City of Rochester
News Release
Rochester Animal Services and Western New York Flash to Kick off ASPCA $100K Challenge Community Support Needed to Win $100,000 Grant
(Friday, July 22, 2011) – Members of the Western New York Flash soccer team teamed up with Rochester Animal Services (RAS) today to put an extra kick into the kickoff of the ASPCA Challenge, which could result in hundreds of dogs and cats finding new homes and the award of $100,000 for the city’s shelter.
“We’re thankful that the Flash is helping us save more lives,” said Chris Fitzgerald, Director of Animal Services. “This is a great partnership that I’m really looking forward to developing throughout the ASPCA Challenge and beyond. Animal Services will have appearances at both remaining Flash home games, and we are also inviting the Flash to our ASPCA Challenge Kickoff event on July 30.”
“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Rochester Animal Services for the ASPCA Challenge,” said Alex Sahlen, President and player for the WNY Flash. “In addition to being neighbors in the Rochester community, we share with Animal Services a commitment to promoting adoptions and helping save animals’ lives. Playing soccer requires hard work, determination, passion, and stamina. Animal Services employees have a long road ahead during this competition and they will use these same traits to power through the obstacles and achieve their goals.”
Thanks to the thousands of local animal lovers who voted for RAS during the Challenges Qualifying Heat, the City’s animal care and control agency won a spot in this year’s ASPCA $100K Challenge, competing for grants totaling $300,000, including a top prize of $100,000.
The ASPCA $100K Challenge is a nationwide competition for animal shelters aiming to get more animals adopted or returned to their owners. From Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, RAS will compete to find homes for more cats and dogs than it did during the same three-month period in 2010. Competing against 49 other shelters, the goal is to save 1,000 animals, which would mean 400 more animals compared to 2010. The top prize is awarded to the shelter that records the greatest increase.
"The ASPCA $100K Challenge is a great motivator for the Animal Services team and for the citizens and businesses within the Greater Rochester community to get involved," said Fitzgerald. "The Challenge stimulates us to work together, brainstorm and think of new and
Rochester Animal Services Teams up with WNY Flash, page 2 of 2 innovative strategies for increasing adoptions, returning animals to owners and transferring animals to other animal welfare organizations. Working together, not only will we save hundreds of animals and enrich the lives of new adopting families, but we will also have a shot at the $100,000 grant which we would use to fund more targeted spay/neuter efforts."
On Saturday, July 30 RAS and the WNY Flash will be in Brown Square Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the official kickoff. The event will feature autograph and photo ops with WNY Flash players, a free youth soccer clinic, a microchip clinic, free pet nail trimming, free rabies vaccination clinic, adoption discounts and dog licensing. There is no charge for admission and there will be food and refreshment vendors on hand. Attendees will have a chance to pick up some tips and have some fun with the WNY Flash players.
Throughout the Challenge Animal Services will be participating in numerous pet adoption and meet-and-greet events, offering a variety of incentives including:
• Adoption discounts and coupons;
• RAS has developed programs for finding placements for cats in alternative home environments (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living centers, firehouses, barns, etc);
• Local businesses are hosting adoption events at their offices (e.g., Northwest Bank, Denny's, Record Archive, Irondequoit Animal Hospital, etc);
• RAS will have adoptable pets at the Public Market, Rhinos and Flash soccer games and at Rec on the Move locations on select dates;
• Oct. 4 Blessing of the Pets and adoption event at the Episcopal Diocesan house on East Avenue.
RAS is a municipal animal care and control agency dedicated to improving the quality of life and safety for city residents and their animals, promoting responsible pet ownership, and reducing animal overpopulation to reduce animal suffering and euthanasia. The Animal Services Center is the City’s animal shelter and low-cost spay/neuter clinic. In addition to promoting adoptions, the shelter is also in need of volunteers and foster homes to help save more animals.
The shelter is located in downtown Rochester at 184 Verona St. just north of Frontier Field. Parking for the event is free in Kodak Lot D and can be accessed from Brown Street or from Oak St.
For more information about RAS, please visit www.rochesteranimalservices.com or call 428-7274.
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News Media: For more information, contact Chris Fitzgerald, Director of Animal Services, at 428-6898.