<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.fark.com/goto/11735118/www.daily-journal.com/news/local/700-000-donation-kick-starts-pet-clinic-cat-shelter-in-aroma-park/a" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"> One woman has made it her life's mission to work with and care for cats. Her neighbor donates $700,000 to create Sunrise Center Cat Rescue and Furry Friends Spay & Neuter Clinic, says "To me, this was the right thing to do". Welcome to Caturday</span></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr">Courtesy of the Daily Journal (Kankakee, Illinois) at:</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/700-000-donation-kick-starts-pet-clinic-cat-shelter-in-aroma-park/article_8536c77a-06c2-11ec-b007-6b2492753e12.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark">https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/700-000-donation-kick-starts-pet-clinic-cat-shelter-in-aroma-park/article_8536c77a-06c2-11ec-b007-6b2492753e12.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark</a></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">————————————————-</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Manuale, serif; font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">$700,000 donation kick-starts pet clinic, cat shelter in Aroma Park</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span class="printtrim"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">AROMA PARK —</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Karen Hemza has made it her life’s mission to work with and care for animals, most notably horses and cats.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Art Morrical, who has been her neighbor for more than 25 years in unincorporated St. Anne, had the means to make Hemza’s mission become an even greater reality than she could have ever imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks to a $700,000 gift from Morrical to Hemza, the two have combined to not only create Sunrise Center Cat Rescue, at 3306 Waldron Road in Aroma Park, but also establish Furry Friends Spay & Neuter Clinic, within the same building.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The above figure is correct.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">To date, Morrical, born and raised in the St. Anne area and a 1978 graduate of Kankakee Eastridge High School, who has since gone on to gain considerable wealth through early investment in the crypto coin currency, known as Hex, has donated more than $700,000 to Hemza to establish the dual-purpose location within Aroma Park.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The goal is to have the location up and running prior to the end of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Area veterinarian Dr. Diane Fedrow will oversee the “reduced cost” spay-and-neuter clinic for dogs and cats.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“There is a big, big need for a clinic like this,” said Fedrow, who only recently opened her vet clinic at 711 Alma Parkway in Bourbonnais. “To have something like this in our county is very important.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fedrow noted the cost for the spay and neuter procedures will be in the range of 50 percent less than what it would cost at a vet’s office.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">‘MAKE-SHIFT’ SHELTER NO MORE</span></strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For a large portion of her adult life, Hemza has taken care of these animals — up to 90 cats and 35 horses — on her family’s 65-acre farm in rural St. Anne.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Keenly aware of the large and growing problems of stray cats and dogs wandering throughout the area, she has searched for ways to reduce those numbers. Of course, the only way to impact that situation is “fixing” the animals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Many people do not have the resources to accomplish that and the problem simply multiplies. A cat can have up to six litters of kittens on a yearly basis, so it is easy to see how the cat problem can rapidly grow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A lover of cats himself, Morrical, whose cat named Hexius is constantly by his side, said when he learned of Hemza’s plan, he simply told her to find that location and he would take care of the expense.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He adopted Hex from Hemza a few years ago. The neighbors have been friends since.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When she realized Morrical would back up his words with cash, she went out as instructed and found a building. She located a vacant building that once housed an air-conditioning business, and he wrote the check for $300,000 to cover the costs. He had since armed her with another $400,000 to begin plans for transforming the location into a vet clinic and a cat sanctuary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Cats will also be adopted out of the sanctuary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Much work needs to be done and the goal is to begin work in short order.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Henza has been operating what she described as a “make-shift” shelter on her farm for the past 15 or so years. Sunrise Farm is actually a horse training and therapy horse riding business.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She has always wanted more and she appears she will soon have it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“If someone would have told me that we would soon be having this in Aroma Park, I would have called them a liar,” she said with a large smile. “I’ve always been scraping and scrounging. For this to drop in my lap is amazing.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The clinic portion of the location will be open to anyone. It is not income-restricted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NEED TO ‘GIVE BACK’ TO AREA</span></strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Morrical, who attended Kankakee Community College for one year after high school graduation, earned an electrical engineering degree from Bradley University in 1982. He then earned a master’s degree in complicated science from North Central College in Naperville.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Morrical is the son of the late Victor and Helen Morrical. Victor was described by Art as a blue-collar worker. He was a line worker at the former Roper plant here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I’ve always wanted to give back, and I love cats to death,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Morrical said the $700,000 he donated is not the end of the road. He said there is more money to come as he wants to see this site remain in operation for the long term.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“This is going to be a forever place,” he said, adding he plans to set up a trust fund to sustain it long after he departs this world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Cats aren’t going anywhere, so this place is not going anywhere. This will be here helping our rescue community,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The extreme size of the donation makes most people take a giant step back — Hemza included. But for Morrical, it simply doesn’t faze him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The amount of money to everyone else is important,” he said. :To me, this was the right thing to do and it was the right place to do it. ... This will hold a lot of cats.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hemza said people notice the cats walking around houses or in alleys, but really don’t give much of a thought to them. But the animals, she said, need to be cared for and despite what may be good intentions of some residents, houses or backyards cannot be turned in pet sanctuaries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“This is a dream come true,” she said. “We are sharing a dream come true. I never thought this would be attainable.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Dr. Fedrow is hoping to have a couple doctors at the site to take care of the clinic’s medical needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“He believes in the cause and this is fantastic,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One might wonder if Fedrow is taking business away from her own clinic or from veterinarians around the region.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She said she is not. She said there is plenty of spaying and neutering business to go around.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She said there are waiting lists throughout the area. It is not uncommon for a pet owner to wait a month or more to have their pet’s procedure completed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 9pt; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 16.5pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I told Karen I would do the best I can,” she said. “It was not a tough sell to get me on board.”</span></p></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">————————-</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Photo . . .</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: white;">Karen Hemza, left, and Art Morrical, longtime neighbors in St. Anne, stand in front of the new Sunrise Center Cat Rescue at 3306 Waldron Road in Aroma Park, which will also house Furry Friend Spay & Neuter Clinic. Thanks to a $710,000 gift from Morrical, Hemza's work with animals, most notably horses and cats, will expand to the rescue and clinic that aims to open by the end of the year.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: white;"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_090421.jpg">http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_090421.jpg</a></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">————————————————-</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div><b>“Caturday”</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> by Linus Petit</span></div><div><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_by_Linus_Petit.mp3">http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_by_Linus_Petit.mp3</a></div></div></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://moscowcares.net/">http://moscowcares.net/</a></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>