Walk Talk

Introducing the 2010 Walk T-shirt!

If you’re going to make a statement of compassion, it might as well be a fashion statement as well!

That’s why we’re so excited about the official 2010 Walk for Farm Animals t-shirt. This year’s design is by Leanne Hilgart of vegan fashion house Vaute Couture.

Leanne has interpreted our tag line—Compassion for All—in her own unique way, and we think the result is just wonderful.

We’re so excited that this fall there will be thousands of people promoting compassion for farm animals at the Walks with these shirts. While it might not literally be wearing our hearts on our sleeves, it certainly sends a strong message for hope and change.

To make sure you get one of these awesome shirts, just sign up for your local Walk at least three weeks in advance. Shirts are distributed at each Walk.

O' Compassionate Canada!

 
    
 
Our northern neighbors have really picked up the pace when it comes to the 2010 Walk for Farm Animals! We are excited to welcome two new Canadian locations this year—St. Catharines in Ontario and Halifax in Nova Scotia.

These Walks join Toronto and Vancouver — two of our largest — and Kingston, which held its first event in 2009 and is growing. We hope a few more will still sign on.

If you’re in Canada, please consider participating in one of these Walks, or making a pledge of support. Or, add to the growing compassionate momentum by organizing a Walk in your community!

Hitting a Fundraising Milestone

 

As of today we have raised our first $10,000 toward the 2010 Walk for Farm Animals! Of course, we've going to raise a lot more before we're done (and we're really just getting started) but it's heartwarming to be off to such a great start.

Thanks to everyone who's already set up a pledge page and raised funds for Farm Sanctuary. We are so thankful for all your help. If you haven't set up a page yet, now is a great time to do so. Help us keep up the momentum and make a difference for farm animals!

Attention St. Louis Night Owls!!

Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur will be on CBS Radio, KMOX-AM 1120 tonight at 12:40 a.m. talking about farm animal issues and the upcoming Walk for Farm Animals in St. Louis. If you're awake,or just need an excuse to stay up late on a "school night," please be sure to tune in!

62 and Counting...

Just a quick note to let all of you out there in Walk-land know we are fast approaching last year's number of events, which means we're close to surpassing it!

In 2009 we had a total of 67 Walks, and this year we're aiming for 75. There's still a way to go, but I'm sure we can make it.

So, if you're on the fence about organizing a Walk in your community, now is the time to get decisive and go for it! We've already added a bunch of new Walks this year including the following compassionate cities: Palm Springs CA, Palo Alto CA, Louisville KY, Halifax NS, Tulsa OK, St. Catharine's ON, Pittsburgh PA, Johnston RI, Nashville TN and Door County WI. We're also welcoming back Walks in Albany NY, Portland OR and Seattle WA.

If you can't organize, please considering supporting one of our new or longstanding Walks by registering. There can never be too many caring people walking side by side to raise awareness about the plight of farm animals.

Compassion for All: Introducing the 2010 Walk for Farm Animals

It’s now official: The 2010 Walk for Farm Animals is open for business, and compassionate people around the country are already signing up to participate.

Every year the Walks get bigger, as more people recognize the plight of farm animals and take an active role in speaking out for change. This year, celebrity trainer Bob Harper of the hit TV show The Biggest Loser joins us in bringing attention to farm animal issues as our 2010 Walk spokesperson. Having a spokesperson is new for us, and we couldn’t be happier to have such an inspiring and compassionate person working with us on this important event.

If you’ve ever seen Bob on TV, or picked up one of his workout videos, or visited his website, you know how much passion and positive energy he has, and how infectious that is. When Bob talks, people can’t seem to help but listen. He is a tireless advocate for the people he’s working to help, and he never, ever gives up. He’s kind and supportive, but he can also be tough when necessary. He knows what’s at stake, and he keeps his eye on the prize.

As we work to create change for farm animals, Bob’s example is a great one. We all need to be positive, kind, tireless and sometimes tough. And, we all need to make sure we take care of ourselves, because without our own health and well-being, we can’t be effective for others—including farm animals.

While the Walks are certainly good exercise and help us get some fresh air, they also serve as an important reminder of how much we sometimes take for granted—the ability to go outside, to stretch when we’ve sat too long, to get away and have some time alone, to smell clean air and see blue sky, to choose a mate, to raise our young. These are the fundamental freedoms that so many farm animals never experience. Forget playing 18 holes of golf or running a marathon, what about taking two steps in any direction? What about simply turning around? The reality of what most farm animals endure is beyond our ability to even begin to imagine.

Which is why the Walks are so important.

The Walk helps us raise awareness about farm animal abuse, neglect and cruelty so people can know what’s happening and begin to take action to help.

We welcome Bob to the Walk and thank him wholeheartedly for his support and for his decision to speak out for animals. We know he will help us reach an even greater audience with our important message of compassion for farm animals.

Top photo: Bob Harper, 2010 Walk for Farm Animals Spokesperson

60 and Counting...

  
We have officially signed on our 60th Walk for 2010, and that’s pretty darned exciting no matter how you look at it. It’s especially exciting because we have some brand-new Walks to welcome to our ranks. So…drum roll please…a big shout out to Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Louisville and Tulsa! We’re so glad to have you on board.

If you’re in any of those cities, please support these new Walks and sign up today. If you’re in another community, why not celebrate the growth of the Walk by participating where you live?

If there isn’t a Walk nearby, you can always organize one. It’s one of the best things you can do to get involved and create real change for farm animals.

　

 

Getting Ready to Roll

 
Here at national Walk headquarters, we’re hard at work getting ready for the 2010 Walk for Farm Animals. We’ve been working closely with our stalwart Walk coordinators across the country, and doing the myriad behind-the-scenes tasks leading up to a big launch early in July.

