There are moments in this work that bring you to a full stop.
In the middle of spreadsheets, transport schedules, grant reports, and meetings that fill every available square on the calendar, something cuts through the noise and reminds you exactly why we are here. For me, this month, it was an email.
Doreen and Michael wrote to tell us about Dino. Twelve years ago, their grandson chose a floppy-eared puppy from a run at AWA. He grew into an 80-pound beach-loving, kid-adored, heart-stealing family member. They wrote to us through tears to say goodbye and to say thank you.
That is our why.
Every adoption number, every class enrollment, every corporate volunteer day, every late-night medical case, every grant proposal, every social media post exists for that moment. For the day a family realizes that an animal who began their journey in uncertainty became the best part of their lives.
And in January, 211 animals found their families. That is a 25% increase over last year and 14% above what we projected. Cats are leading the way, but the story behind that number is much bigger than species or statistics. It represents hundreds of beginnings. Hundreds of living rooms with new paw prints. Hundreds of people who, years from now, will write their own version of Dino’s story.
Building Stability So We Can Save More Lives
Sustainable impact requires sustainable funding. We have made meaningful progress toward our spring Challenge Fund goal of $25,000, with $5,280 already pledged. That early momentum matters. Challenge matches are not just about doubling dollars. They are about doubling confidence. When donors see others step forward, they step forward too.
Our grant funding this month reflects the trust that national and family foundations place in AWA’s work. A $26,200 award and an additional $7,000 gift are more than line items. They are fuel for surgeries, vaccines, behavior support, and outreach programs that keep pets in homes and out of crisis.
Corporate sponsorships continue to demonstrate how deeply our community believes in this mission. Support for summer camp, STEM programming, Paws & Feet, and even the simple but essential staff shirts we wear each day helps us operate with dignity and professionalism. These partnerships also allow us to reach new audiences and invite more people into the circle of care.
What matters most is not the dollar amount attached to any single gift. It is what those gifts make possible. They allow us to plan ahead instead of react. They allow us to invest in training, enrichment, and prevention. They allow us to say yes when an animal needs us.
Community Is Our Strongest Lifeline
If you want to understand AWA, do not start with our building. Start with our community.
In the first two months of this year, we have welcomed corporate volunteer groups, scout troops, homeschool students, campers, birthday parties, therapy dog teams, and first-time visitors who simply wanted to learn how to help. Each group arrived for a different reason. Each group left connected to the mission.
Our corporate volunteer program continues to grow in both size and depth. Teams from Amazon, the military, healthcare organizations, and financial institutions are not just completing service hours. They are learning how animal welfare intersects with empathy, teamwork, and mental health. They tour the shelter, create enrichment, and begin to see the animals not as abstract causes but as individuals with stories.
We also expanded our PAWS program to include two new adult groups. This matters because animal welfare is not only about animals. It is about people finding purpose, healing, and confidence through caring for another living being.
At a recent corporate cuddle event, therapy dogs worked alongside kittens, puppies, and even Mama Bun, our education rabbit, to create moments of calm and connection for employees. That is not a soft outcome. It is a measurable reminder that the human–animal bond strengthens communities.
Education Is Prevention in Action
If adoption is the visible heart of our work, education is the quiet force that prevents future suffering.
In just the first weeks of 2026, our education team reached 488 people through classes, camps, outreach visits, scout programs, and behind-the-scenes experiences. We launched our Wags & Wiggles program, hosted sold-out themed classes, and piloted our first virtual scout badge workshop, expanding our reach beyond geographic limits.
When 159 students learn how to safely interact with animals and practice empathy, we are not simply delivering a lesson. We are shaping the next generation of pet guardians, volunteers, and advocates.
Our summer camp is already 50% full and has generated more than $29,000 in revenue. Thanks to sponsorship support, we are also providing scholarships so that cost is not a barrier to participation. That is how you build equity into animal welfare.
Education is also happening inside our walls. We have updated staff and volunteer training to include nationally recognized certification in canine and feline communication and safe handling. This investment improves safety, reduces stress for animals, and increases positive outcomes. When our team understands how to “speak dog” and “speak cat,” animals move through the shelter more quickly and successfully into homes.
Foster Care: Preparing for the Storm
Anyone in animal welfare knows that the quiet months are an illusion. Kitten season is coming.
Our foster team is preparing now. Recruitment events, ongoing orientations, and targeted social media storytelling are all part of a strategy to grow our network before the surge begins. Foster care is one of the most powerful tools we have. It creates space in the shelter, provides individualized care, and dramatically improves outcomes for vulnerable animals.
The goal is simple. When the first wave of kittens arrives, we want homes ready and waiting.
