Bikers' ride to benefit shelter

The bike run begins at Bloomingdale's restaurant in North Lima.
Patrolman John Prest and his wife, April, of Youngstown ride a Harley and like cats -- and have a lot of friends who ride motorcycles and like cats. April Prest saw fund-raising possibilities there.
The result is the first Second Chance Animal Rescue Bike Run. The public event is set for Aug. 10. To take part, motorcycle riders need only register and pay $20. Registration is from 10 a.m. to noon at Bloomingdale's Point restaurant and bar at 9835 South Ave. in North Lima.
At 12:30 p.m., the motorcycles roll out, making their way to BB Rooners in Salem, then Guilford Lake, and ending at Bobby D's on East Midlothian Boulevard for dinner around 4 p.m.
Prest said she and Carla Catheline, two of the 20-plus volunteers who work at Second Chance in Austintown, decided the shelter could benefit from a fun event. Money raised will help provide care for abandoned, abused and injured animals waiting to be adopted.
The shelter deals only with cats and has 123 of them, with 70 more on a waiting list to come in.
Long wait
Joann Barrows of Austintown, shelter founder and a CPA at Cohen and Co. of Youngstown, said about half the cats at Second Chance have been there one year. Most people, she said, want to adopt kittens.
Luna, a black and white charmer with an unladylike black goatee, has been at the shelter two years. Her four kittens "were snapped up right away. It would be so nice to find her a home," Barrows said, hoisting Luna up for a cuddle.
Barrows said the bike run is a great idea. It's nice, she said, to raise money by having people enjoy themselves. All contributions to Second Chance are tax deductible, Barrows said.
To adopt a cat: Call Second Chance at (330) 505-3575 and leave a message. Adoption is by appointment only. The adoption fee is $95, which includes testing for feline leukemia and feline AIDS, vaccination and spaying or neutering.
"This is comfortable, but it's not home," Barrows said, looking over the lounging cat population at Second Chance. "They come alive when they get a home."