The 3rd Annual Pet Contest was held at Electric Boat in October to raise money for the American Cancer Society and the Making Strides for Breast Cancer October campaign. Electric Boat employees from all sites were invited to participate in this four-week fundraising effort for a chance to win one of nine trophies.
To enter the contest, employees were asked to fill out a virtual registration form and return the form with a photo submission of their pet. Participants were asked to enter their pet into one of three categories—Dogs, Cats or Other— and one of three sub-categories— Best of Show, Cutest or Best Companion. Overall, a total of 127 entries were submitted for this year’s contest. All pet submissions were given a number and were displayed throughout the month of October in the Groton and New London atrium areas for employees to place their votes.
In an effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society and the Making Strides for Breast Cancer campaign, employees were asked to make a $1 donation for each vote made. Votes were accepted from employees, family members, friends and co-workers, and people could vote as many times as they liked. To place a vote, employees wrote the number of the pet they would like to vote for on an envelope, provided their monetary donation, and then dropped the envelope in the ballot boxes located next to the pet submissions. Employees could also cast their votes by sending their ballot and donation via interoffice mail, through Venmo or PayPal or on the Pet Contest web page. Votes were tallied up at the end of each week and all entrants received a weekly email with the current tally of votes.
From all of the votes collected, this year’s Pet Contest resulted in $3,965 raised for the American Cancer Society and the Making Strides for Breast Cancer October campaign. Nine trophies were awarded to the contest winners from each category.
Electric Boat employee Mandy O’Dell, organizer of this year’s Pet Contest, also took it upon herself to raise money for local animal shelters in our region. Animal shaped pins, cookie jars, treats and various other items were sold, resulting in a $400 donation split between four local animal shelters. Additionally, Mandy personally collected generous donations from employees, including money, food, toys and accessories for pets, which she personally brought to the animal shelters.
Combining the money raised from both efforts, Electric Boat employees raised a total of $4,365, making this year’s contest a great success. Thank you to all EB employees who participated and congratulations to the 2020 Pet Contest winners.
