For Release: June 20, 2012 Contact: Rosemary Jones, 206-268- 5496 Email: rosemary@greatergood.com More Than $1 Million In Shelter+ Challenge Grants Given Since 2008 Latest Round of Voting Includes Thirty Groups Are First Time Winners (SEATTLE, WA June 2012) Sixty-six rescue groups and animal shelters registered with the Petfinder.com Network won grants during the second voting round in The Animal Rescue Site s $300,000 Shelter+ Challenge of 2012 - with Petfinder.com The Grand Prize, a $5,000, grant to help animals, went to Friends of Felines Rescue Center, located in Defiance, OH. This round of voting also gave grants to thirty groups who had never received Shelter+ grants before. These included such groups as SPCA of Martinsville-Henry County, located in Martinsville, VA; Greater Chicago Ferret Association, located in Lyons, IL; and Cape Breton SPCA located in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Since the Shelter+ Challenge began, it has proved to be one of the most popular programs on The Animal Rescue Site, the original "Click Here To Give" website for people looking for quick and easy ways to support the cause of animal rescue. With the announcement of these grants, more than $1 million has been distributed since 2008 to Petfinder.com Network members through this program alone. Annually, The Animal Rescue Site gives over $1 million to a variety of animal rescue charities and nonprofits operating worldwide.
The Shelter+ Challenge allows visitors to the website to cast votes for the group that they want to receive a grant. All members of the Petfinder.com Network are automatically included in the voting database and there is no registration process or it is totally free to participate in the Challenge. In the "special" category of the Shelter+ Challenge, visitors to the website can submit photos or stories to win grants for their favorite group. The next round of voting will include a Projects for Paws contest where shelters or rescue groups can submit a brief story and photo on how they would use a grant ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. Voting round three in the Shelter+ Challenge begins July 9. There is still $150,000 left in Shelter+ Challenge grants to be awarded this year. Grants are fully funded by The Animal Rescue Site s Click Here To Give and other charitable programs. These grants are distributed through GreaterGood.org and Petfinder.com Foundation. For a complete list of winners, please see below. Photo of sleeping dog by Susie Sizemore won a $2,500 for her favorite rescue group: SPCA of Martinsville-Henry County. COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS The Grand Prize, a $5,000 grant to help animals, goes to: Friends of Felines Rescue Center, located in Defiance, OH. Spring Fling Photo Contest Grand Photo Prizes (a $2,000 grant to help animals): CATS Cradle Shelter, Inc, located in Fargo, ND, and SPCA of Martinsville-Henry County, located in Martinsville, VA Second Photo Prizes (a $1,500 grant to help animals): Los Angeles Rabbit Foundation, located in Los Angeles, CA Greater Chicago Ferret Association, located in Lyons, IL
State Winners State Abbr Shelter Name Location AK Homeward Bound Pet Rescue and Referral Fairbanks AL Project PURR Mobile AR Feline Rescue and Rehome Little Rock AZ The Animal League of Green Valley Green Valley CA Westside German Shepherd Rescue of LA Los Angeles CO MaxFund Animal Adoption Center Denver CT The Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter New Haven DC Washington Animal Rescue League Washington DE DE SPCA - Sussex Chapter Georgetown FL Second Chance Rescue aka Another Chance Animal Rescue, Inc. Bunnell GA Friends To The Forlorn Pitbull Rescue Inc. Dallas HI The East Maui Animal Refuge Haiku IA Des Moines County Humane Society Burlington ID Pocatello Animal Shelter Pocatello IL Greater Chicago Ferret Association Lyons IN Help The Animals Inc. Richmond KS Heartland SPCA Merriam KY T.R.A.I.N. (transporting & rescuing animals in need) Paintsville
LA Hobo Hotel for Cats Lake Charles MA Bay State Equine Rescue, Inc. Oakham MD Days End Farm Horse Rescue Woodbine ME Maine Greyhound Placement Service Augusta MI Delta Animal Shelter Escanaba MN Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society Edina MO SEMO Animal Rescue Alliance Inc Lilbourn MS Animal Rescue Fund of MS Pelahatchie MT Great Pyrenees Rescue of Montana Lavina NC Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue Waxhaw ND 4 Luv Of Dog Rescue Fargo NE Hearts United for Animals Auburn NH Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter Manchester NJ Popcorn Park / AHS-Forked River Forked River NM New Mexico Dogs Deserve Better Rio Rancho NV Heaven Can Wait Animal Society Las Vegas NY Little Shelter Animal Rescue Huntington OH Humane Society of Greater Akron Twinsburg OK Oklahoma Westie Rescue Bixby OR Coos County Animal Shelter Coos Bay PA Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue Reinholds RI Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue, Inc. Foster
SC Noah's Arks Rescue Okatie SD Oglala Pet Project Kyle TN Small Breed Rescue of East TN Oak Ridge TX DFW Pug Rescue Grapevine UT Utah Friends of Basset Hounds Salt Lake City VA Virginia German Shepherd Rescue, Inc. Sterling VT Rutland County Humane Society Pittsford WA Purrfect Pals Arlington WI Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary Inc. Marion WV P.U.R.R. West Virginia Inc. Grafton WY Sheridan Dog & Cat Shelter Inc. Sheridan INTERNATIONAL WINNERS Canada Cape Breton SPCA Sydney, Nova Scotia Costa Rica Asociacion Elena - Perros que ME encontraron San Ramon Note: Winners of regional awards (including State and International) cannot win backto-back awards in this category in 2012. All groups listed above in these categories for Round Two can still win weekly, photo, or Grand Prizes in Voting Round Three, and will be eligible again for State (int'l/canadian) in Voting Round Four.* Round 1 regional winners can now win any category in Round Three.
WEEKLY WINNERS Week 1 Friends of Felines Rescue Center Defiance, OH Week 2 Blind Cat Rescue Sanctuary Inc. St Pauls, NC Week 3 The Cat House on the Kings Parlier, CA Week 4 Pet Rescue by Judy Sanford, FL Week 5 Rolling Dog Farm Lancaster, NH Week 6 Rikkis Refuge Orange, VA Week 7 The Oasis Sanctuary Benson, AZ Week 8 CATS Cradle Shelter, Inc Fargo, ND Week 9 Carol's Ferals and Friendlies Grand Rapids, MI Week 10 Weimaraner Rescue of the South Birmingham, AL *Rules of the 2012 Shelter + Challenge: No group may win more than one Grand Prize in 2012. Winners of the Grand Prize are not eligible for state or regional grants during the same voting round, but are eligible for all other prizes. We congratulate Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc., our round 1 Grand Prize winner and Friends of Feline, our round 2 Grand Prize winner of 2012! Regional prizes (State, Canadian, or International) may not be won during two consecutive voting rounds by a single organization; they are now limited to a maximum of two prizes during non-consecutive voting rounds per group per year. Weekly Winners are not eligible for Regional (State, Canadian, or International) awards during the same voting round. Weekly Winners are not excluded from Grand prizes and Special prizes.