Groundbreaking at the animal shelter in Bradley County.
The first charter member and founder in the SPCA of Bradley County’s campaign for membership and fundraising is someone who has funded and worked for animal welfare advances in the community for decades.
Sherry Brown, a member of the SPCA’s board of directors, joined at the Guardian Angel membership level, which is for donors who contribute more than $1,000 annually. A philanthropist for local animal welfare causes, Ms. Brown has also funded the non-profit spay/neuter clinic, Dixie Day Spay’s “Spay Her Now” program for last few years. This program provides funding for mother animals to be spayed when litters of puppies or kittens are surrendered to the shelter.
With her membership donation to the SPCA, Ms. Brown became the first “founder.” Founders are recognized by the SPCA as anyone who donates more than $500 in the first year of the organization’s operation. Ms. Brown directed part of her funding to launch a collaborative program between Dixie Day Spay and the SPCA of Bradley County to see both shelter animals and the animals of Dixie Day Spay’s clients microchipped.
“The microchipping program goes to a key component of how we will operate the SPCA of Bradley County,” SPCA President Betti Gravelle said. “The SPCA plans to operate under the No Kill Equation with one of the eleven steps in the equation being ‘redemptions,’ or the returning of lost pets to their families. As more and more pets in our community are microchipped, reuniting families will become easier.”
More than $10,000 has been raised in the SPCA’s charter membership campaign, which continues until March 1. Anyone who joins the SPCA at any membership level before March 1 will be recognized as a charter member. Membership begins at the “Puppy Paws” level, which is for children younger than age 10, and is a $10 annual donation. There are membership categories for students, senior citizens and families.
Anyone who joins the SPCA at a membership level of more than $500 during 2014 will be recognized as a founder.
Other who have joined at the founder level so far are: Larry and Sara Burns, Gene Norfleet, Laura Coffey Medina, Jodie Westwood, Frank and Barbara Westwood, Carleen Franklin, Mary and Eddie Ballard, Cheryl Wilson, and Eddie and Jeanine Warren.
As renovations continue on the Johnson Boulevard county property where the animal shelter will be located, the SPCA of Bradley County has several naming opportunities for donors.
Anyone donating $1,000 or more can have a name displayed on one of the SPCA’s 20 kennels during 2014. This can include the donor’s name, and in honor/in memory recognition of the donor’s choosing, or the name of a business or organization of the donor’s choosing. Fourteen kennel naming opportunities are still available.
In addition to the kennel-naming opportunity, the following additional naming opportunities are available:
Permanent naming of the shelter, $50,000 donation.
Permanent naming of the Dog Care Center, $25,000 donation.
Permanent naming of the Small Animal Center, $20,000.
For more information about these naming opportunities, contact SPCA of Bradley County Development/Communications Director Beth Foster by email at development@spcaofbradleycountytn.org or telephone at 457-2519.