Catnip
Candy
The good news is that I was blessed to know and love Auntie
Catnip Candy.
The Good News is Candy was a great big huge part of Rikki’s Refuge from her first volunteer day on December 6, 2005.
The Good News is Candy was a great big huge part of Rikki’s Refuge from her first volunteer day on December 6, 2005.
Candy had read about Rikki’s in the CFC (Combined Federal
Campaigns #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163) catalog a few years
earlier and had contacted mom to ask some questions. She and Paul then became donors.
Later they came on tours.
Candy had retired and their first volunteer work day turned
out to be December 6, 2005. The day
after every single roof on every single run in Feline Fields and Rabbit
Rotunda, had collapsed under a huge snow load the day before. Mom had sent out a plea for help to get the
roofs temporarily up off the grounds and the runs secure and usable. many volunteers turned out.
Candy and Paul arrived and said, HI. They had not yet heard about the
disaster. Mom just assumed they were
there to help with the roofs and said thank you, thank you, so much for coming
and too them to Cat House #3 where everyone was working. It was freezing cold, there was snow up to
hooman knees, fingers were frozen, and it was hard work trying to shake off the
snow from the netting roofs, now laying on the ground, and hoist them overhead
and get them tied off with line running back and forth from wall to wall. Candy and Paul worked tirelessly. Mom kept looking at Candy’s feet in dockside
shoes and thinking, gosh her toes must be frozen, I wonder why she didn’t wear
boots. Once or twice mom mentioned it
and Candy smiled her big smile and said, I’m not as cold as you need
help!!
At the end of the day Candy and Paul were talking to mom and
told her they’d just come down to donate some food!!! That’s why they didn’t dress so warm, they didn’t know it’d end
up being a day they worked in the freezing weather till after dark!!!! Mom thought, uh oh, they sure are nice
people, I bet today just scared them away forever!
But the Good News for Rikki’s was - it didn’t! They came back and they helped with so many things. They’ve both been members of our board for
many, many years now. Such an integral
part of Rikki’s that it’s hard to remember a time before Candy and Paul!
Candy makes and sells her famous catnip sacs for
Rikki’s. Candy and Paul worked at
events, especially the Wine Festival in Front Royal every year. They ran the Mile Long Yard Sale in
Alexandria. They volunteered at the
National Capital Cat Shows. They helped
with adoption events. They worked on
teams building and improving Animal Neighborhoods. They scooped litterboxes when we needed them to.
It was Good News when Candy took over the Pumpkin Runs in
October and November of each year, meeting up with churches, nurseries and others selling
pumpkins, coordinating pick ups and delivering to Rikki’s. All the animals except us cats and the
doggies love pumpkins. It’s really good
healthy food. If you can drive one or
more loads of pumpkins this year, trunk full, van full, truck full, please
contact Jon O'Connor jocors@comcast.net
who’ll be heading up the Pumpkin Patch this year.
It was Good News when Candy picked up produce, bread and
broken bags of dog and cat food from several different stores, and delivered to
Rikki’s usually at least twice a week.
Rain or shine, snow or heat, Candy’s smiling face was there helping the
animals. She did this for years, saving
huge amounts of money on our grocery bill.
It was Good News that Candy kept track of the pantry and
when we were low on cleaning supplies - any idea how much bleach, laundry
detergent, trash bags, paper towels, dish soap and so on it takes to sanitize
1300 animals every day? - she’d put out a plea for the needed supplies. Often what others didn't donate - she simply
bought and donated to Rikki’s herself. Never saying a word. Just stocking the pantry.
Same with cat food.
If enough wasn’t coming in - watch out - she’d order a huge batch from
Wegman’s (best price around on their
own brand 13.2 oz cans) - and the pantry would be stocked again.
Last year when that bad lady stole a lot of Rikki’s donations and stole money from credit accounts and bank accounts and mom was so
scared about what would happen to Rikki’s - Candy and Paul made a hugely
generous donation to keep Rikki’s floating till things could be recovered.
It was Good News if Candy was your friend. Always there for who ever needed them, Candy and Paul helped
their friends and anyone they met, too. Down and out? Need a hand? Need an encouraging word?
Candy was there. And Paul was
always there with her.
Puppy Pals, a program where you can donate $15 on a
particular day each month to feed canned food to the doggies was dreamed up and
implemented by Candy. And that was Good
News! You can still pick a day of the
month that you’d like to claim as your very own to be a Puppy Pal: http://rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php?purpose=Puppy%20Pals Every single doggy will be your pal one day
a month!!!!
It was really Good News when Candy started Vincent’s Vittles
just for ME and my feline friends!! Her
dream was that everyone would pick a day and a cat house and for only $25 a
month you can feed one whole cat house full of felines for the whole day
!!!!! Just pick your cat house, and
your day, and sign up! http://rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php?purpose=Vincent%20Vittles
It was bad news when Candy went to the hospital in early
September. She missed the National
Capital Cat Show and we missed her terribly.
We all gathered together and we prayed and we prayed.
And it was very, very sad news when our beloved and always
smiling Candy passed away yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Her husband Paul, her mom, sister and her
beloved nephew, Chris, were with her.
Condolences can be sent to
Paul Erhard
5409 Richenbacher Ave
Alexandria VA 22304
There will be a visitation to say good by to Candy and to
give Paul a hug on Monday, October 17th from 2 pm - 4 pm and 6 pm -
8 pm at
Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home
1500 West Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22302
There will be a visitation Tuesday, October 18th from 7:00
pm to 9:00 pm and Wednesday, October 19th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed
by a service Wednesday, October 19th at 11:00 am at
McComas Funeral Home, Abingdon
1317 Cokesbury Rd.
Abingdon, MD 21009
(410) 676-4600
Candy will be buried near her home town and where her mother
and sister still reside.
Mary had a wonderful idea and I'd like to share it with you:
I suggest that Rikki's people who knew Candy write something about her (your
favorite memory, things at Rikki's that will remind you of Candy, what you
liked about her, etc.) so we can put together a memory book of what Candy meant
to Rikki's Refuge. You may send things
to me (Mary Walker horsesdcats@aol.com) and I will coordinate it. Please try to keep your comments positive,
not sad. We want this to be a book of
happiness and joy, just what Candy’s smile always brought to us! Please send in your special pictures of
Candy to be included, too.
At the request of a number of friends we have started the
Candy Erhard Memorial Fund. We’ll use
the funds for a special project just for Candy. I promise we’ll brain storm and pick something she would love! http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php
While just searching google for Candy’s on-line information,
I discovered she was quite famous!!!
That smile grabs everybody’s heart!!!
I bet you smiled when you saw her smile!! Didn’t you?
Oh Candy! How much
and in how many ways you touched us! I’ll
love you always.
Love,
Vincent
PS You tell me what you want! Email me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org with
instructions to change your subscription: additions, deletions or
modifications! Subscriptions:
Vincent’s VIPs - up to the second alerts about issues at Rikki’s
Refuge for those who care and want to be intimately involved. Scheduled as
needed. Good Morning Good News - a little something to get you going in
the mornings, for those of you who want to keep smiling with us! Scheduled
daily. Hairballs - so you know what’s coming up at Rikki’s! Scheduled
weekly.
Rikki's Refuge, supported solely by private donations,
houses over 1200 animals of 22 species. On line at http://bit.ly/Give-a-gift-to-Rikkis
Checks, money orders, cash, items at Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA
22960
Rikki's Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of
Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation, tax-id
54-1911042. Combined Federal Campaigns #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart Charities #1377. A financial
statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer
Affairs.
Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org
and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge
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