Frequently Asked Questions About I Remember You

1. Who can light a pet memorial candle on I Remember You?
   Anyone who has lost a beloved pet or would like to help a friend or family member through such a loss by celebrating the life of their “best friend” with a memorial candle lit in their memory should light a candle.

2. How long does a pet memorial candle stay lit?  
   The virtual pet memorial candles are available for a variety of time periods. You can light a candle for as short as a week all the way to an entire lifetime. The low cost to keep this special memorial going is: $10 for one week, $20 for one month, $100 for one year, $250 for five years, and $1,500 for life.

3. Can other people donate towards my candle? 
   Of course! When you share your candle with others, they will be able to contribute towards your pet memorial candle. If contributions total $1,500 or more your candle will be lit for life.

4. What will I need to light a pet memorial candle?

   It is helpful to gather some information before you start the candle-lighting process.

1. “I am lighting the candle for a friend’s pet” – Know your friend’s mailing address, email address, and name of pet.
2. “I am lighting the candle for my pet” – Remember to input your own mailing address, email address and name of your pet.

Tip to Remember! You can add a pet photo to any virtual candle. Ask your friend for a favorite photo to make their candle extra special.

5. What happens when I light a candle in honor of someone else’s pet?  How does my friend know that the candle was lit?
   Your friend or family member will receive an email informing them that you have lit a candle in memory of their pet. This email will let them know someone has lit a candle in memory of their pet and give them a link to where they can find the candle. Candle honorees also receive a beautiful keepsake pet loss poem in the mail.

6. What if my friend or family member has trouble finding their candle? 
   If there are any inquiries or problems with the site, please contact the Development department at Helen Woodward Animal Center at 858-756-4117, ext. 350, and they will assist you. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

7. How do you relight the candle? 
   If you or your friend chooses to recontribute to the candle at the same donation level, or lower, there is a 50% discount offered off of the lighting price. A follow-up email will be sent with all the information on that option.

8. What happens to the fee that I pay for the candle to be lit? 
   Your gift will help Helen Woodward Animal Center provide for its many programs that save the lives of orphaned pets in need and bring animals and people together through humane education and therapeutic programs, such as Therapeutic Horseback Riding and Pet Encounter Therapy.

9. What is Helen Woodward Animal Center? 

   Helen Whittier Woodward, the Center's founder, was committed to making the world a better place for people and animals. In 1972, she set out with a group of friends to create a facility that would encompass comprehensive animal care and public education programs. Through her support and guidance, the facility established itself as one of the best animal and human service programs in the area and continued to thrive under her leadership until her death on November 12, 1984. 
   
   In the 40 years since her founding, Helen Woodward Animal Center has become one of the most respected animal facilities in the world.  With ten unique programs celebrating the healing power of animals and people, the Center can now boast a conservative number of more than 8 million pets saved or assisted and over 1 million people served.

10. How is this different than Remember Me Thursday?  
    The fourth Thursday of every September is set aside, worldwide, to remember the orphaned pets who lost their lives without the benefit of a loving family and home to call their own. There will never be a fee to participate in Remember Me Thursday and we encourage organizations around the world to join us in promoting this event to remind the public about all the wonderful animals still waiting today for their forever homes.

11. Who started I Remember You? 
    The person who started I Remember You and Remember Me Thursday is Mike Arms. Mike Arms is the President and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center. Mike came to animal welfare in a most unusual way. He arrived in New York in the 1960's ready to take on the world and with the desire to make it big. An employment agency suggested that he might take a position at the ASPCA because it would look good on his resume. Mike didn't even know what an ASPCA was at that time, but he took the job.
    
    After time, the stress of seeing the horrors that mankind perpetrated against the animals of New York quickly became too much for Mike, as the ASPCA was killing over 140,000 innocent animals a year at that time. He gave his resignation and was running away from animal welfare. 
     
    With just six days to go until his last day, Mike got a call that there was a dog hit by a car on Davidson Avenue in the Bronx. There were no ambulance drivers available, so Mike drove out to the accident scene himself. Upon his arrival he saw a black and tan shepherd/terrier mix lying in the street. The dog had been hit with such force that his back was broken - he was literally bent in half. As Mike approached the injured dog three men came out of a nearby doorway and asked him what he was doing. Arms calmly explained that the little dog was dying and he was taking him to the hospital. The men told him that he wasn't taking the dog anywhere. Mike inquired as to if it was their dog and they said, "No, but we are taking bets on how long it is going to live." Arms told them they were sick and turned to lift the dog into the ambulance. As he bent to lift the injured puppy, the men attacked him with a bottle to the head followed by the smack of a baseball bat and the sharp pain of a knife thrust into his hip and shoulder. Mike was knocked unconscious and as he lay in the street bleeding the little dog, who should not have been able to move, crawled to Mike's side to lick him awake. 
     
    It was a true epiphany for Arms as he spoke to God and said "Let me live, and I promise you, I will do everything in my lifetime to protect them." Mike has remained true to his word as he is credited as the man who has saved more animals than any other person, living or dead, in animal welfare history. 
     
    Mike is also the creator of both the International Pet Adopt-a-thon and successful Home 4 the Holidays program which, in partnership with international animal organizations, has placed 8.3 million pets in homes since 1999.