HARLINGEN — If you love veterans and rescue animals, you’re going to love this calendar.
The Rotary Club of Harlingen is selling a calendar with local veterans and their rescue pets as the focus.
The idea came from the president of the club, Robert Grider who wanted to do something that benefited veterans and animals.
“I wanted to do something fun, impactful and meaningful that could really help the Veteran and Rescue communities in Harlingen,” Grider said in a press release.
This led Rotary Club service director, Remi Gibbs to come up with the idea for the calendar.
It was not long before she had 12 local veterans willing to pose for the camera with their furry friends by their sides.
Derick Garcia, also known as Mr. January, said he could not say no when he was approached about the calendar.
“I got my dog during a very crucial time in my life,” Garcia said.
Garcia adopted the Chihuahua Terrier mix named Preston, seven years ago when he was going to school and starting to adjust to civilian life.
Garcia said he would do the calendar again if it meant animals like Preston and veterans like himself were benefiting.
The calendars are currently available for pre-order.
A reception will be hosted during the month of December, where residents can pick up the calendars they ordered while meeting with some of the models from the shoot.
More calendars will be for sale after the reception and can be found in local pet shops including Pooch’s Corner and Paw’s Pantry.
Proceeds from the calendar will go to local organizations that benefit veterans and animals.
“We would like for different organizations to submit requests so we can see where we can allocate funds,” Gibbs said.
Request will need to be for specific projects and include follow-up reports about how the funds will be used.
To purchase a calendar go to https://squareup.com/store/rotary-club-of-harlingen
