Walking dogs for a cause

From left: Colleen Zanicchi, a vice president at Pentegra; John Pinto; and Sabine Leitmann, manager of the company”™s defined contribution services department.

The 2018 SPCA of Westchester Walk and Pet Fair was held at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights on May 6 to raise funds for the organization. There were exhibits and vendors, and teams and individuals with dogs walking a scenic 2.5-mile path. The event, a fundraiser supporting the organization”™s mission of protecting animal welfare by providing shelter, rehabilitation, adoption services and help in locating lost pets. 

More than 25 employees from the White Plains-headquartered company Pentegra, that has an office in Shelton, Connecticut, were among those participating. Pentegra CEO John Pinto explained that they were honoring Erica Farland of Ossining. The White Plains native worked at Pentegra and was an animal lover. She died in 2017 at age 27. 

Pinto said, “We wanted to walk in Erica”™s memory for this cause that was not only special to her heart, but also an initiative that we at Pentegra deeply believe in. We have done other animal-adoption-related work, particularly wanting to pair retirees ”“ our clients ”“ with adoptable dogs. Plus, my family has several of our own rescue dogs. So, our involvement with this SPCA walk was special for us on many levels.”