National spotlight on Adrian shelter in an effort to raise money and awareness about homeless pets
Lenawee Humane Society has raised thousands through its Jordan’s Way fundraiser.
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - There are a lot of pets waiting for their forever home in shelters and rescues in our area. Many organizations are seeing an increase in numbers right now.
The Lenawee Humane Society was in the national spotlight Tuesday for a special fundraiser that will help bring in thousands of dollars for the shelter. Jordan’s Way is an organization that works to help the underdog by raising money and awareness for homeless animals.
The death of a beloved pet is what sparked the idea for the effort, and it’s helped bring a new life to thousands of animals. After Kris Rotonda had to say goodbye to his dog Jordan, he turned his pain into purpose, and Jordan’s Way was born.
The charity honors Jordan’s memory and works to help dogs like her who spend a large part of their lives in shelters. In just over a year, Jordan’s way has raised a remarkable amount of money. Greg Edwards is part of the organization.
“Since January 2021, we’ve helped raise a little over $4 million for rescues and shelters all over the country. Did that surprise you? It did, it’s humbling, very humbling. I am so proud of what we have accomplished with the help of so many wonderful people,” Edwards said.
Raising that money is a lot of fun. It starts with a Facebook live that goes on for several hours, much like an old-school telethon. “We do all kinds of crazy things like locking people up in cages, making them do push-ups and sit-ups, and giving them whip cream pies in the face. People love getting to see the lighter side of shelters,” Edwards said.
The people of Jordan’s Way worked their magic here at the Lenawee Humane Society Tuesday. Humane society staff members and volunteers were a big part of the effort. Samantha Pruitt is the fundraising manager at the shelter. “We are so grateful for the community standing behind us always. We’ve had a lot of fun, a lot of donations and support from the community and it’s been great to see everyone come together to help so many animals in need.”
Like many shelters and rescues around the region, Samantha said the goal here is to help people keep their pets through special programs like a food bank.
“People can come in once a month to get a bag of food for their cat or dog. We also have a spay/neuter program for community cats as well as owned cats and dogs. We are trying to keep people and their pets together. We offer all kinds of resources. All people need to do is reach out to us,” she said.
It’s a day of fun for participants, and it changes thousands of lives, both pets, and people.
“I love seeing an animal get adopted. We’ve helped influence about 15,000 adoptions over the last year. It’s given me a sense of purpose, a major sense of purpose,” Edwards said.
So far nearly $4,500 has been raised. There’s plenty of time to help the Lenawee Humane Society through Jordan’s Way. The fundraiser is live for the next 8 days, so you can still make a donation.
To learn more or participate in the fundraiser, click here.
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