May 1, 2008
Contact:
Sharon Fletcher, Director of Marketing & Communications
925.310.5458
fletcher@maddiesfund.org
Maddie's Fund® has given the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA a $412,000 Maddie's Lifesaving Award* for achieving and maintaining an adoption guarantee over two years for healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats in the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, Virginia.
Albemarle County is the second in the nation to have achieved no-kill status community-wide.
"Maddie's Fund is proud to recognize and financially reward the SPCA's incredible lifesaving achievement," said Maddie's Fund President, Richard Avanzino. "We hope others will view this community as a model and emulate their great success."
The Charlottesville-Albermarle SPCA is the only shelter in the county, providing animal control sheltering in addition to adoption and spay/neuter programs. In each of the past two years, approximately 4,700 dogs and cats have entered the SPCA. In 2006, the annual live release rate community-wide was 90%. In 2007, the live release rate was 87%.
The SPCA plans to use their Maddie's Fund grant to underwrite growing medical costs related to providing an adoption guarantee for treatable pets; to expand marketing efforts to boost adoptions; and to provide more low-cost and free spay/neuter services.
*Maddie's Fund Lifesaving Awards acknowledge the outstanding contributions being made by communities that have implemented an adoption guarantee for all healthy shelter pets or have achieved no-kill status (an adoption guarantee for healthy and treatable pets) in their target communities and are likely to sustain it in the future. Awards range from $200,000 to $3 million, depending upon the size of the community.
About Maddie's Fund
Maddie's Fund® is a family foundation established in 1994 by Dave and Cheryl Duffield and is the fulfillment of a promise to their inspirational dog, Maddie. She provided them much joy from 1987 – 1997 and continues to inspire them today.
The Foundation has awarded over $275.7 million in grants toward increased community lifesaving, pioneering shelter medicine education and establishing foster care as a standard across the U.S.
Maddie's Fund proudly offers the industry a national voice, important funding opportunities for bold ideas, learning resources and access to collaborate and share innovative solutions. The Foundation invests its resources in a commitment to keeping pets and people together, creating a safety net of care for animals in need and operating within a culture of inclusiveness and humility. #ThanksToMaddie.