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December 27, 2002/Tevet 22 5763, Vol. 55, No. 18
Project: Pet
AAWL meets the challenges of charity
JOBETH JAMISON
Special to Jewish News
Deb Rising, "Cattery" manager and foster care coordinator, sits with her newly adopted Pomeranian Chihuahua mix, Ziggy. Says Rising, "I'm a big failure as a fosterer because I adopt them all."
Photo by JoBeth Jamison
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How many reasons would you need to hang around south of Van Buren, just east of 40th Street? For people like Cheryl Weiner, Vice President of the Arizona Animal Welfare League, there are nearly 200 of them. On any given day, more than 70 dogs and 100 cats can be found there, pouncing, prowling, pawing and purring around the shelter's secluded grounds awaiting foster care or permanent adoption.
According to Weiner, the shelter itself now has even more reasons to hang around. More than five million more to be exact, thanks to recent grants including a landmark endowment from the California-based Maddie's Fund (www.maddiesfund.org). But this isn't your average generous donation, just as the AAWL isn't your average shelter.
The AAWL is the state's oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter. Founded by Amanda Blake, it is now entering its 32nd year of operation and is the lead agency in a coalition of other no-kill animal welfare groups known as the Alliance for Companion Animals. Their mission of providing care, protection and compassion for animals in need is a humane one and their vision of building a "no-kill" nation is clear. And with grants like those of Maddie's Fund, their agenda might just be possible.
"Maddie's Fund provides financial support for the organizations in the coalition," Weiner says of the proposed endowment that has the potential to reach up to $10 million over the next five years. But there's a catch. In order to receive the maximum funding, the alliance, along with 80 Valley veterinary clinics, must meet the annual pre-determined goals of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in the key areas of adoptions and spaying and neutering over a five-year period - goals that the AAWL is well poised to meet.
"The entire coalition faces a single challenge: to keep the public aware of the goal of the grant to decrease euthanasia by increasing shelter or rescue adoptions," states Weiner, who oversees marketing and fund raising for the League. "AAWL and Maddie's Fund received considerable media attention when the grant was awarded. It is now imperative that we keep the message alive so that residents of Maricopa County know what a significant role they play in our success."
Keeping the message alive is a challenging and full-time job. To get it done,8 Weiner works closely with The Kur Carr Group, AAWL's public relations group, to constantly develop strategies to increase public awareness. The results are events like The Mutt Show & Animal Care Fair and the shelter's Fun Walk that encourage the public to get out and have fun with their own pets while familiarizing them with the agencies and their needs. The events also attract invaluable media attention and strengthen important partnerships with allies such as PETsMART, whose stores are home to AAWL adoption centers.
Other innovative tools that will help to ensure the full five-year support of Maddie's Fund include: "Camp Ruffin' It," a summer program designed to teach kids about the shelter and to educate them in the care and treatment of animals; a free behavioral health hotline for problematic pets and an animal training center; an on-site pet shop that sells supplies and gifts; an off-site thrift store, and a used vehicle donation program. The League also publishes "Paw Prints," an informative quarterly newsletter.
Another program essential in keeping the message and goals of the alliance alive is the AAWL Adult Volunteer Program, designed for people who Weiner says "truly love dogs and cats." Because the AAWL receives no government funding and is supported by memberships and donations, their staff, while highly qualified, is limited, making volunteers a crucial part of the work force.
According to Weiner, the implementation and promotion of these programs is working. "In 1993, AAWL averaged 10 dog adoptions and 18 cat adoptions per month. We are projecting nearly 150 adoptions per month for 2003." In terms of the bigger picture presented by the Maddie's Fund grant, she states, "We are very confident that the AAWL will meet its adoption goals, thereby saving nearly 30 percent more animals from the euthanasia lists at Maricopa County, the Arizona Humane Society and other local facilities."
Weiner says that the Maddie's Fund Grant affords an opportunity to save the lives of thousands of animals but that the community must participate in order for it to succeed. Spaying and neutering is a good start for all pet owners.
"Anything that can be done should be done to prevent the already devastating overpopulation problem," says Weiner.
AAWL Executive Director Betty Welton adds, "There's nothing wonderful about seeing the birth of litters when there's not enough homes for those puppies and kittens. All they have to do is go down to the county and watch the miracle of euthanasia."
Second, the AAWL asks the public to not take the decision of adopting a pet lightly, impressing that with a pet comes great responsibility and a lifetime commitment. All too often pets are an impulse buy that becomes an expendable branch of the family tree. If special circumstances require a family to part with a pet, AAWL asks that the public exhaust every possible option before relinquishing their dog or cat to the county shelter or the Humane Society, or worse, to the streets.
Third, if you have the heart and home for a pet but can only commit on a short-term basis, consider fostering. "We need fosters all the time," says Welton. Though foster homes are not a permanent solution for the animals, they are an immense help simply because they buy the animals time - time to recover from illness or injury or time to reunite with families that may be looking for them - time they would not have in other types of shelters.
Last, Weiner says, "I would like to invite everyone to visit the AAWL and see this wonderful shelter. People often have an aversion to visiting an animal shelter because they envision a very depressing, dirty environment. The AAWL is a clean, fun and engaging shelter."
For more information on the AAWL, fostering, adoptions, Maddie's Fund or contributions, call 602-273-6852. Visit the AAWL at www.aawl.org, or at 30 N. 40th Place, Phoenix.
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