Owners of Farmington tanning salon plan fundraiser to honor Betty White

Donations received from event will benefit Trinity K9 Search and Rescue

Farmington Daily Times

FARMINGTON — The owners of a Farmington tanning salon are planning a fundraiser on Monday, Jan. 17 to help a new canine search-and-rescue operation and to honor the memory of a late cultural icon.

Connie Maestas and Tani Pollock, the owners of Cabana Tans, located at 3832 E. Main St., Suite D, will serve a free meal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday in front of their business in exchange for donations to Trinity K9 Search and Rescue, a new, Aztec-based nonprofit organization that uses highly trained canines and their partners to assist local, state and federal agencies in the search for and recovery of lost or missing people.

Maestas said the event is intended to honor the late Betty White, who died on New Year's Eve, just a few weeks shy of what would have been her 100th birthday. The actress and commercial spokeswoman, who was best known for her work in the television series "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls," remained highly popular up to the time of her death and was a devoted animal welfare advocate.

More:New Betty White 'Celebration' in theaters Monday features her last message to fans

Cabana Tan owners Connie Maestas, left, and Tani Pollock watch as customer Laurel Dillard, of Farmington, prepares to make a donation to their fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 15. Cabana Tans will be serving a meal and accepting donations to benefit Trinity K9 Search and Rescue.

Cabana Tans employees will set up a grill in the parking lot outside their business on Monday and cook 100 hot dogs, which will be served with 100 bags of chips and sticks of Red Vines licorice, Maestas said. She explained that was what White said she preferred to eat, and any donations made by folks who stop by will be passed along to Trinity K9 Search and Rescue.

The owners of Farmington's Cabana Tans are raising money for Trinity K9 Search and Rescue and honoring the late actress Betty White by serving hot dogs and accepting donations on Monday, Jan. 17 at their business.

"We're just trying to help them and have a little fun in memory of Betty White," she said.

Representatives of the nonprofit organization will be on hand at the event with some of their dogs to acquaint the public with their mission, Maestas said.

Raising money and presenting community events is nothing new for Maestas and Pollock, who have staged numerous such affairs over the past couple of years at Cabana Tans. Maestas said the idea for this fundraiser was hers, but she added it is usually Pollack who executes the ideas and makes sure they are a success.

Maestas has had a dog bowl set out on the counter of Cabana Tans for the past several days so that people who wish to donate to the fundraiser can do so. As of Jan. 14, she already had raised $285, putting her well on her way to her stated goal of $500 for the event.

More:Betty White donated to this animal sanctuary for years, has baby donkey named after her

Connie Maestas, left, and Tani Pollock of Farmington's Cabana Tans are holding a Jan. 17 fundraiser to aid Trinity K9 Search and Rescue.

Additionally, she said, eight of her customers had signed up to participate in a training exercise for Trinity dogs, during which they will hide in the hills outside Farmington and wait to be located.

Call Cabana Tans at 505-564-8267 to learn more about the fundraiser.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription.