In the weeks before her fifth birthday, Sarah Jayne Orton, of Finksburg, let her friends and family know that she didn't want any toys or presents for herself: Instead, she asked that friends and family donate her gifts to the Baltimore Humane Society.
It was an unusual request for a soon to be 5-year-old, but her aunt, Nicole Mathews, said it exemplified Sarah's love of animals and her personal connection to the shelter.
"My brother got their dog, Scooter, there before she was born," Mathews said. "Whenever they went by, she would say, 'that's Scooter's second home.'"
Sarah got her wish and visited the humane society shortly after her birthday to make the donation. It was the last time she would ever visit the shelter in person.
On Oct. 10, just five months after her birthday, Sarah died suddenly of a rare viral infection, according to Mathews - who is speaking on behalf of Sarah's family.
To honor Sarah's memory, Mathews and Sarah's parents - Chad and Kendra Orton - have organized the First Annual Sarah Jayne Orton Memorial Walk on May 17 at Sandymount Park in Finksburg. All funds raised by the walk will be donated to the Baltimore Humane Society and used for the care of homeless animals.
"We immediately said, afterward, that we're going to have to do some kind of walk around her birthday to celebrate her and to do something she would have wanted, so we set up the walk," Mathews said. "It is our first time so we are trying to get it together and see what we need to do to keep it going for the years to come."
Walkers can begin registering at Sandymount Park at 10 a.m. and the walk itself will begin at 11 a.m., with walkers, and their pets, walking the mile around the park's perimeter at their leisure until 1 p.m.
Walkers can also register online ahead of the walk at bmorehumane.org/news-events/sarah-jayne-orton-memorial-walk/, and the registration fee is $25 by either method, with walkers younger than 12 years being free.
There will also be T-shirts for sale at the walk, according to Mathews, which will feature a rainbow themed design.
"[Sarah] loved lots of color. Every time you'd ask her what her favorite color was, she would say rainbow," Mathews said. "My brother would say, 'you have to pick a color' and she would say, 'nope, it's rainbow.'"
All of the proceeds from the walk will go to the Sarah Jayne Orton Memorial Foundation at the Baltimore Memorial Society, which was set up in the wake of Sarah's passing last October, according to Mathews.
The Baltimore Humane Society is an independent, nonprofit, no kill shelter, according to Director of Marketing and Public Relations Wendy Goldband. She said the organization receives no government funds and has few big donors, making Sarah's birthday contribution particularly touching.
"We really do survive solely on community support," Goldband said. "When a little girl goes out and donates her birthday presents to us that may not seem like a big deal to other people but it's a big deal to us."
When Goldband learned that Sarah had passed away, she wanted to do anything she could to help the Orton family.
"My instinct was to get in touch with them and they came in and we started talking and we wanted to do something for them. I didn't want to take advantage of them, but I really wanted to put out a press release and let people know what Sarah had done for us," Goldband said. "[Sarah's family] were fine with that and they wanted to let people know about her and what she was like."
Goldband setup up the foundation, which has received $11,533 in direct donations from the community as of press time, and also installed a plaque above the shelter's kennels.
"In loving memory of Sarah Jayne Orton," the plaque reads. "A little girl who made a big difference in the lives of countless homeless animals."
There were 34 registered walkers as of press time, according to Mathews, many of them who knew Sarah and her family and some that did not.
Mary Neidich is a volunteer dog walker at the humane society and she said that while her family did not know Sarah personally, they knew of her contribution and were moved to show their support. She will be walking with her own daughter on May 17.
"As the mother of a 5-year-old girl, I feel very strongly about supporting this family and remembering their daughter," Neidich said. "They are also supporting the cause that is close to my heart."
Ellen Bowersox is the owner of Small Wonders Daycare in Reisterstown where Sarah attended from age 2 until shortly after her fifth birthday, and she and seven of her staff members will be attending the walk. She said Sarah was the sort of person who would be the first to check on someone else who was hurt or in need and that she was always smiling.
"If you knew Sarah you would know that she is smiling ... about all this right now," Bowersox said. "I don't think she would want people to cry and be upset. I think she would want people to be happy and participate in something like this [walk] because it was something dear to her, even at 5 years old."
Although this is just the first year, Mathews said she hopes the event will grow, perhaps even outgrowing Sandymount Park and keeping alive the memory of the vivacious Sarah that Mathews and her family knew.
"They went to Hershey Park the weekend before [Sarah passed] and she rode the roller coasters and had her hands up and was just enjoying everything," Mathew said. "She had a love for life and she was fearless."
