Dog biscuits are main course in girl’s good deed
The Autism News | English
Tribute | The Autism News
By NATHAN WHELAN-MORIN | The Bristol Press
BRISTOL — Jenna Ptak found a way to remember her brother and do a good deed. She made 500 dog treats by hand.
The 7-year-old had big plans to begin with.
“She wanted to go around the neighborhood and sell things,” said Donna Ptak, her mother.
Jenna Ptak jumped at the idea when her mother suggested they donate proceeds to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
“She was all for it,” Donna Ptak said.
The choice to make dog treats seemed logical.
“She loves to cook,” Donna Ptak said, and the family owns a dog.
And so began what they called Paws for a Cause. They sold the treats at the ninth annual Ferrari Club of America New England Region fundraiser.
“My husband’s business is very involved with the Ferrari Club,” Donna Ptak explained.
He works for LaRosa Building Group in Meriden. Paws for a Cause shared space with the group at the fundraiser and an employee, James LaRosa, helped sell the dog treats. The company sold Ferrari apparel and accessories for charity at the event.
Each year, the Ferrari Club raises money for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, the Village for Families and Children, and autism research.
This year the event featured 100 Ferraris, including a 1961 model that is reportedly worth $20 million. Visitors to the free event enjoyed juggling, clowns, jazz, and the Hartt Orchestra at the state Capitol on Father’s Day, June 18. Forty children from the medical center rode in a parade in the cars. They and their families were then treated to a private luncheon, with gift bags for the kids.
“We drew a pretty good crowd at the Capitol,” said Dave Friar, the New England regional co-director of the Ferrari Club of America. He estimated several thousand people showed up.
One goal of the event is to “make a connection between what the hospital is doing and the community,” Friar said, so people to see the things the medical center does.
Jenna Ptak made dog treats of all natural ingredients including bananas, peanut butter, jelly, sunflower seeds, bacon, pumpkin, and parsley.
She sold all 500 of the treats and donated $250 in proceeds to the children’s center.
The dog treats were so good, according to Jenna Ptak, that some people who bought the treats ate them instead of giving them to a dog. Jenna Ptak tried one herself.
Giving to the CCMC has a special meaning for Jenna Ptak and her family. Last year, she lost her 4-year-old brother in an automobile accident.
Money raised for the CCMC has bought high-tech equipment for their operating room. Donna Ptak said that, while her son did not go to the CCMC, raising money for the CCMC warms her heart. Maybe better equipment could have saved her son, she said. She wants to help less fortunate children.
Jenna Ptak enjoyed doing a good deed. The more she sold, the happier she became, according to her mother.
“She had a blast,” Donna Ptak said.
“I met a lot of people,” Jenna Ptak said.
Source: http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2009/07/01/news/doc4a4c169aaf957942675830.txt
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