Michigan Pet Fund Alliance Awards Out of the Box Winners

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance recently announced the winners of its annual Out of the Box Awards, and a Dearborn animal shelter was among the award recipients.

The Friends For Animals of Metro Detroit in Dearborn will receive $500 and a plaque for their “Ask the Experts: Learn and Share Workshop,” where shelter staff and volunteers learn new skills and receive training from animal welfare experts.

“This year’s submissions were evaluated for originality, goals, results, costs, and community engagement,” said Deborah Schutt, Michigan Pet Fund Alliance found and chairperson. “We are excited to build a database of programs and processes that shelters and rescues can easily take ‘out of the box’ and update for their needs.”

The Dearborn shelter was one of five businesses across Michigan to receive money and a plaque from the Micigan Pet Fund Alliance, a nonprofit organization advocating nationally recognized best practices that save lives and stop the killing of healthy and treatable homeless cats and dogs in Michigan shelters. Michigan Pet Fund Alliance provides lifesaving grants, mentoring, educational opportunities, networking, and other support to animal shelters and rescues.

Michigan Pet Fund Alliance has awarded $16,000 since launching the annual Out of the Box Awards in 2017. The awards program gives animal shelters and rescue groups an opportunity to showcase unique programs, while giving access to other animal welfare organizations to these award-winning ideas.

Here are the other four winners:

• Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing will receive $1,000 and a plaque for their “PJ Pups” program that places dogs in short-term foster homes for sleepovers.
• Eva Burrell Animal Shelter in Manistique will receive $1,000 and a plaque for their “Adoption By Donation” program that removes the fixed price tag to adopt a pet and accepts a voluntary donation amount instead.
• Ingham County Animal Control & Shelter in Mason will receive $1,000 and a plaque for their “InPound Fundraiser” that locks community partners in a dog kennel until they raise a set amount of money before they can be released.
• I Heart Dogs Rescue and Animal Haven in Warren will receive $500 and a plaque for their “Volunteer Onboarding” Standard Operation Procedure that gives structure and standardized training for their volunteers.