By Sean Patrick Murphy
It’s the little shelter with a big roar.
That’s the slogan of the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees as it takes part in a national competition for $100,000.
The contest, which runs from August 1 to October 31, is run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Because it is such a small shelter it competes with larger shelters by increasing the percentage of its animals adopted out.
Kimberly McKeever, development assistant at the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, said the shelter finished 22nd in a nationwide contest and now eligible for the $100,000 prize.
“We’re the little shelter with a big roar,” she said, noting it is now competing against 49 other shelters.
In order to stay in the running the shelter must adopt out 300 more than the amount adopted out in same time frame last year, which was 500.
“We want to win this so we’re going to shoot for over 1,000,” McKeever said.
The kickoff ceremony for the drive is August 6 and August 7 at the battle of the bands at Top Dog. There will also be numerous offsite adoption events.
McKeever said she is “extremely confident” her shelter will win.
She also said the association has partnered with Comcast. The cable company will give in-kind advertising for the shelter.
Betsy Ransome, director of shelter services, is also “extremely confident” about the contest.
“I’m excited about it,” she said.
To help expedite that, the shelter will waive the adoption fee, making the adoption process “user-friendly” to increase turnover.
Ransome said the $100,000 would be used to save more animals and to provide spaying and neutering in clinic.
There would be no capital improvements made to the shelter.
“This money would be directed to helping the community,” Ransome said, adding there would be funding for a mobile spay and neuter vehicle as well as a program to trap, neuter, and release feral cats.
“That’s a huge part of what we do,” she said.
Ransome also said the staff talks to people with animals they want to surrender and try to sort out their issues. People can also post their animals on the virtual shelter online.
“Our goal when we do that is to keep the animal out of a shelter environment,” she said.
Andrew Gershman, volunteer and outreach coordinator for the shelter, said that every time a person adopts an animal, it frees up space to take in another.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our shelter to be able to do a wonderful thing which is adopt and save more lives,” Gershman said of the prize. “The money is nice but the lives saved is even better.”
He said the money will also be used to help set up a fund for special animal care.
“We get animals that require extra care and that can put a strain on operations,” Gershman said. “Putting money aside specifically for this purpose allows us to take in more animals with special needs.”
McKeever said that because the Animal Welfare Association is one of the few no-kill shelters in the area, people are less likely to adopt.
“We’re really trying to create that sense of urgency to come in and adopt,” she said. “We really want to get it out to the community that there is an urgent need to come and adopt from us.”
Ransome said there is also an extensive foster care program for animals that are too young to survive on their own.
“That program helps us compete because we not only have the physical shelter we have this whole extensive foster group that creates space for us,” she said.
