By: Lauren Siebert
Crestview Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will hold an educational event and fundraiser Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Walmart in Ash Flat.
According to Wildlife Rehabber and Event Coordinator Rebecca Gage, there will be activities for children as well as informative aspects for adults.
“we will have activities for the kids and hand out surprise bags to them. We will have informational brochures from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to give land owners,” Gage said.
When asked more about the event, Gage said she hopes it will help raise awareness and promote more interest in rehabbing.
“The children will be learning about wildlife, make animal tracks and learn about trees,” Gage said.
Gage will be joined by fellow rehabbers Micayla Corbitt, Thomas Wells and George Yool.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but we will also have a guest appearance by a very special guest. People will have to just come out and see for themselves,” Gage said. “While the children work on projects, parents are encouraged to participate and we have information geared toward adults too. We will have some of the tools of the trade on display and will have filed guides for adults.”
Gage who is also a Wildlife Biologist will answer questions and provide advice to land owners on how to optimize hunting on their property and how to best deal with nuisance wildlife issues.
Yool, who specializes in parrot rescue will also hold a demonstration.
“Another thing we hope to accomplish is to gather donations. We need things like blankets, sheets, pet pads, newspaper, acorns, pine cones, raw peanuts, puppy formula, storage tubs, dog food, raw chicken and raw ground turkey,” Gage said. “Many rehabbers across the state have closed and we could use more.”
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.