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ordinances, including South Carolina’s first bill making animal cruelty a felony in the year 2000. Attending the signing of the bill in Columbia with the governor at the time was a proud moment for everyone involved.” While effecting change on the municipal level, Carol has also successfully effected change in other areas of animal welfare. She was able to stop the sale of county shelter animals for experimental purposes; she also became involved in actively monitoring feral cat communities and implementing a trap-neuter-return (TNR) strategy to reduce the feral cat population and prevent the transmission of disease among them. She has helped other shelters succeed and has helped organize disaster relief efforts for shelters, pet owners and other community members in need in and outside of the United States. Carol also became directly involved in animal control for Folly Beach and continues her efforts today, responding to various calls from stray or abandoned animals to injured wildlife. She quite literally brought an egret with an injured wing to Pet Helpers one day and kept it safe until she personally transported it to a wildlife rehabber. Carol’s dedication did not go unnoticed. The John Ancrum SPCA, which was a feature in Carol’s “Pet of the Week” column, recognized her efforts by awarding her their service award from 1980 through 1984, and
recognizing her as the Humanitarian of the Year in 1998. In the early 1990s, Carol was also recognized through various community awards including Folly Beach Citizen of the year. In 2004, Carol was honored to receive the South Carolina Veterinary Association’s Humanitarian of the Year Award. She was most recently recognized as a South Carolina Association of Fundraising Professionals 2013 National Philanthropy Day Honoree for founding Pet Helpers and associated philanthropic efforts. All that recognition though--it still doesn’t compare to the joy and energy of saving an animal. “All animals are deserving of care and compassion,” she says. “I am proud of being able to save so many lives over the years, especially knowing that so much of it was done through direct contact with our community. It was done without cell phones and emails, but through personal calls, many long days, and hours spent on the road--one person can make a difference.” ■
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