10 Questions With Michelle Mullen

I’m very excited to share my friend Michelle Mullen with you today.

Michelle Mullen is an extremely accomplished bowler and business owner. She has achieved USBC GOLD Coach status. There are just over 30 GOLD Coaches in the world, and less than 10 are women!

Michelle is also an established international writer and author. Michelle’s work has been published in Bowler’s Journal, Bowling Magazine, Asian Bowling Digest and various other syndications. Michelle is also author of best-selling BOWLING FUNDAMENTALS, now in it’s second edition. BOWLING FUNDAMENTALS has gone international, now printed in Russian, and is currently being translated in Simple Chinese.

Michelle has competed and won the Championship at every level, including High School Bowling, Collegiate Bowling, PWBA Regional Bowling and PWBA National Bowling!

Here’s a little more about her in my latest “10 Questions With Metro Detroiters.”

Michelle Mullen

LW: What city did you grow up in? (If you did not grow up here, what was the first city you lived in when you moved here?)

MM: Chicago / Dearborn

LW: What was your first job?

MM: Dairy Queen

LW: Where did you go to college?

MM: University of Illinois

LW: Tell me about your business/company.

MM: Your Bowling Coach offers clinics, summer camps and private lessons to bowlers of all age/skill levels. Our lessons feature Digital Video Analysis so that you can see yourself bowl and make changes easier and quicker. Though we are completely portable to provide clinics nationwide, we give lessons daily at Country Lanes in Farmington Hills where we also have our fully stocked, 1,000 square foot pro shop, Aleta Sill’s Bowling World.

LW: What makes it unique?

MM: We are retired professional bowling champions who are giving back to the sport that has been so good to us. Aleta Sill’s Bowling World is named after Aleta, who is bowling’s first lady $1,000,000 bowler. We are USBC Gold and Silver certified coaches with over 50 years combined coaching experience and have coached over 25,000 bowlers of all age/skill levels.

LW: What do you love most about what you do?

MM: Helping bowlers bowl better!  We have the full resources and experience to help bowlers bowl better, whether it is to get the proper equipment into their hand, fix their ball fit or to coach them on technique. Bowlers just love to bowl and seeing their excitement when they bowl better is wonderful. In some cases, we see them when they are so distraught about how they are bowling that they want to quit. To be able to turn that around and ignite their passion for bowling again is an awesome feeling.

LW: What is one thing most people don’t know about you (hidden talent, etc.)?

MM: I am very introverted and just love to be at home and really love to cook. And, how much my heart breaks for animals in need.

LW: Outside of work, what are some of your passions?

MM: I am passionate about animals in need. I have 8 rescues now. We host an annual fundraiser in August called Bowl-4-Animal Rescue, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter and the Michigan Animal Adoption Network. So far, we have raised over $62,000 to help animals in need. I also love to work out, garden and cook.

LW: What do you think is the biggest misconception about this state?

MM: That there are not many “movers and shakers” who really strive to make a difference in this world. It is a privilege for me every time I have the opportunity to meet one of them.

LW: What things draw you to downtown Detroit?

MM: Comerica Park, The Fox, Ford Field

To learn more about Michelle Mullen and her business, visit: http://yourbowlingcoach.com/about-michelle-mullen.

Marie Skladd – An Amazing Advocate for the Animals

Marie Skladd

Marie Skladd is the President of the Michigan Animal Adoption Network (MAAN), an animal rescue non-profit organization based in Metro Detroit that I have volunteered with for a little over two years.  To say this woman is an inspiration would be the understatement of the century.

Marie started in animal rescue after hearing a radio public service announcement for an animal shelter in Oakland County that needed volunteers.  “I’ve always loved animals and thought I would offer to volunteer one Saturday per month.  After my first day, I was totally hooked and volunteered three Saturdays a month for 12 years.”  Clearly she was made for this line of work.  “I just couldn’t believe how many wonderful animals were housed in the facility looking for new homes,” she added.

