Many employees, customers, and fans would testify that “Olaf’s Friday Funnies” are the highlight of The Craft Agency’s work week. Ever since we started the Facebook photo album compiled of different Olaf pictures, we have always joked throughout the office that “Olaf needs to be on the cover of a magazine someday!” He always knows how to pose and look extra cute for the camera; he must be the most photogenic kitty in all of Jackson! After years of posting pictures of Olaf, our dream will finally be a reality!
To see more Funny Friday Pictures, click here.
Jackson's favorite insurance cat up for the task?
For 11 years, the Cascades Humane Society has been organizing their annual calendar contest to help raise money for homeless animals in their care. Since 2013, they have photographed hundreds of local pets to compete and raise funds for a spot in the calendar. They have welcomed all pets to participate, from dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes, to non-traditional pets, like rabbits, ferrets, birds, and reptiles! People can even donate to sponsor a pet currently available for adoption at the humane society to partake in the photoshoot. This year’s calendar theme: Super Pets! The top 13 pets who raise the most funds would be featured as each month in the 2024 calendar, and the pet who raised the most total funds would claim the cover of the calendar as well.
We first heard of the idea from a client in our office after meeting Olaf for the first time. They said, “He would be perfect for that calendar at the humane society!” We had never heard of the fundraiser before, but we knew immediately that we had to get our Crafty Cat involved!
We took Olaf over to Cascades Humane Society, where we met Carrie from Freeland Photography. She teamed up with CHS for this event and Olaf was the first pet of the day. We placed him on his pedestal with his handsome checkered tie and he immediately posed for Carrie. He seemed confused and even timid at first, but quickly warmed up to the lights and camera. And then came the cape! Carrie had pet sized superhero capes in all colors, and of course, Olaf had to go with the traditional Craft-blue colored cape. He sat in front of the cityscape backdrop and posed as Dawn Fisher flapped his cape in the wind and Becky Hirschman held up the action signs. Yes, he was bribed with treats in-between shots to keep him in place, but he was a very good boy throughout the entire experience.
Carrie had taken nearly 50 pictures of Olaf, and it was not the easiest process to pick out only one picture to be featured in the calendar. We must have sat there, scrolling through each photo, for a half hour! After long deliberation, Olaf’s calendar picture was chosen; as well as another three pictures for us to take back to the office, (because we simply could not live without them!)
Once we received our pictures of Olaf, we set up his fundraiser page on Cascades Humane Society’s website. Olaf’s page included his wintery adoption story as his biography, as well as a picture of him with his Craft family. Voting officially began on Friday, April 21st, and Olaf immediately received donations! Olaf began the competition with a major advance in the lead, but as more pets set up their fundraiser pages, the competition began to get more heated. There were MANY cute pets participating in the fundraiser, some with very heart-warming backstories, so the competition was fierce!
After 10 days of steady competition, we checked the stats of the fundraiser on the last day of voting. It was noon on Tuesday, May 2nd, and Olaf had fallen to 4th place, after some adorable puppies had taken the lead. Some employees began to accept that perhaps Olaf would not be the cover of the calendar, but that he would at least be featured as one of the 12 months. But Bob and David were determined that “Olaf had to be first place!” We were not giving up without a fight! We had 5 hours left before the voting closed at 5pm and we were over $500 behind first place. We decided at the last minute to dedicate a special charity day for Olaf’s calendar fund to get him back up to first. Employees donated what they could to the fundraiser and encouraged friends and family to do the same. Around 4:30pm, 30 minutes before voting closed, Olaf had built his way back to first place. He did not have a significant lead, only enough to keep him above the others, so we prayed the other pet pages would not have any last-minute voters so we could keep him at the top. Minutes before the voting closed, we received several last-minute donations from some dedicated customers and fans of Olaf that put him over the top! Voting ended and Olaf miraculously finished in first place, raising a total of $2,042.79; nearly $700 more than what he had just 5 hours previously.
We were ecstatic! We cheered and shared the good news to all, thanking those who generously donated to Olaf’s fundraiser page. To especially thank our donors, hand-written ‘Thank You’ cards were sent out, including a picture and signature of Olaf himself.
Olaf is very blessed to have many friends and family members to support him and his dream (our dreams) of being a real pet model! Because of the care and generosity of his donors, Olaf will be featured on the cover of the Cascade Humane Society’s 2024 pet calendar, as well as the month of February, Olaf’s birthday month. 2024 is a very special year for Olaf, and thanks to the Cascades Humane Society, he can be celebrated all year long! By the time the calendar comes out, Olaf will be celebrating his 5th birthday/adopt-iversary at The Craft Agency, Inc. His birthday is February 26th, so when you get them, be sure to mark your calendars! 😊
Calendars will be available at The Craft Agency, Inc. as well as the Cascades Humane Society. If you would like to pre-order a CHS 2024 calendar, featuring the super “Crafty Cat” Olaf, please email Becky at rah@craftagency.com and let us know how many you would like to order. All proceeds will return to CHS to help animals in need and support the wonderful people that make that happen. Pricing, printing, and other calendar information will be available in the upcoming months. We will be sure to follow up with more updates as we receive them from CHS. Thank you.
To follow us on Facebook and get your timely Crafty Cat updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/TheCraftAgency . Be sure to like and follow the page!