Moving A HEAD for charity
By Frank Ruggiero

Have forehead, will travel.

To save the lives of animals, Mary Moretz is taking a somewhat unusual approach – she’s willing to allow someone to advertise on her forehead by way of temporary tattoo.

Forehead aside, Moretz founded and chairs Shelters4Life, a soon-to-be non-profit organization committed to raising funds and working in alliance with Watauga County Animal Control to provide shelter for animals.

As a woman who travels frequently, Moretz said her forehead is the ideal place for advertising because, “I’m out in the public all the time.”

She’ll wear the tattoo for as long as the contract lasts, and would have it personally designed by a local printing company to feature the party’s logo. Moretz marketed her idea, sending out press releases and listing her “product” with online auction Web site eBay, where she received seven bids, the highest  $75.

That bid, though, was from a woman who owns a Wiccan bookstore, and Moretz — a devout Christian — refused to walk around with a Wiccan logo emblazoned on her forehead. She contacted the woman, and eBay, to see about withdrawing her offer, both of which understood about the first-time on-line auctioneer’s predicament.

“She was a nice woman and she understood,” Moretz said.

Following the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” Moretz is still willing to offer forehead space, and even camp out atop a billboard for a month should the advertiser request it. After all, publicity is publicity.

“I’d still like to do the billboard, as long as I get a good tent. I love the outdoors,” Moretz said. “One lady told me if I get a sponsor, that she had someone who could get me on Oprah.”

Moretz, a resident of Zionville, wished to emphasize that the advertising fee would go to a very worthy cause. Shelters4Life raises money to save the animals that Animal Control can no longer keep.

“It’s for animal rescue, so it’s not just for one agency, but anywhere with animals where help is needed,” she said, meaning that money will not just fund Shelters4Life, but any organization with a similar mission. Moretz added Shelters4Life will also benefit training dogs for people with disabilities.

To further her cause, Moretz is prepared to place her forehead back on eBay, though with a disclaimer this time around.

“I need to set a reserve amount (on eBay) because this is not something that’s frivolous – it’s something I’m very serious about,” said Moretz, a pet-lover with four dogs, four cats and a bird – all of them rescued, except for the bird.

Other animal activists appreciate Moretz’s work, such as Penny Muller of Friends For Life, the agency that brings animal control pets to Lowe’s Hardware on weekends to find them homes.

“We need all the help we can get,” Muller admitted, saying that so many of the animals her organization has tried to help have been euthanized, particularly cats, which outnumber dogs about two to one at the animal shelter. “If we can save maybe 95 percent of the dogs…the cats just keep reproducing, and we just have a terrible time trying to get them adopted.”

Funding from Moretz’s venture could help Friends For Life foot the veterinarian bills and other expenses, such as heating for those cold days in front of Lowe’s. She enjoys giving to Friends For Life, as all donations directly benefit the animals.

According to her Web site, Shelters4Life is “committed to raising funds and working in alliance with Animal Control in the prevention of cruelty to animals, to aid in the relief of suffering and to provide shelter to homeless animals. We also help to raise awareness, giving the love your animal both loves and deserves.

“We help others to see that animals will give us what we seem to lack – unconditional love.”

As such, Moretz hopes to help any and all animal rescue organizations that can use it, and is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish this goal.

“I don’t have a lot of money, but I’ve got heart and a good cause,” Moretz said.

For more information, or to lease some advertising space, contact Moretz at (828) 297-9530, e-mail marymoretz@shelters4life.org or visit www.shelters4life.org on the Web.

• Frank Ruggiero may be contacted

at ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com.