CORNWALL — A beautiful autumn day welcomed dogs and people to Little Guild’s 11th annual Run and Wag 5K in Cornwall Village.
In a fair-like atmosphere of live music played by Relatively Sound, food trucks and booths with local goods, people and dogs gathered before the race set off at noon.
Jenny Langendoerfer, Executive Director of Little Guild, an animal shelter in Cornwall, explained that the Run and Wag 5K is one of their main fund-raising events. “We have to raise seventy five percent of our operating costs. All the money raised by the Run and Wag goes to those costs.”
She went on to say, “The Run and Wag is a premier dog and human race. We are extremely proud of it.” This year she noted they had “79 dogs and 200 human runners and walkers entered.”
Nita Colgate, from Cornwall, was spectating with her dog, Ananda, who was adopted from the Little Guild in December. Colgate said that Little Guild was “absolutely wonderful in post adoption care.” They supplied her with dog food when Ananda ran out and wouldn’t eat his new food, in spite of it being Christmas Eve.
Robert Lindgren with Cecil, a cocker spaniel, and friends Michael Carter and pug Juniper, waited to walk the route. Lindgren said, “Little Guild is wonderful. They do great things.”
Human and canine runners depart the starting line for the 11th annual Run and Wag 5K to benefit The Little Guild in West Cornwall.L. Tomaino
Andrea Fournier came from Barkhamsted with Maverick, a yellow lab. She commented about Little Guild, “It’s a great organization. We had a 15-year-old cat from them. She was the best cat! We like to support them.”
Robert Ghitelman and Sandy Adelsberg of Cornwall were walking with their companions Airedale and Scout. Adelsberg said “The music is a lot of fun and appropriate. Great weather, lots of people came out and there are lots of happy dogs and people.”
At noon, walkers, runners and dogs all lined up at the start and were off on the five-kilometer route.
The first runner, seventeen-year-old Bradley Bozzuto, returned 16 minutes at 16 seconds later. He broke the previous individual record of 16:24 set in 2015.
The first dog-human team to finish was four-time winner, Brittany Telke with her basenji, Mazikeen from Bristol. Their time was 19:02. Brittany said of the run, “The challenging part is that she gets a little distracted (by other dogs) during the second part of the race. But she was better this year.”
Thor and Michael Geschwind, winners in the men’s category for human-dog team at the Little Guild’s Run and Wag 5K. Their time was 19 minutes, 30 seconds. Also pictured is Tara Gres.L. Tomaino
Winners in the men’s team category were Michael Geschwind and Thor the great dane-mix with a time of nineteen minutes, thirty seconds. Tara Geschwind, who also ran, said, “I just love it. I’ve been donating to Little Guild for years and years.”
John Guenther, a former president of Little Guild’s board, came in with a time of 22 minutes. He walks 12 miles daily with the little guild dogs awaiting adoption. He said the event was “A wonderful celebration of dogs and the connection people have with their animals.”
Toby, a husky/chihuahua, wore a costume of bat wings and ran with Kristin Wheeler. “It was hot. He pulled me along with his wings. It was lots of fun!”
This was a sentiment all seemed to agree with, spectators, runners, walkers, and dogs alike.
Toby, a husky/chihuahua mix wore bat wings for extra speed at the Run and Wag 5K on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Cornwall.L. Tomaino
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John Carter
Carter arrived at his calling by a circuitous route. After graduating from Yale, he joined the Peace Corps, then returned to his hometown of Milton, Mass., where he founded and ran the Carter Tree Co. for seven years. After closing the business, he attended Virginia Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity. During that time, he and his wife, Deborah, were involved in the hunger movement. Carter said every venture he undertook was made possible by Deborah, whom he described as his constant companion and indispensable partner in his pursuit of compassion and justice. Still, he questioned himself: “Who am I, and what should I be doing that I’m passionate about?”
John Carter and his wife DeborahPhoto by Deborah Carter
In the face of new challenges, volunteers joined the effort to revive the original program, VS1. The Rev. Heidi Truax, recently retired rector of Trinity Lime Rock, has been a strong supporter of Vecinos Seguros from its inception. Glenn Formica, an immigration attorney from New Haven, gave a presentation informing the community about the second Trump administration’s amended policies. Formica also generated written materials in English and Spanish, advising private citizens and employers how to prepare in the event of a visit from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). William Tong, Connecticut’s attorney general, a proponent of many social justice issues, including the opioid crisis and fair pricing for generic drugs, has also provided support since the establishment of Vecinos Seguros.
The VS2 steering committee, which includes Carter, is led by Jill Drew, a local civic leader. Drew has worked with Judiciary Committee co-chairmen Gary Winfield and Steven Stafstrom in support of SB 91, a proposal by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to limit ICE actions in “protected areas,” including schools, hospitals and religious buildings. She has also supported HB 5499, which would place limits on the use of automated license plate readers, addressing concerns that the Trust Act is being circumvented through technology deployed for other purposes. Other committee members include Amy Lake and Lee and Sophia DeBoer.
VS2 has launches a range of initiatives, including distributing “know your rights” flyers; creating an online resource with local legal and social services for immigrants; hosting in-person events to educate neighbors and train volunteers; organizing a rapid response team to verify reported immigration enforcement activity and support those affected; providing financial assistance for legal expenses, rent and utilities; and advising employers — from farms and restaurants to stores and private homes — on how to protect workers if immigration agents arrive.
As the annual report states: “We are committed to building on the powerful work of Rev. Carter, who, in the first seven years of Vecinos Seguros, assisted a significant number of individuals and families. It is our mission to continue this important work.”
Few descriptions capture the moment more clearly than Carter’s own words:
“The human cost of current ICE practices is appallingly high. Evidence of the brutality and cruelty of these practices is everywhere. Minneapolis is a recent and egregious example. ICE enforcement is doing much more than deporting individuals. It is also the systematic destruction of families. According to some reports, 90% of deportees are male. They are husbands, partners and fathers, often the primary contributors to family finances. There is heartbreak, trauma and stress experienced by the families left behind. The humanitarian response to the violence and chaos in Minneapolis is inspirational and instructive. Both citizens and immigrants came to the aid of residents living in fear and peril. It should be noted that people of color, whether their status was legal or undocumented, were also deeply shaken by what they witnessed in their communities.”
Carter also described how communities responded. That out of devastation, he said, came something else:
“A new word was born out of the compassionate response in Minneapolis: ‘neighboring.’ In caring for each other, they were ‘neighboring.’ The mission of Vecinos Seguros 2 is to ‘neighbor’ members of the immigrant community whose lives have been turned upside down by current immigration policies.”
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