Sad News from the AAGI Family (Arizona Adopt A Greyhound Inc.)
It is with great sadness
we announce that our director and friend, Kari Young,
passed on from this life
Christmas morning while surrounded by her husband, Bill
and her daughters, Shauna
and Chris.
Kari served as the
director of Arizona Adopt a Greyhound, Inc. for sixteen years.
She steered AAGI through
the closing of the Phoenix Greyhound Park and
through the Tucson track
closing. Through her long involvement in the greyhound
community at large and
her reputation as an individual with “sterling integrity,” she
set up an arrangement
with a California adoption group enabling us to continue
our work helping
greyhounds in need of homes.
As many of you are aware,
in March of 2013, Kari had a double lung transplant,
and came back stronger
than ever. The second week of November of this year
Kari went back on oxygen.
At the beginning of December, she was admitted to
the hospital to determine
the cause of her increasing breathing difficulty. It was
diagnosed as full blown
lung rejection, and she was admitted into Hospice care at
home. The past three
weeks saw a rapid progression of the disease. She
originally wanted to be
the one to tell volunteers and the AAGI community at large
what was happening but
was unable to do so.
About a year ago, Kari
set up a team responsible for a variety of functions
including events,
fostering, adoptions, nails, administration, etc. None of that will
change, we can assure
you. With the help and support of wonderful people like
you, AAGI will continue
to do good work finding forever homes for retired
greyhounds for many years
to come. AAGI will continue in service to the
hounds as Kari intended
it should.
There will be a memorial
service at Tempe’s Desert Palms United Church of
Christ in a couple of
weeks. The date is not yet set, but another email of the time
and address will be sent,
and we will post it on the website as well. Kari wanted
the greyhounds to be
present but they are not allowed in the sanctuary, so we
may hold a secondary ‘ROO’
at another time or place. Keep checking the website
for details.
Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated
and needed at this difficult time.
If you have any questions, please let me
know.
Rebecca Spellman
rebecca@arizonaadoptagreyhound.org
4807344461
Cards may be addressed to:
Bill Young
5060 W Chicago Circle S.
Chandler, AZ 85226
Or:
AAGI
P O Box 63033
Phoenix, AZ 85082
