FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Camden County, NJ October 24, 2011 – Kathy McGuire, founder and president of NJ Aid for Animals (NJAFA), a not-for-profit organization, will be presented with the Nova Award by the South Jersey chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). McGuire is being honored on Thursday evening, November 10 at NAWBO SJ’s annual and very prestigious Beyond the Glass Ceiling Awards Dinner to be held at The Merion in Cinnaminson, New Jersey.
The Nova Award specifically recognizes and celebrates the commitment and accomplishments of a female NAWBO chapter member who, like an actual nova star for which the award is named, has shown a significant increased brightness in the past year.
It was barely 5 months ago in May 2011, when NJAFA launched Operation Knockout. The campaign features Philly-born boxers Bernard Hopkins and Mike Jones on Neuter Your Pit billboards put up in locations throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia. Since then and because of the collaboration of NJAFA and a low cost clinic, there’s been a whopping 42% increase in spay-neuters of pit bulls compared to the same period between May-September, 2010.
“Winning the Nova Award is a significant acknowledgment of all my efforts, but especially for the huge leaps forward that we’ve been able to make this year with Operation Knockout. I’m very grateful to NAWBO SJ members for nominating and selecting me,” said McGuire. According to NAWBO SJ President Janet Davis, “awardees must have demonstrated leadership in their professions, have been active in their communities and have served as mentors or role models for women in business, and Kathy certainly personifies these qualifications.”
Well known in Camden and much of the surrounding area, McGuire gets calls daily from individuals who want to have their animals spayed or neutered. It is her organization’s mission to spay and neuter, enrich lives, report abuse, and seek justice for abused, neglected, and abandoned animals. Though McGuire and NJAFA serve all animals, pits have become a major focus. One of her goals is to knockout the pit bull over-population problem, not just in and around Camden, but ultimately across the nation.
“We’d like to put the Operation Knockout boards all over the United States,” said McGuire. “If a group can find a billboard company in their area that would give them a good price and can raise the funds and have a low-cost clinic with whom to work, we will forward the image and give them permission to use our photo.”
As a certified NJ State Cruelty Investigator and Animal Control Officer, McGuire is well-versed in the pit bulls’ sad saga. “Pits are so maligned and are being bred irresponsibly. The contracted shelter for the city of Camden says 85 percent of the dogs in their care are pit bulls from Camden.”
Additional information about NAWBO SJ’s Beyond the Glass Ceiling Awards can be found on the organization’s web site at www.nawbosouthjersey.org. NJ Aid for Animals is privately funded by donations and has no paid staff. The organization has 501c-3 tax exempt status and is registered with the State of NJ Attorney General’s Office to solicit donations. For more information, to volunteer or to be considered for our Advisory Board, please log on to www.njafa.org or call McGuire at (856) 498-3978.- ###