Marie Skladd is not a typical animal rescue enthusiast.  She has devoted blood, sweat and tears to animals for over 20 years.  Animal rescue can burn the average person out quickly.  Not Marie.  She talks about how she may cry about a homeless or abused animal, but she is keenly aware that their need is greater than ever.  She has seen the effect of the economy on Metro Detroit’s pets.  “The pictures on our web site give me the only inspiration I need to continue the work God has chosen for me to do.  Plus I get to work with some of the most caring people on the planet in doing so,” she said.

Marie does not just talk the talk; she walks the walk.  As President of MAAN, Marie could simply run meetings and delegate, but that’s not the type of person she is.  Marie continues to devote a full Saturday every month to join the Animal Care Network (a division of MAAN) on the streets of Pontiac, Michigan caring for “outdoor” animals – “pets” that are forced to live outside no matter the temperature.

The goal of the Animal Care Network (ACN) every weekend is simple – to care for Pontiac pets by providing food, water and proper shelter.  And she has seen it all – animals starving to death, animals that have been severely injured been in dog fighting rings, animals that might freeze to death and animals that might die from heat exhaustion.  It’s not work that the average person can handle, but Marie see the big picture.

She says that it is hard to see animals living in such poor conditions, but the gratitude she sees from the animals makes every Saturday she spends on the streets worth her time.  “The most rewarding part of the work is seeing an animal we have just fed and watered, with a full stomach, lay on a big bed of straw we just delivered gnawing on a big chewie we just left!” she said.

Marie told us a special story about one animal she helped.  “Many years ago, on a cold winter day, the ACN team was offering assistance at an address in Pontiac. It took us quite a while at this house, because there were several dogs, all of which were very aggressive.

Just as we finished, I happened to look over in the yard next door and there was a very old Shepard mix with virtually no hair watching everything we did for the other dogs without making a sound.  Her condition was just pathetic.  We promptly knocked at her owners’ door to see what we could do for her.  The owner told us his son had brought her home months ago, yet he had never offered her any veterinary care.  She was totally emaciated.  He had also named her Grunt!  I asked if I found a “little old lady” to take her would he surrender her to the Animal Care Network.  He agreed.  A week later I had set up a foster care home and a veterinary appointment for “Grunt”.

Bella "Before"

We immediately changed her name to Bella.  A Team of four volunteers worked on her for over a year to get her to look like an “adoptable” animal.  Each of us would take her for a month or so and work on her bathing schedule – which was four times a week!  It was as if her skin was like an elephant and with the special soaps and loofah sponges it would slowly get the next layer of skin off.  She couldn’t have been more patient with us doing so on her behalf.

A year and a half later, the most phenomenal older couple named Joan and Bob happened to hear about her.  When Joan called me, she mentioned they were looking for an older/slower dog, ‘just like the both of them!’  It only took one meeting for the match to take place.  Bella lived the rest of her days sleeping on their bed with toys and the love she had never had until she met all of us,” Marie said.

Bella "After"

MAAN and ACN are always looking for new volunteers. Please visit the organization’s web site and fill out a volunteer application.  You will then be contacted by a volunteer coordinator and be scheduled to join an Animal Care Network Team.

“You’ll know after your first day as to whether or not you will be able to handle this type of animal rescue.  If not, we have many other projects and events that will offer assistance to the animals,” Marie said.

Founded in 1994, the Michigan Animal Adoption Network (MAAN) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization for animal rescue in the Metro Detroit area. MAAN frequently engages in special promotions and fundraising efforts on behalf of the animals. MAAN continually strives for new and different ways to educate the public, to raise money to continue its street rescue efforts and to find loving homes for homeless pets.  To date MAAN has placed more than 4,500 dogs and cats through the Adopt-A-Pet program and visited over 90,000 addresses to offer assistance through the Animal Care Network.  These programs recently received national recognition from Linda Ellerbee of Nickelodeon News.  To learn more, please visit http://www.mi-aan.org.

Don’t Shop, Adopt. The story of “Pebbles.”

"Pebbles" and I

When my husband Rich and I lost our beloved ‘first born’ rescue dog “Sarah” due to complications after she had brain surgery to remove a large tumor, the pain was so great that I thought I could never adopt another dog again.  It is probably hard for non-animal people to understand, but I compare the loss to the pain I felt when my father passed away.  While it was not exactly the same, pain is pain.  I view dogs as members of the family.  And Sarah was our first baby.

