May 1, 2009
Contact: Tabitha Hanes, community relations manager / (804) 521-1319 (w) or (804) 615-0089 (c)
Richmond, Va. - At a news conference held at the Richmond SPCA’s humane center this morning, the Richmond SPCA and its partner Richmond Animal Care & Control (RAC&C) announced the coalition’s receipt of a Lifesaving Award. The award, given by Maddie’s Fund®, a national pet rescue foundation based in Alameda, Calif., recognizes the contributions of community partnerships that have successfully saved the lives of all healthy, homeless pets for at least two years and that are likely to sustain an adoption guarantee into the future.
The Richmond SPCA and RAC&C have guaranteed homes to all healthy, homeless animals at the city’s animal care and control division since Jan. 1, 2006. Never again will a healthy orphaned dog or cat die in the City of Richmond for the lack of a home.
“Together, through our historic partnership, the Richmond SPCA and Richmond Animal Care & Control have distinguished Richmond as one of the safest cities in the nation for homeless animals,” said Richmond SPCA Chief Executive Officer Robin Robertson Starr. “I am grateful to Maddie’s Fund for its generous support of our agencies and for this esteemed recognition.”
Joining Ms. Starr to speak about the partnership and the award were Maddie’s Fund President Richard Avanzino; Richmond City Mayor Dwight C. Jones; and RAC&C Operations Manager Jody Jones.
The Lifesaving Award is a prestigious honor, and Richmond is only the fourth city in the country to receive the award. The Richmond SPCA submitted statistics for its agency and for RAC&C to Maddie’s Fund last winter. Both organizations collect and report data for the animals in their care based on the Asilomar Accords, which provide for consistent reporting across agencies.
A combined grant of $230,200 accompanied the award, with $160,350 going to the Richmond SPCA and $69,850 to RAC&C.
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The Richmond SPCA, founded in 1891, is a no-kill humane organization dedicated to the guiding principle that every life is precious. As a national leader in humane care and education, the Richmond SPCA is aggressively tackling the problem of pet overpopulation through programs of adoption, rehabilitation, spay/neuter, pet-retention, trap-neuter-return, and humane education. For more information, visit www.richmondspca.org.