June 10th, 2019 –Kettering, OH – During SICSA Pet Adoption Center’s Lift Your Leg event, Modern Woodmen of America called up long-time dedicated SICSA Volunteer, Mark Schenk to the stage to honor him as a Hometown Hero. As the Lift Your Leg Chair for the last 9 years, Mark has led his team in raising over $461,000 in critical life-saving funds to support SICSA’s mission, which is dedicated to promoting the welfare and adoption of companion animals, while also focused on nurturing the loving, lifelong relationship between animals and people.
“Volunteers like Mark Schenk are at the heart of our organization. SICSA cannot do what we do without our volunteers like him who truly are heroes to SICSA, our pets, and ou
r community that we serve” shared Nora Vondrell, President and CEO. Mark Schenk has continued to serve in a number of roles, from past President of the Board to beta tester as SICSA’s first Slumber Party adoptions programming family. In 2010, Mark and Nora worked together to create the first Lift Your Leg 5k and 10k, using the already successful SICSA Walk for Strays. It was a way to combine Mark’s love and passion for running and SICSA’s pets and mission. Since its inception, Lift Your Leg has grown from a couple hundred participants to become a people-friendly dog event with over 1,200 participants. Mark shared that his favorite memories from over the years is “of the hard work and accomplishments of so many dedicated committee members” coming together to help our community. When asked about his favorite memory of Lift Your Leg, Mark stated that “When I consider how much planning goes into that single day . . . that most importantly raises much-needed funds and awareness for our animals who don’t have a voice of their own. It’s humbling to be able to sit back and think that the efforts of our committee can have such an impact.”
As part of the Hometown Hero program, Modern Woodmen is donating $100 to the charity of his choice. Every year, Modern Woodmen looks for people who go above and beyond to help others and honors them as a Hometown Hero and Mark Schenk certainly meets that description. In addition to honoring Mark as a Hometown Hero, Modern Woodmen of America granted SICSA a matching grant of $2,500 for their fundraising efforts at Lift Your Leg.
Founded in 1883 as a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen of America offers financial services and fraternal member benefits to individuals and families throughout the United States.
To read more about Mark on the SICSA Blog: https://www.sicsa.org/lift-your-leg-meet-the-chairperson/
To see pictures from the 2019 Lift Your Leg: https://www.facebook.com/sicsapets/
To become a SICSA Volunteer: https://www.sicsa.org/volunteer/