Medical and Behavior: Caring for the Whole Animal
Animal welfare is not just about moving animals through a system. It is about meeting their needs as individuals.
Our medical team handled 154 shelter cases in January while increasing surgical capacity by 15% compared to last year. The clinic and shelter are working in sync, ensuring that animals receive timely care without bottlenecks. That coordination is critical to both animal welfare and operational efficiency.
Our behavior department saw a 39% increase in class revenue, driven in part by adoption counselors enrolling families at the time of adoption. This is prevention in real time. When new pet guardians leave with training support, they are more confident, animals are more secure, and returns decrease.
As our trainers complete advanced certification, we will expand into private sessions, increasing both impact and sustainability.
Transport Strategy: Smarter, Not Just Bigger
One of the most significant operational shifts this year has been refining our transport partnerships.
By working with four consistent out-of-state partners, we have improved predictability and reduced the number of high-risk cases arriving without medical or behavioral history. This protects our resources and allows us to plan for the animals we welcome.
At the same time, we are responding to local adoption demand by exploring cat transports and adjusting to fluctuations in partner availability due to disease outbreaks or population changes. This is complex, data-driven work that directly affects adoption outcomes.
The result is not just more animals saved. It is better placement, better preparation, and better long-term success.
The Clinic: Access to Care Is Access to Compassion
Our clinic remains one of the most important ways we serve both animals and the people who love them.
While weather and scheduling reduced dental surgery days in January, wellness services and vaccine clinics increased. Our MASH spay and neuter work continues, addressing community cat overpopulation at scale. Every surgery represents future litters prevented and future suffering avoided.
Access to affordable veterinary care is one of the strongest predictors of whether a pet remains in a home. This is animal welfare and human support at the same time.
Events That Bring New People to the Mission
Events are not just fundraisers. They are entry points.
Pins for Purrs sold out earlier than ever and reached record attendance. Rev Up for Rescues connects us with an entirely different audience than our traditional events. The upcoming Shred for a Cause provides a simple service that translates directly into funding. Paws & Feet continues to be our flagship community celebration, and we are intentionally evolving it with live performances, expanded engagement opportunities, and an off-site 50/50 raffle to increase impact.
Each of these events introduces someone new to AWA. Some will adopt. Some will donate. Some will volunteer. All will leave knowing that they are part of something meaningful.
Communications: Telling the Story So the Work Can Continue
Our digital reach continues to grow. Website sessions are up, social media views are increasing across platforms, and our email strategy is becoming more targeted and effective through segmentation and list health improvements.
These numbers matter because awareness leads to action. A family cannot adopt an animal they do not know exists. A donor cannot support a program they have never heard about.
We also saw national visibility through Puppy Bowl participation and consistent regional media coverage. Each story extends our reach beyond our immediate community and reinforces that animal welfare is a shared responsibility.
Leadership Is Presence
This month included a full calendar of networking events, advisory councils, ribbon cuttings, and collaborative meetings. These are not optional extras. They are how we build the partnerships that sustain our work.
When we sit at those tables, we are not just representing AWA. We are advocating for animals, for access to care, and for the role that the human–animal bond plays in healthy communities.
A New Chapter in Volunteer Engagement
We are thrilled to welcome our new Volunteer Coordinator, who is already laying the groundwork for expanded training, improved onboarding, and stronger pathways from group volunteering to long-term individual service.
Volunteers are not an add-on to our work. They are essential. They walk dogs, socialize cats, support events, create enrichment, and often become lifelong ambassadors for the mission.
The Numbers Tell a Story. The Animals Tell the Truth.
It is easy to read a report like this as a collection of metrics. Adoptions up. Revenue up. Engagement up. Programs expanding.
But the truth lives in the quiet spaces.
It is in the foster home that says yes to a litter of bottle babies.
It is in the child who learns how to approach a dog safely for the first time.
It is in the corporate volunteer who arrives for a service day and leaves asking how to adopt.
It is in the family who writes to us twelve years later, still grateful.
That is our why.
Looking Ahead
The months ahead will bring kitten season, major events, expanded training programs, and continued growth in our clinic and education initiatives. We will need our community more than ever.
If you are reading this, you are already part of the story.
You are the reason we can say yes when an animal needs surgery.
You are the reason a child receives a book and learns empathy.
You are the reason a senior can keep their pet through access to affordable care.
You are the reason a floppy-eared puppy becomes someone’s Dino.
This work is complex. It requires strategy, funding, collaboration, and constant adaptation. But at its heart, it remains beautifully simple.
We exist so that animals and people can find each other.
And when they do, everything changes.
