Atlanta Man Running in Philly Marathon to Raise Money for Philadelphia’s Red Paw

One man is traveling far from home in an effort to raise money for a Philadelphia organization.

Thad Dickinson of Atlanta is traveling to Philadelphia to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon in order to raise money for Red Paw Emergency Relief Team.

“I’ve followed Red Paw on Facebook for a while, and then I thought about the Philly marathon,” Dickinson said. “But it was just a thought at first.”

Then, Dickinson says he heard the story of Short Rib, a kitten who was rescued by Red Paw after a house fire, but sadly did not survive. Dickinson says Short Rib’s story resonated with him and gave him the final push to sign up for the Philadelphia marathon, but not before he made a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the non-profit organization.[[352425211, C]]

“I'm going to run 26.2 miles in Short Rib's memory and to raise funds in support of Red Paw as it continues to provide emergency assistance to injured and displaced pets like Short Rib,” Dickinson wrote on the page.

According to its website, Red Paw works together with the American Red Cross, the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to provide “relief and recovery” for displaced pets and their owners, free of charge.

Red Paw was started in 2011 by Jen Leary, a former Philadelphia fire fighter who saw a gap in assistance following disasters.