Aviacon Zitotrans transfers pets from Kabul to Canada.
Aviacon Zitotrans, a Russian air transportation company, stated this week that it had accomplished a safe withdrawal of more than 300 pets from Kabul, Afghanistan, that had been left behind during an American soldier evacuation of the country.
The transit expedition was in collaboration with Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR), a small veterinary clinic managed by US resident Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, who had been caring for the animals since their owners, US military and contractors, and other Western diplomats left the city in August.
Maxwell-Jones, two veterinarians, and a cargo crew placed 146 cats and 171 dogs into an Ilyushin IL-76 in a technique Maxwell-Jones dubbed “cat-crate Tetris.”
The vets and a few volunteers stayed on board the trip from Kabul to British Columbia, with two layovers in Turkey and Iceland, to help feed, hydrate, and clean the animals.
After landing in Canada, the animals were moved to a specially created facility at Vancouver International Airport to begin the process of reuniting the creatures with their owners.
Averitt Express raises almost $1 million for St. Jude.
Averitt Express, freight transportation, and supply chain services company, said this week that it would establish a record in 2021 by raising $1.05 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Over the past year, Averitt workers took part in the company’s Cares for Kids initiative, donating $1 per week to either St. Jude or an important cause of their choosing. Averitt Express will match every dollar an employee donates to a charity of their choice in that employee’s honor.
The Averitt Cares for Kids campaign began in 1987 and has raised more than $13 million; $10 million has gone to St. Jude, including a $1.5 million endowment established this year to help with the creation of the St. Jude Leukemia and Lymphoma Clinic within the Memphis, Tennessee-based hospital.
“I continue to be surprised by our workers’ giving attitude and how they constantly rise to the occasion,” said Gary Sasser, Averitt’s chairman, and CEO. “For the past 50 years, our staff has been dedicated to assisting others, and our collaboration with St. Jude is a vital part of that.” We also remember how one person can make a difference — we call it ‘The Power of One,’ and that is why we give an extra dollar to our donations.”
The Cares for Kids initiative has also helped Ronald McDonald Houses, the American Red Cross, the Leukemia Society, and the Special Olympics.