Rich was affected in a very similar way when Sarah passed.  But he really wanted to rescue another shelter dog.  He did not push the subject with me though, at least not immediately anyway.  He saw how much Sarah’s death affected me.

About three weeks after Sarah passed, Rich forwarded me a link from Petfinder.com.  It was from Great Lakes Golden Retriever Rescue (GLGRR).  The dog’s name was “Pebbles” and she instantly reminded us both of our dear Sarah.  Rich admitted that he was nervous to send me the link, as he did not want to make me sad.  But I was drawn to her immediately.

Pebbles was a strikingly beautiful red Golden Retriever.  Her story simply said she was a bit of a ‘Velcro girl,’ who clung to humans.  She sounded like a typical, sweet Golden!  By the time Rich got home from work that day, he had already printed and filled out an adoption application, “just in case” I changed my mind.  I was leery of jumping into adopting again so quickly, but Pebbles sounded like a perfect fit for us.  We have only two guidelines when searching for a dog: 1) it must be a rescue and 2) it must not be a puppy.  We want to help homeless adult dogs first and foremost.

So we quickly turned in our application to GLGRR.  We then had a great phone interview with a wonderful volunteer named Moreen.  She understood the healing power a new dog could have on people who recently loss a beloved dog.  We instantly bonded.

Moreen told us the full story about Pebbles and how she came to GLGRR.  Poor Pebbles had been with a not-so-responsible breeder.  She had only two pups in her last litter and was no longer profitable to her breeder.  This was likely due to the fact that she was also severely malnourished!  We thought, ‘How could someone do that to a harmless creature?’

Someone came to see one of Pebbles’ pups and ended up asking about her instead.  The breeder’s response was simply that the Good Samaritan could have her.  According to the breeder, she was going to be taken to the pound anyway!  So the Good Samaritan took Pebbles home and nursed her back to health.  But sadly, that person fell on hard economic times had to surrender Pebbles to GLGRR.  Needless to say, Pebbles had been through a lot in a short period of time.  We knew we had to save her.

Rich and I prayed we would be approved to be Pebbles’ forever family.  After talking to Pebbles’ foster family next, we very happily received the news that we could adopt her!  It was a very smooth and easy process.

So that weekend, we drove two hours to pick up Pebbles.  We were so excited!  Immediately we saw that Pebbles was full of energy and seemed very happy, despite her circumstances.  The first impression I got of her still stays in the forefront of my mind today: this was one fun-loving dog!  As we attempted to greet her at her foster home, she scurried off to chase the house cat – by bolting from the family room to a bedroom – and then very quickly crawling under the bed in search of the cat!  She immediately made us laugh.  After she got bored with the cat, she ran over to us and plopped on the ground, ready for us to pet her!

Our car ride home was uneventful.  Pebbles was very relaxed in our back seat, even falling asleep at one point.  We knew we had found a gem and that she would adjust to her new home quickly!  As I mentioned, we were told that because of her circumstances, Pebbles was very clingy.  I work out of my home, so I knew Pebbles would feel comfortable having me around.  I was also confident that with obedience training and a stable home, it would not take long for her to become more independent.

We were also told that Pebbles did not like crates.  We were hopeful that we could try to crate her for the very short periods of time when we are not home – for her safety and for our piece of mind.  Surprisingly, she feel asleep in her open crate the very first night we brought her home!  It was a sure sign that she was instantly comfortable in our home.  We were elated.

I was right about Pebbles becoming more independent and comfortable with us.  She acclimated quickly.  And she is so smart!  She not only passed beginner obedience with flying colors, but also quickly passed Canine Good Citizen class AND advanced class!  She is very eager to please.

Pebbles possesses so many cute qualities.  She often sleeps on her back, hind legs spread in the air on her huge, almost mattress-sized bed that is placed at the foot of our bed.  We no longer crate her at all and we often come home to find her lounging on the couch, happy as a clam.  She loves her Kong toy…almost as much as her daily walks.  And she even makes a purring sound when we pet her.  She is happy and healthy and there is no more we could ask for!  Pebbles is a perfect example of how a rescue dog can have a wonderful personality, but due to unfortunate circumstances, may end up homeless.

