On the Street

PET PARTNERS

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Castaway Animals Rescue Effort Inc.'s No-Kill Shelter have announced a new partnership. CARE has added the city of Springfield's animal shelter to its shelter assistance program. Under the cooperative plan, the CARE shelter will provide adoption services for as many of the city's unclaimed animals as it can care for properly. The Health Department's in-kind contributions will include transportation for animals, participation at adoption outlets, and promotion of CARE and its programs.

WOMEN'S SPORTS

Four women who are well-known on different athletic fronts will share their experiences and the obstacles they faced during Treks to Success, an event presented by the Alliance of Professional Organizations. Treks to Success will be held 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame near Highland Springs. Featured speakers will be Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Southwest Missouri State University Lady Bears coach, Jodie Adams, superintendent of recreation for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Nyla Milleson, Drury University Lady Panthers coach, and Sarah Taylor, member of the Missouri Prowlers women's football league team. Brad Eldridge, director of the Greater Springfield Sports Commission and Foundation, will moderate the event. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Additional information is available by calling the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

NEW ARRIVAL

Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo had a visit from the stork Oct. 9 when Cheka, a 9-year-old giraffe, gave birth to Acacia. The female calf took her first steps about 30 minutes after birth. Acacia is named for a tree that is common in the giraffe's range in sub-Saharan Africa. Acacia is Cheka's third calf. The calf's father is Stretch, a 15-year-old giraffe who came to Dickerson Park Zoo in 1988 from Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Acacia can be seen with the zoo's five other giraffes at the giraffe exhibit.

SLICE OF NICE

The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks is expressing its thanks to the community for the success of Hooked on Dance 2002, which was held Oct. 4. More than 700 people participated in the event, which included dinner, a live auction and entertainment. Proceeds from the auction were nearly $43,000; with the generosity of individual and corporate donors, the Hooked on Dance event generated more than $175,000 for BCFO, surpassing the fund-raising goal set for the evening. The money will be used to provide resources and support to families facing breast cancer, in the form of housing payments, utilities, auto repair and other expenses. To date, the organization has helped 41 families.