lifetime. I can not count the number of photographs I have from my younger days where a cat is included. Case in point.

When I found out that my friend, Jennifer Shaw, was starting a non profit rescue for cats I was thrilled. I met Jennifer in my volunteering days at Pisgah Paws Cat Cafe and immediately found a kindred spirit. She is funny, intelligent, energetic and has a huge heart when it comes to all things animals. She put in the hard work to get a non profit registered and started and now Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue is a reality that is changing lives of kitties.

Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, foster-based rescue in Transylvania County, NC. We are dedicated to the welfare and rehoming of stray cats and kittens

Animal rescue is hard. It is beyond hard. It takes a lot of dedication and work to do what is best for the animal and Jennifer and her team of volunteers and fosters have created a safe and healthy environment for each and every animal that comes their way. There is a lot of heartbreak involved at times when animals are too damaged to be able to be saved but Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue, even in its short time in existence, is make a huge difference.

One such animal is Marshmallow.

This little baby came to the rescue with horrible eye infections and has been blind since she was a month old. After a long struggle (she’s 3 months old. now) with her eyes she has finally been approved for her eye enucleation surgery. While no one wishes an animal to go blind, this surgery will enable this precious kitten to live a life that is full and infection free. She will adapt and adjust and live the healthy life that she deserves. All thanks to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue.

Jennifer shared a few thoughts with me about her passion. Please read below:

 I started MLAR in April 2021 after gaining experience volunteering in animal rescue for a few years, and I saw a need for it in Transylvania County, especially with stray cats.  There are a couple of TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) rescues in Buncombe county but we don’t have one here that specifically focuses on TNR, and that was what I hoped to do. We utilize TNR to humanely reduce overpopulation and improve the lives of community cats and it is especially needed in rural areas like ours!  We also take in stray cats and kittens that have been overlooked and need vet care, and place them in safe foster homes until they are ready for adoption. Starting a nonprofit animal rescue during the pandemic had its difficulties, but what was unexpected was the support I received from other local rescues in and around Transylvania County that has made our success possible. Fostering good relationships with people working towards the same goals, staying honest, taking advice and knowing our capacity for care has been critical in running a successful rescue. I learned early on that recognizing our capacity for care and functioning within it would allow us to be the best resource for the animals and people in our community, and sometimes that entails saying “no,” which is never easy. However, when we have good relationships with other rescues, that means we can send people to our partner rescues. When it’s their turn to say no, they can send people to us. It works both ways and it can really be a wonderful thing when done properly.  Most importantly, we are animal lovers, we love where we live, and we want to help our community. Running a nonprofit is not something that can be successful without support of the community. I’ve met wonderful people along the way and am looking forward to what 2022 has in store for our little rescue!

There are multiple ways that folks like me (and you) can support Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. Of course the primary way is to donate financially which helps them direct the funds to where it is needed most. That can be done directly on their website here. They also have wishlists on Chewy and Amazon and when someone orders an item they will be shipped directly to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. Easy and stress free which is my way of doing things these days.

If you forgot or are new here this is how Comments for a Cause works. For every comment made this month on any post on It’s Just Life, Chris and I pledge to donate 50¢ to Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue. At the end of the month I tally it all up and make the donation. Magic. Thanks to all of my faithful readers who support my various charities this has become my favorite feature on my blog. And this month it is all for the cats – so it is a super winner.

Please check out Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue by clicking on the various social media links below to get connected and keep up to date on what is going on with this worthy rescue. And maybe, just maybe, you might make a little donation to help Marshmallow with surgery costs. Special thanks to Jennifer for her dedication and work and for her willingness to contribute her thoughts for this post.

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