Ginger Morgan
Ginger Morgan is the Executive Director (Chief Puppy Up Officer) and President of the Board for The Puppy Up Foundation. Prior to joining the 2 Dogs 2000 Miles/2 Million Dogs/The Puppy Up Foundation team she was the Executive Director for the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County. In 2008, Morgan was recognized as one of “Fifty Woman Who Make a Difference” in Memphis, TN. Morgan’s background also includes experience in advertising, marketing, fundraising and event planning. She, along with Pete (her dog), started the Visiting Dog Therapy Program at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis. While at the Humane Society, Morgan trained juvenile prisoners at the Shelby County Correctional Center, who had been tried as adults, to train the dogs at the Humane Society to give them a better chance of getting adopted. She resides in Memphis with her dogs and cat.
Karyn Vasquez
Karyn Vasquez first got involved with The Puppy Up Foundation in October, 2010 when she enthusiastically told Ginger, “I can put a walk on in 3 weeks!” Well, after Ginger picked herself off the floor from laughing, together they came to the conclusion that next year might be a more realistic goal.
Karyn’s background is in Information technology. Her entire professional career has been spent designing voice automated technology in the banking industry. But her passion is her love of animals. In 2007, she read an article about a local pet rescue, Young at Heart. They are the only senior pet rescue in the Chicagoland area. Their mission is to rescue and rehome senior dogs and cats that, through no fault of their own, have ended up on death row simply because they are old or their bodies have been stricken with cancer. She immediately joined as a volunteer and within a year was elected to their executive board of directors and has been on the board and a major contributor ever since.
In 2008 when her beloved dog was diagnosed with Lymphoma, she devoted all her time researching and learning about canine cancer, the possible environmental and nutritional causes, and the various treatments available. Through her research, Karyn found and joined forces with Puppy Up to help educate the public about this deadly disease and raise funds for comparative research.
In 2011, Karyn brought Puppy Up Dogs to Chicago by organizing a walk that brought in $15k that contributed towards Princeton University’s Molecular Study of Canine Mammary Tumor Development and Progression.
Karyn’s breadth of knowledge combined with her business expertise and passion for the cause are essential elements to a successful organization.
