MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
September 7 – September 14, 2006 Edition
Author Cornwell
Provides Home for Dogs
Victimized by Hurricane
TYLERTOWN, MISSISSIPPI/8/30/2006Patricia Cornwell, internationally known #1 bestselling author, can now add, among her millions of fans around the world, dogs victimized by Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to her generosity, hundreds of rescued dogs have survived, with more than 200 animals reunited with their owners, more than 2,700 animals placed in foster care and many other dogs being properly cared for in a new home, The Patricia Cornwell Real Life Building, on the campus of the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown, Mississippi. Ms. Cornwells donation resulted in the creation of the nearly 1,700-square-foot building, which opened just a few months after Hurricane Katrina hit as a safe haven for small dogs in need of a home in the wake of the hurricanes devastation. It has since evolved into a real life socialization center that prepares dogs of all sizes for adoption.
No life is too small, said Ms. Cornwell, who is always involved in many philanthropic endeavors and has contributed greatly to public causes and numerous national organizations.
Ms. Cornwell learned about the thousands of animals that suddenly found themselves homeless while watching the extensive media coverage of Hurricane Katrina a year ago. Her office immediately contacted the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, which worked in conjunction with Best Friends Hurricane Relief to rescue stranded dogs and cats.
We were in desperate need when we got the call from Ms. Cornwells office, said Heidi Krupp, co-director of the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary. We cant thank her enough for coming to the rescue so quickly and saving the lives of so many helpless little dogs. Her generosity has allowed us to do more for these animals than we ever thought possible. This new facility has given these dogs a new chance to enjoy happy and healthy lives and ready them for adoption. So on behalf of the community and staff at the sanctuary, we thank her from the bottom of our hearts.
The Patricia Cornwell Real Life Building is a nearly 1,700-square-foot shelter includes a large common area and two smaller rooms on either side. As the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary is primarily an outdoor facility, this building, equipped to house close to 30 dogs at any given time, has provided a safe space for dogs to become acclimated to being in a home-like environment with people and other dogs.
Working together, the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary and Best Friends Hurricane Relief have helped approximately 3,000 animals orphaned by the hurricane placing more than 2,700 in foster care or caring for them in the sanctuary.
Patricia Cornwells most recent #1 New York Times bestseller, At Risk, was originally created as a 15-part serial for The New York Times Sunday Magazine before being published by G. P. Putnams Sons in May 2006. Her other most recent #1 New York Times bestsellers include Predator, Trace, Blow Fly and Portrait of a Killer Case Closed. Her earlier work includes Postmortem the only novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony and Macavity awards and the French Prix du Roman dAventure in a single year and Cruel and Unusual, which won Great Britains prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the years best crime novel of 1993. Her fictional chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author. Ms. Cornwells books are #1 in many significant markets around the world and have been translated into more than 32 languages in more than 35 countries, and she is regarded as one of the major international bestselling authors. Visit Ms. Cornwells website at www.patriciacornwell.com