The best part of adopting a homeless dog is the mutual happiness created.  Pebbles brings us as much happiness as we give to her.  It is hard to describe how thankful we are to have this special rescue dog in our lives.

Win the shirt and pants off of Jensen Ackles!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day and Supernatural’s episode entitled “My Bloody Valentine,” we literally have the shirt and pants off of Jensen Ackles!  Supernatural fan Vanda (from all the way over in Australia!) was kind enough to donate a t-shirt and pair of pants she won in a previous auction.  These clothes were ACTUALLY WORN by Jensen Ackles in My Bloody Valentine 3D!  The package comes with a certificate of authenticity, so rest assured, they are the real deal!

Want to get your hands on this exclusive package?  Well you can soon!  The auction begins this Thursday, February 11th at 9pm Eastern.  Like EVERY auction that Heather and I hold, 100 percent of the proceeds go to charity!  A Dog’s Life Rescue is of course our charity recipient for this auction.  The auction link will be posted on http://www.SupportSupernatural.com at 9pm SHARP, so don’t forget to visit!

As always, we offer FREE shipping and we will ship this item ANYWHERE!  We want it to go for the highest possible amount, so we can make the biggest impact!  It’s the least we can do for the charity Jared Padalecki endorses!

We hope you will do what you do best and help us get the word out about this!

We also received an urgent e-mail from A Dog’s Life Rescue that we want to share with you.  By reading the e-mail below and watching a couple of videos, we hope you get a clearer picture of the priceless care they give to homeless animals.  The first is a video they did especially for us located here.  The next is the video that goes along with their urgent message.  But first, here is their message!

Urgent: Owner died, cats in danger of being trapped and killed

“These poor cats are in imminent danger. After their owner died one of the neighbors, who has boldly announced that she is a ‘cat hater,’ applied for a permit to start trapping to ‘get rid of’ them. These cats are already disadvantaged because they were never fully socialized. They are feral, but that does not make their lives any less valuable. It certainly does not mean they suffer any less.

In addition, the house is being put on the market in a few weeks and most likely will be demolished. Several of us have been regularly feeding, but more help is needed to save their lives. They need to be relocated ASAP. If you have a safe yard, please consider adopting one or even a bonded pair. We will help with all details in relocating them and getting them adjusted to the new environment. Every one will be spayed/neutered and vaccinated as well.

To help in any way visit www.adogsliferescue.org  or to donate towards their care please visit www.SPNangelsforanimals.org.”

Here is the corresponding video of these beautiful but now homeless cats!  Please take a few minutes to watch both videos to witness the hard work that goes into animal rescue. It is clear why Jared Padalecki endorsed such an amazing charity.  These volunteers are angels!

For additional information about the fan initiative and A Dog’s Life Rescue, visit http://www.SupportSupernatural.com.  And please forward this blog to any Supernatural fan you think may be interested.

Thank you, Lindsay

About SupportSupernatural.com: SupportSupernatural.com is the web site for people who love to promote Supernatural, the BEST program on television today!  Our goal is to generate higher ratings for Supernatural while doing a little good in this world.

“Raising Awareness & Raising Funds”

You’ve Donated to the Supernatural Fan Initiative…Now Here’s What You Need To Know

One of the great aspects of Heather and I being able to partner with InsteadofaGift.org for our 2010 fundraiser is that they take everyone’s privacy very seriously…So much so that at the end of each month, Frank, the President of www.InsteadofaGift.org sends us just the first names/first initial of the last names of everyone who donated $10 or more so we can put all the names in a hat to draw for each monthly prize.

But this does not tell us who you are, or what your story is.  That is why we’re asking you to contact us after you donate.  We don’t need to know how much you donated (EVERY donation is wonderful!), but what we do want to know is what you’d like to tell Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and the folks at A Dog’s Life Rescue.

So to sum it up…

After you donate, please e-mail us at: heatherandlindsay@supportsupernatural.com with the following:

A) A comment for Jensen and Jared

B) A comment for A Dog’s Life Rescue

C) A picture/story of a pet that has had an impact on your life

We will take your submission and we’ll create little booklets for Jensen, Jared and A Dog’s Life Rescue and send them to them at the conclusion of our fundraiser.

