What do you get when you combine a pet lifesaving conference and Las Vegas? You get Maddie Spin & Win machines filled with grants and a whole lot of pets’ lives being saved!
In an effort to inspire innovation and drive change, Maddie’s Fund® decided to get into the Las Vegas gambling spirit at this year’s Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo.
“We wanted to create a fun, sticky experience for attendees, and have everyone walk away with a valuable Aha! moment,” said Mary Ippoliti-Smith of the Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team. “We did this through inspiring mini talks from progressive shelter directors, a playgroup experience with our shelter trivia game, and a super fun Maddie Spin & Win machine of grants as prizes!”
Just like any other game in Las Vegas, you needed tokens to play. “You could easily earn tokens by attending the sessions, recording or writing down your Aha! Moment or signing up for the Maddie Network.”
It came as no surprise that people were lining up to play the games and record their Aha! Moments for a chance to play the machine, especially after the prizes were revealed: 20 grants amounting to $1,000 each!
As planned, organizations from all across the country hit the jackpot. Their reactions? Excitement, shock and gratitude. Animals from California to Florida, to Indiana and Wyoming will benefit from the winnings in various ways.
“I was so excited that I started crying!” said Emily Klehm of South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, IL. “We’re using the grant money to buy the tools we need to portalize cat cages and can’t wait to do it!”
In Fountain Hills, AZ, Fearless Kitty Rescue’s Kim Kamins was as giddy as she was grateful. “Wow, talk about icing on the cake! Not only did I attend the Maddie’s Aha Sessions and have a great time learning, networking and understanding how others implement ideas and run their rescues, then I was lucky enough to win a $1,000 grant for my rescue!” She went on to explain how the money could not have come at a better time. “As a cat/kitten rescue group, we’re in the middle of ‘kitten season,’ and these babies are coming at us fast and furious. This money will certainly help with all the spay/neuter surgeries and medical bills we’ll be getting from now until October when kitten season ends.”
Over in Washington, Whitman County Humane Society plans to use the funds for additional staff training. “I had so much fun playing the slot machine game with Maddie’s Fund and recording my ‘Aha! Moment!’ The $1,000 grant was a big surprise, and I’m so grateful for it.”
As for Mayfield/Graves Animal County in Kentucky, the grant will go toward continuing the efforts of transporting dogs and puppies to their partner shelter.
Nevada Humane Society’s Sam McPartland was a first time attendee and won on her first spin. “I’m so excited! I’ve never won anything and knowing that I won something for the dogs makes me so happy!” Since Sam is the dog coordinator, the grant will be used to purchase needed dog supplies and toys for enrichment, especially for some of the longer stay dogs.
Those are just a few of the ways the money will be used. Please join us in congratulating the complete list of winners:
- Abandoned Pet Rescue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, won by Elizabeth Troskey
- Adams County Animal Shelter, Brighton, CO, won by Andrew Brooks
- Arizona Humane Society, Phoenix, AZ, won by Jeannette Scott
- Asociacion de Amigos de los Animales, Guatamala, won by Suzanne Rivera Danziger
- Deserving Pets Rescue, Red Bluff, CA, won by Melanie Baumgartner and Cheryl Bush
- Fearless Kitty Rescue, Fountain Hills, AZ, won by Kim Kamins
- Happy Endings Animal Rescue, Pinedale, WY, won by Susan Cramer
- Happy Tails Humane Society, Rockfalls, IL, won by Donald Cryzk
- Iroquois County Animal Rescue, Iroquois, IL, won by Margaret Fox
- Mayfield/Graves County Animal Shelter (aka Animal Shelter Action Society), Mayfield, KY, won by Bill Brann
- Minidoka Joint Powers Animal Control (aka City of Rupert Animal Control), Rupert, ID, won by Ken Mort
- National Kitty Coalition, Gainesville, VA, won by Jamie Nicholas
- Nevada Humane Society, Reno, NV, won by Sam McPartland
- San Francisco SPCA, San Francisco, CA, won by Erin Kerley
- San Francisco SPCA, San Francisco, CA, won by Marti Watts
- Seattle Area Feline Rescue, Shoreline, WA, won by Eric Misbe
- South Suburban Humane Society, Chicago Heights, IL, won by Emily Klehm
- Tree House Humane Society, Chicago, IL, won by Olga Steele
- Underdog Pet Rescue of Wisconsin, Monona, WI, won by Lauren Wojtasiak
- Whitman County Humane Society, Pullman, WA, won by Audrey Zoesch
Don’t miss more innovative ideas for pet fostering, adoption, shelter medicine and stories about how pets make our lives better and happier — sign up here!