Press Room

MADDIE’S FUND HIRES FIRST FIELD REP

(Alameda, CA-August 2002) Maddie’s Fund is proud to announce the hiring of Lynne Fridley as the Foundation’s first Field Representative. Lynne gave up her position as Executive Director of the Chilton County Humane Society in Clanton, Alabama to join the Maddie's Fund team.

Lynne's territory will initially be her home state of Alabama. She’ll follow up on the Maddie’s Big Fix pilot spay/neuter program, working in individual communities to help build animal welfare collaborations and then helping the community collaborations apply for Maddie’s Fund grants.

The job is a natural fit for Fridley. She's been well known in Alabama's animal welfare circles for over a decade, thanks to two stints as President of the Alabama Humane Federation and two terms on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Animal Control Association. The hallmark of her work has always been fostering cooperation among humane societies, animal control departments, no-kill organizations and veterinarians.

"I see myself more as a peacemaker than as a leader. One of my proudest achievements was pulling animal control into the Humane Federation. When that happened, I knew we could all work together and get things done," says Fridley. (The Humane Federation also includes the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.)

Lynne has worked in the animal sheltering business since 1979, first as the Shelter Manager at the Shelby County Humane Society in Columbiana, Alabama and then as the Chilton County Humane Society E.D., running the county’s animal control program.

Fridley’s accomplishments in animal welfare have been recognized with an impressive array of awards: Alabama Animal Control Administrator of the Year (1996); the Alabama Humane Federation Award; an HSUS Award for Devoted and Continuing Efforts for the Betterment of Animals in the State of Alabama (2001); the Alabama Animal Control Association Award and the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association Layman of the Year Award (2001).

"When I first came to Chilton County seventeen years ago, the animals were housed in an old, leaky Quonset hut from World War II. It took us a few years, but we built a brand new shelter, most of it with our own hands. We also started a low-cost spay/neuter program. That's why I was so high on Maddie's Big Fix. I knew from personal experience that spay/neuter programs work."

In fact, Lynne led the campaign to bring Maddie’s Big Fix to Alabama. Her first job was to get “buy-in” from all Humane Federation members. The next step was to coax every traditional animal shelter, animal control agency and no-kill organization in the state to send in the required Maddie’s Fund statistics. Then it was a matter of putting together the initial application.

With the completion of a very successful first year of Maddie’s Big Fix, Maddie’s Fund offered Lynne a full time job. At first, her reaction was mixed. "I consider Chilton County Humane my first love. On the other hand, I was excited by the thought of helping other groups around the state accomplish their life-saving goals."

And already Lynne has logged more than 5,000 miles on Alabama's highways and back roads, visiting towns and villages she never knew existed. "Every place I go, people are getting fired up. My enthusiasm is catchy and people are willing to follow and believe along with me in the Maddie’s Fund vision and goals. One shelter director was a naysayer at first. Now he sounds like me talking!”

Lynne Fridley has no doubt that the Maddie’s Fund plan will work. “We're going to prove to the rest of the South that Alabama's going to reach these goals and make it obvious that if they work together, they can do the same thing."

Maddie’s Fund, 2223 Santa Clara-Suite B, Alameda, CA 94501,
Telephone: (510)337-8989 www.maddiesfund.org