KRAVE GYM MAKES MOVES WITH ARL
by Dan Hupke, Head Coach, Krave Gym Waukee
On June 8th, 2019, Krave Gym coaches and athletes met at the main Animal Rescue League (ARL) facility in Ankeny as part of our POWER PARTNERSHIP during Krave Gym’s MAKE A MOVE agility season to volunteer our time to the ARLs needs. Due to the ARLs nonprofit status, they regularly enlist volunteers for assistance with a variety of its functions, and with our Krave Gym coaches and athletes being in prime conditioning due to our athletic strength and conditioning style training, we elected to haul heavy stuff, of course! Though looking back on it, I am almost sure that the volunteer coordinator, Cassidy, decided to have us haul heavy stuff because she knew that would be where we were most useful, and I do not think she was wrong!
We found ourselves in the big red barn on the grounds at ARL Main, which is home to its adoptable barn animals; roosters, horses and ponies, rabbits, and an unbelievably vocal group of goats! In this big red barn, Cassidy informed us that they needed help clearing a large section of the barn where they stored extra animal crates of many different sizes and a wide variety of supplies and equipment. They needed us to haul everything out of the barn and into the large warehouse that was right next door in order to make room for the rabbits we would later help them move.
If you haven’t heard, the ARL is currently dealing with the most catastrophic and tragic cat hoarding case in history. In a house in Madrid, Iowa, as of June 10th, 2019, they have rescued over 176 living cats (79 on the first day and 97 since) and 194 deceased cats, totaling 370 cats. So the ARL needed our help making room for the bunnies so that they could make more room for the cats.
https://www.arl-iowa.org/news/news/arl-iowa-removes-hundreds-of-cats-from-central-iowa-property/ As you might have guessed, our Krave Gym coaches and athletes went to work, and we hauled everything out of the barn and into the warehouse and moved the rabbits, delicately I might add, to their new spot in the barn, thus making room for the numerous cats that would be coming in as a result of the ongoing rescue operation at the cat hoarding house in Madrid. It felt good to lend a helping hand (or two and some back muscles) to the ARL when they really needed it, and our Krave Gym coaches and athletes enjoyed the experience, and of course the ARL gave us an opportunity to look around and visit all of the animals!
This opportunity to make a difference in the lives of not only the people that are employed by the ARL, but also the lives of the animals that the ARL cares for, would not have been possible without the facilitation provided by Krave Gym’s power partnership with a nonprofit organization each season. Each and every season, we provide our coaches and athletes with opportunities like these to volunteer their time to make a difference in their communities, both in Waukee and West Des Moines, and together, the entire Des Moines Metro!
Here at Krave Gym, we take belonging to a gym to a whole ‘nother level, so if you are tired of your gym membership getting you nothing but a crowded gym full of strangers and no results, and would rather your gym membership afford you with guaranteed results, certified coaches, and the best T.E.A.M. in the world than you need to contact us right now! Fill out the form below, hit us up on Facebook or Instagram, visit our website kravegym.com , or stop in to a Krave Gym location near you in Waukee or West Des Moines, and join our T.E.A.M!
The ARL Mobile Response Team spent all day at a property in Madrid, Iowa, on June 4, 2019, removing HUNDREDS of living and deceased cats and kittens from multiple urine- and feces-filled buildings at a personal residence. As of June 8, more than 160 living cats have been rescued and nearly 200 more cats have been recovered that were already deceased. The rescue effort is expected to continue for several more days. Air quality levels inside the house are so toxic that ARL rescuers are required to wear respirators and protective suits and are only allowed in the house for 30 minutes at a time. Inside, multiple feet of feces and garbage covered every square inch of the home, including kitchen counters – and dead cats filled refrigerators and freezers, alongside the owner’s own food. “This is by far the worst hoarding case ARL Iowa has seen in more than 10 years. It’s absolutely horrendous. I don’t even have the words to describe how bad this is.” said Tom Colvin, CEO at the ARL.
BY: ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF IOWA https://www.arl-iowa.org/
