A frantic, three-hour Facebook live filled with pie throwing, slime pouring and an indoor slip and slide raised almost $11,000 to benefit animals at the Tracy Animal Shelter during a visit by Jordan’s Way Sunday evening.
Tracy Animal Services in partnership with the nonprofit Friends of the Tracy Animal Shelter hosted the third annual Jordan’s Way Fundraising event.
Kris Rotonda, CEO and founder of Jordan’s Way, brought the high-energy benefit to Tracy as part of a 50-state tour.
“Each year we come here it is so much fun, so much support and laughter,” Rotonda said. “Every year I come back everyone says his energy seems to get better and better each year, it’s just like the passion gets stronger every year I come out. It’s one of those things that’s near and dear to my heart because of Jordan, my dog.”
He started Jordan’s Way after he adopted Jordan from a shelter in Florida saying Jordan had been at the shelter for nearly four years. He had Jordan for 11 years until the dog died of cancer in 2018.
Jordan’s Way brings awareness to animal shelters and the pets in need across the nation. Rotonda visits about 300 shelters each year a year, doing two fundraisers a day and so far has raised more than $10 million for shelter animals nationwide.
“Every year I like to go back to our alumni shelters first, that’s one of the things we’re starting to grow across all fifty states, build our alumni shelters and add new ones each year and just kind of have that base of shelters we go to each year,” Rotonda said.
During the non-stop Facebook live Rotonda implores the viewers to donate and rewards their efforts with challenges for the staff and volunteers.
Some of the challenges included tortilla face slapping, whipped cream pie in the face, slime buckets and more.
Rotonda said he had some special challenges for the staff and volunteers ranging from a “yellow snow” challenge to a water bug and tarantula eating challenge.
“We have stuff they are not ready for,” Rotonda said.
Tracy Animal Service supervisor Brittany Pasquale said the Tracy shelter was one of the first shelters Jordan’s Way visited when they pushed into California.
“What makes it special is first and foremost this is the biggest fundraiser that the animal shelter has in conjunction with the Friends of the Tracy Animal Shelter, our nonprofit. Their main focus and goal is to make sure that there are safety nets so I can provide medical or behavioral support to all of our pets so that they can get out through adoption, rescue or return to owner,” Pasquale said.
Pasquale took turns hitting staff in the face with whipped cream pies and dumping buckets of slime as she helped raise funds.
“Now this is event is great because not only is this something that is a great morale booster, not only for staff, but it brings community, it brings our volunteers,” Pasquale said. “We ask anyone and everyone to come and participate and they get to be a part of something that, one, is for the shelter and two, is a super fun in a quirky way and your raising funds. It’s just an all-around good time and super positive and again it’s a fun way to bring awareness to the shelter so I think that’s one of the most special things about Jordan’s Way.”
As the three hour mark neared the fundraising total crossed $10,500, surpassing last year’s total with more donations coming in.
The link to donate to the fundraiser will be active on the Friends of the Tracy Animal Shelter for a few more days and can be found at https://paypal.com/donate/?campaign_id=L9KEEQM7HX23C
More information on Jordan’s Way can be found at https://www.jordanswaytour.com/
• Contact the Tracy Press at tpnews@tracypress.com or 835-3030.
