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Hoyle, Tanner's Suzanne Sheppard Shares Unique Birthday Gift and Act of Kindness

Giving a birthday gift usually involves special thought for just the right item.  At times, the birthday recipient will offer a “wish list”.  Well, in this case, both the recipient and givers put an extra special twist on the act and art of gift giving.  When Hoyle, Tanner Airport Project Engineer, Suzanne Sheppard’s sister, Becky, made the request that in lieu of a birthday gift she preferred a donation be made to a local shelter near Suzanne, she seized the opportunity to not only grant her sister’s request, but contribute a substantial donation and teach her two children the importance of giving back and supporting the efforts of an animal shelter.

Becky was fortunate to share her life with her 17 ½ year old dog and family companion named Logan.  These last couple years, however, Logan's age crept up on her and after having a set-back around Becky’s birthday, Becky felt it would honor Logan, as well as give her the gift of knowing other animals are being helped, to request the shelter donation for her birthday.

With her kids, Anna and Nick, in tow Suzanne put the combined birthday/Christmas gift project into action.  The Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter in Manchester, NH, was one that she regularly passed and Anna had always wanted to stop to see the animals.   It made perfect sense that this would be their shelter of choice.  After checking their website for the shelter's wish list - http://www.manchesteranimalshelter.org/ - Suzanne headed shopping.  An advent calendar is a part of Suzanne’s family holiday traditions, so she put a note in the calendar for that day to tell the kids they would all bring the gifts to the shelter together.    She also purchased a brick in honor of Logan which the shelter will put on their walkway. 

The act of generosity on both Becky and Suzanne’s part, the time and effort put into the donation, the sentiment to show Logan how much she has been loved, and Anna and Nick’s involvement and enlightened awareness in the struggles of one of many animal shelters are all extremely touching and set such a great example for us all to experience through this article!  We applaud you all in helping the Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter and thank you for sharing your story!

In memory of Logan who passed away in late December.

Photos Courtesy of Suzanne Sheppard

Logan

1992 - 2009

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