The IUPUC Biology Club held its first-ever Cutest Kitty Pageant. In total, 26 contestants competed for the coveted award. Voters donated pocket change to their cat of choice, and after the competition, the collected proceeds were equally divided between the Biology Club and the Litter Box Kitty Rescue of Bartholomew County.

The Litter Box Kitty Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit organization specializing in kitten care, adoptions, spay/neuter, and TNR. It is a volunteer based rescue, which often displays adoptable cats and kittens at local Petco retailer. While not on display, cats and kittens live in foster homes across the county until adoption.

The Biology Club’s Cutest Kitty Pageant raised $247 for the Litter Box Kitty Rescue. The shelter is hoping to use this money to buy antibiotics for their cats and to help fund a new van. The Biology Club will be using their portion of the money to buy club shirts, gardening supplies, supplies for the classes taught at FFY, and to support other student events.

Another Litter Box Kitty Rescue fundraiser, organized by the Biology Club, was a campus-wide shoe collection. Donation boxes were set around campus for two weeks. The IUPUC students, faculty, and staff generously donated 90 pairs of shoes, which will go towards the Litter Box Kitty Rescue goal of 2,500 pairs of shoes.

Donated shoes will be repaired before being distributed to people in countries with poor economies. Retailers from struggling economies will sell the shoes, thus providing the shop owners a way to support their families while boosting the country's overall economy.

After the Litter Box, Kitty Rescue reaches their goal of 2500 shoes; they will give $1,000 to assist in the care of their cats.

While our collection shoeboxes are gone, the Biology Club still encourages people to donate shoes to local PETCO retailer and tell Petco to credit the donation to Litter Box Kitty Rescue.