By Melissa Gable
Public Information Officer
Maricopa County Animal Care and Control
The holiday season may be over, but Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) is asking the community to keep the holiday spirit alive by “pawing” it forward and performing acts of kindness for animals in MCACC shelters through its new “Paw it Forward” program.
Last summer, a woman came to MCACC’s East Valley Animal Care Center in Mesa and offered to pay the adoption fee for five shelter dogs. As she was making her donation, the woman presented staff with a business card that read, “This random act of kindness is done in loving memory of Lily Rue.”
Upon further investigation, staff learned that Lily was stillborn on August 29th, 2014. Her family asked family and friends to do something kind in memory of Lily on her first birthday. The acts of kindness were then recorded on a Facebook page dedicated to Lily. Someone purchased groceries for a family in need; another person donated to a fund to rebuild a playground that had been destroyed by fire; while on vacation someone purchased ice cream for a small child.
MCACC’s marketing team was inspired by Lily’s family and their desire to keeping her memory alive in a positive fashion. After a discussion with Lily’s mother, MCACC created “Paw it Forward” – a program with similarities and geared toward helping shelter pets.
“Paw it Forward” is an initiative to inspire acts of kindness from people all over the Valley throughout the year. The program will highlight and emphasize the acts through a Facebook event on MCACC’s Facebook page featuring photos, videos and information posted by folks who “pawed” it forward.
The Facebook event opened on January 7th and will remain in place throughout the year. The hope is that those who “Paw it Forward” will post their experience and inspire others to “Paw it Forward”, too. The event can be found on Maricopa County Animal Care & Control’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MaricopaCountyAnimalCareandControl.
There are many ways to “Paw it Forward”:
– Sponsor the adoption fee of a pet or pets.
– Pay for a pet’s microchip.
– Collect items from MCACC’s wish list, such as blankets, toys or food.
– Become an MCACC volunteer.
– Offer to foster a sick or injured pet or become an MCACC Day Foster volunteer.
Most important? Spread the word! Share, post and tell everyone about MCACC, the animals they have for adoption and the Paw it Forward program.