You are not required to do any of this, but we’d love to have your submission!  In 2009, we created some pretty cool books for Jensen and Jared full of haunted places from your neck of the woods.  We had so many submissions that the books were over 50 pages long!

This year, we want to include A Dog’s Life Rescue in our “booklet project.”  We’ve gotten to know the charity’s co-founders Alli and Julia over the last year and they have become our friends.  They really deserve to also be recipients of our commemorative gift this year.

So don’t be shy.  Send us your comments & pet pictures.

2010 Supernatural Fan Initiative – Detailed Information

Actor Jared Padalecki (Star of the CW Networks’ Supernatural) endorses a wonderful non-profit organization called A Dog’s Life Rescue. This is a no-kill animal rescue group whose goal is to save the lives of abandoned, abused or neglected animals.

Several years ago, my friend Heather and I co-founded a website called www.SupportSupernatural.com.  This site exists to raise awareness of our favorite show as well as raise funds for worthy charities.  Last year, Heather and I were approached by Jared’s publicist who asked to help raise funds for A Dog’s Life Rescue.  As soon as the endorsement went public about A Dog’s Life, we kicked our off fundraiser and many, many awesome Supernatural fans helped us raise over $17,000 for the charity!

This year we want to almost double our fundraising goal to $30,000. It might sound a little ambitious, but we know how passionate and dedicated Supernatural fans are.  We also know that it costs A Dog’s Life Rescue between $8,000 and $10,000 to operate PER MONTH and every single person working for the non-profit is a volunteer! So we want to do even better for them this coming year.

We are also very excited to partner with Instead of A Gift, Inc. this time around. These wonderful folks charge a lower transaction fee than any other fundraising website we’ve worked with so far! This means your donation dollars will help even more animals than ever before too!

We would like to thank Creation Entertainment at this time.  Thanks to them, we will have monthly giveaways as an incentive to donate. Every month that you donate $10 or more, you will be eligible to win fabulous prizes! So please consider donating each month and please come visit www.SupportSupernatural.com monthly for details on each monthly prize pack!  You can see a pictures of our amazing prize packs at www.SupportSupernatural.com.

“We had many successes in 2009 but as the number of animals being abandoned continues to increase, we strive to be able to save even more animals in 2010.  Already in this new year, A Dog’s Life is fielding calls in greater numbers than years past.  Calls have come in from an older woman who is homeless herself but reached out to us because she found an emaciated stray dog that she wants to make sure has a safe warm bed at night, to a plea from a family whose mom passed away and left 14 cats behind in terrible conditions, to the abused, neglected, discarded and forgotten.  In 2010 A Dog’s Life Rescue wants not only to save more animals lives ourselves, but we hope encourage and assist those people struggling to do right by their own pets or the ones they’ve stopped their car for, giving them a second chance.  Please help us make 2010 our most successful year yet,” said A Dog’s Life Rescue co-founder, Allison Lange.

Yes, we have a lofty goal of $30,000 this year. But this breaks down to $2,500 per month, which we think is attainable – that is, if you help us spread the word!  Please feel free to get the word out on your website, blog, social media pages, etc.  Heather and I would greatly appreciate it!

So in the words of the late, great Kim Manners, let’s “Kick it in the ass – ACTION!!”

For more information about the campaign and A Dog’s Life Rescue, visit www.SupportSupernatural.com or http://www.SPNangelsforanimals.org.

Interview with A Dog’s Life Rescue

Heather Vitas and I have had the pleasure of working with an animal rescue group in Los Angeles for about a year now.  Their name is A Dog’s Life Rescue.  We got involved with them because Jared Padalecki, one of the stars of Supernatural endorsed them.  His publicist asked us for help in raising funds and awareness for the group.  In 2009, we helped raise over $17,000 for them and we’re working on raising $30,000 for them this year.

Because of the physical distance between us and them, we e-mailed them interview questions and asked them to respond with their Flip video camera.  I received their responses and edited everything together.  Here is what they are all about:

We are fundraising for A Dog’s Life Rescue online at http://www.SPNangelsforanimals.org.