Meridian Kiwanis Club of Columbus is asking local residents to nominate their dogs and cats and even their geckos and goldfish as the city’s “Coolest Pet” to help raise money for local, state and national efforts to reduce infant mortality.
The contest, called “The Coolest Pet in Columbus,” launched Wednesday at the Upland Columbus Pump House, 148 Lindsey St., and will run until midnight on April 19.
The goal of the contest is to raise at least $12,000 for infant mortality initiatives for March of Dimes, Riley Children’s Foundation Be the Hope Now campaign and Healthy Communities’ Infant Mortality Prevention Team, said Dick Boyce, Meridian Kiwanis Club of Columbus member.
The contest is being conducted online at gogophotocontest.com/meridiankiwanis2020.
Contestants will go to the website and upload a photo of their cat, dog or “unique pet” and write a few brief sentences about why their pet is the coolest pet in Columbus. The contest is open to any pet, and those entering their pets must be at least 21 years old to participate.
It costs $10 to enter the contest, and contestants receive 10 votes that they can use to vote for their pet or other pets. Members of the public can purchase votes for $1. Voting is done through the contest’s website. The dogs and cats that receive the most votes will be declared winners and their owners will receive prizes.
The pet in each category — dog, cat or unique pet — that gets the most votes will be featured on the label of a special beer glass by Upland Brewing Co.
Winning pets will be professionally photographed and featured on the websites of White River Broadcasting Company’s radio stations, WCSI, WKKG, WIN 104.9 and 106.1 The River, as well as the websites of Meridian Kiwanis Club of Columbus and other partners.
Second and third-place pets in each category will be featured in a smaller logo on the front label of the Upland Brewing beer glass and also will be featured on White River Broadcasting Company’s radio stations and the websites of Meridian Kiwanis Club of Columbus and other partners. The top pet winners will be honored at the Upland Columbus Pump House on May 12.
Indiana has a high infant mortality rate compared to other U.S. states. In 2017, the rate was 7.3 deaths per 1,000 live births — the seventh highest rate in the country. Only Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alabama and Tennessee had higher rates. In 2018, the infant mortality rate in Indiana decreased to 6.8. The national average in 2017 was 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. National level data for 2018 has not yet been released.
“This all goes back to the fact that the goal of Kiwanis is to help children,” Boyce said. “Clearly, this is a situation where you would like to help them in the first year of their life.”
Last year, Meridian Kiwanis Club of Columbus raised $6,823 during its inaugural “Coolest Pet” contest and donated $2,000 each to March of Dimes, Riley Children’s Foundation and Healthy Communities, Boyce said. The remaining $823 was used to cover contest-related expenses. A total of 46 dogs and 16 cats were entered in last year’s competition.
“The need is clear,” Boyce said. “You feel as if you just need to figure out how to increase awareness and you hope that an increased awareness and resources for these three organizations, we could get back to at least to the national average (for infant mortality).”
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Visit gogophotocontest.com/meridiankiwanis2020 for more information.
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