Right now we have lots of Walks already confirmed, with more being added each week. We’re hoping to field at least 75 Walks this year, and swell our ranks to 5,000 walkers.

From the looks of things, it’s going to be another amazing year, with more people showing their compassion for farm animals and speaking out for meaningful change. We hope you’ll be among them and help us achieve our goals!

Registration will be open soon, so stay tuned...

Looking Back on the 2009 Walk for Farm Animals

Does anyone remember Carol Burnett and how she ended her now legendary 70s TV show? She used to sing a song that began…

”I’m so glad we had this time together” and ended with:  

“Seems we just got started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'”

And, that’s where we are now: It’s time to say so long. But I am extraordinarily happy to have spent some time with you talking Walk and sharing just a few of the many stories from what has been an inspirational event.

(We may have come to the end of this blog, but please make sure to follow our work on behalf of farm animals and see how you can help at “Making Hay.” And don’t forget to visit our “Sanctuary Tails” shelter blog, and “Gene Baur’s Bloggings” to stay up to date on all the latest Farm Sanctuary news.) 

This year we had a total of 67 Walks around the U.S. and in Canada, and more than 3000 people participated. We had people walking in the rain and in the heat. We had babies in strollers, kids in costumes and octogenarians. We even had lots of canine companions.

We walked in big cities and small towns, on both coasts and in the heartland. Some of the Walks were the first ever in their communities, and others had been around for 20 years.

We had small Walks with just a few people, and we had Walks like the one in NYC, which attracted almost 700 walkers (our biggest turnout ever).

Through these events, we sent an incredible message of compassion for farm animals, and we demonstrated that the way farm animals are treated is an issue that people across the country, from all walks of life, care about deeply. 

People not only took their compassion to the streets but they also gave generously to help Farm Sanctuary continue our work in rescue, education and advocacy. We are so grateful for all the help and support, and for people’s incredible kindness.

Everyone who participated in the Walk, our sponsors and donors, our speakers and guests, everyone who supported us with a gift, and everyone who read this blog is part of our extended Walk family, and we are thankful for and to each and every one of you. We simply could not do what we do without you.

So, again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts and on behalf of all our farm animal friends here at Farm Sanctuary. And for the multitude who have no sanctuary, we thank you for speaking out and for standing up for a more compassionate tomorrow.

Not Just Any Walk in the Park

 
 
A gorgeous autumn day in New York City. Leaves just beginning to turn. Sunlight reminiscent of the now-gone summer but holding the promise of colder days to come.

All of this was the backdrop for what turned out to be an historic event in Farm Sanctuary’s history.

We knew when the day started that it was going to be big, really big. Just a whisper fewer than 600 people had pre-registered online to participate in the annual Big Apple Walk for Farm Animals. Others had registered by mail. Still more showed up that day to walk in solidarity with others concerned about the plight of farm animals.

When the dust settled, and I mean this literally now, we had nearly 700 people in a long and compassionate line that snaked its way up Central Park West and back into the park over the course of several hours. They held signs, they gave out literature, and they responded to the multitude of honks of support and appreciation, the thumbs-up and the high-fives from witnesses.

It was one of the largest gatherings ever to speak out and stand up for farm animals, and it was truly awesome.

It was a day of movers and shakers, because each and every person who walks is standing up for farm animals and shining a bright light on the horrors and abuses of factory farming. To us, every walker is an activist and a celebrity in his or her own right. It is nothing short of heroic to get out there and speak out against injustice, and walking is a positive form of protest.

(And, talk about activism, this wouldn’t have been possible without two amazing, dedicated activists—Robyn Lazara and Ruth Santana--our co-coordinators for this year’s NYC Walk. They were tireless organizers and promoters, and our hats are off to you both for what you accomplished!)

We also had some famous guest movers and shakers, including Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, Shawn Sweeney of the Jane Goodall Institute, and New York State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Musician and animal activist Joy Askew joined us for a musical set.

There were also some special guests. John Merryfield is a self-made activist who recently completed the first Stand-Up Paddle for Farm Animals around Lake Tahoe in California, a concept he pioneered earlier in the summer. A long-time athlete, John is now channeling his energy and prowess into raising awareness about farm animal issues, inspiring others to use their natural talents to support animal welfare work.

Terence Gerchberg also stopped by to share his story about doing what you believe is right. As a contestant on “The Amazing Race,” Terence ate sheep intestines to keep in the game. A vegetarian at the time, Terence found the challenge particularly distasteful but participated anyway. Now a vegan, he says he’ll never again go against his core beliefs.

And, speaking of core beliefs, our keynote speaker, Jane Velez-Mitchell, author and host of "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" on CNN, gave a passionate and rousing call to continued action, saying "the future of the planet depends on us getting a compassion diet." If you want a few minutes of undiluted inspiration, please watch her speech. Here's part one and here's part two.

This year's NYC Walk was the biggest Walk ever. It was one for the history books, although we don't expect this amazing record to stand for more than a year. In 2010, we will be aiming  for 1000+ walkers in the Big Apple, and if you're in the NY metro area, we fully expect to see you there.

  

And, while the NYC event is now history, this year's Walks aren't done yet, and there's still an opportunity to get out there and show your mettle. If you've just watched Jane's speech doubtless you're feeling like you are itching to walk, so please check out our upcoming Walks to see if there's one in your community. You can still join us in Phoenix, Washington D.C. or San Francisco, among others.

The energy surrounding the Walks this year is phenomenal, and the NYC event is just one example of the tremendous response we received to the call for action for farm animals. Now's the time to get inspired, get involved and get moving!