There are never enough words or ways to express our gratitude for all the support we get from you.  We simply could not do this without the support of friends and donors.  Financially we are supported solely by donations and grants.  And the work gets done by volunteers.

 We recoup some of the money spent on each foster pup via the adoption fees, but not always everything.  If a pup has had extensive vet bills or expenses for medications, we don’t want to have him not be able to be adopted due to a higher adoption fee to cover the extras.  And when we keep fosters for a long time, we never recoup even the food expenses … but the important thing is that they are safe and loved until their forever family finds them.

Yard Sales!  Thanks to your donations and many, many happy shoppers, we have been able to keep a lot of foster pups fed and vetted.  We always get amazing support when we ask for donations for yard sales.  We try to do the sales at least twice each year because they are a wonderful source of much-needed funds for the rescue.  Our thanks to all of you who donate so generously.  And special thanks to those of you who come out to help set up and run the sales.  A very special thank you goes out to Donald and Linda Zimmerman, owners of Westside Food Mart in Bedford, who allow us to use an amazing space in their store building for these sales and other fundraisers.  Great room inside and outside and plenty of parking ... who could ask for more?  Linda is on our Board of Directors and helps us with so many things.  And Donald puts up with all the fuss!  Thank you!

Thanks to your generosity we have had a good supply of sheets, pillowcases, towels and blankets for the pups.  We wash so much stuff for the pups that we ‘killed’ a dryer last year!  All these items are bleached so heavily that they don’t have a long life, so we are constantly wishing for more.  We accept these donations year-round.  One of our great supporters, Darlene French, recently asked at an area nursing home and they donated several large bags of things that were worn just enough that they couldn’t use them for their patients any longer. And Robin Caughey (New London Massage) has donated flannel sheets from her business for the past few years.  When she replaces them for her business, she donates the old ones to the puppies.  The puppies really appreciate them! 

We so appreciate the regular monthly monetary donations that come in from some of you.  You cannot imagine how much those mean to us.  And what a humbling feeling to open the mailbox and find a kind note along with a generous donation … or to get a notification from PayPal that someone has made an online donation.  We so appreciate the money, and we are truly honored that you are donating your hard-earned money to support our rescue.  There are many groups that are in need of support, and you make us feel that you see value in what we do through your support.

And how grateful we are for those of you who drop by from time to time with food and treat donations!  We feed approximately 400 – 500 pounds of food weekly.  And that doesn’t include special formulas for some of the babies and moms.

A few of our wonderful supporters have collected items from their co-workers and what a blessing those donations have been.  Gaby Thompson and Cynthia Chaney have both gotten their co-workers to donate significant amounts of food and other goodies to AAMR. 

In the fall of 2010, one of my former co-workers, Terri Nguyen, was taking a Project Managment course and she convinced her team to do a hands-on project for AAMR.  Her team came out and put a patio block floor in a kennel for us.  They raised money for the project, had all the materials delivered, brought the team out to actually install the floor and they even had a business donate box lunches for the project day!  This was such an amazing gesture of kindness and we will always be grateful to Terri and team!  And of course they all got A's on the project ... as well they should have.

We were fortunate enough in 2009 and 2010 to get $650 grants from the Pedigree Foundation.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 James River Kennel Club has donated $350 each year to AAMR.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 the Anctil family hosted the Bark and Wine festivals at Sans Soucy Vineyards and Winery in Brookneal.  We so appreciate their support.

In late 2010 we received a $3400 grant from the Greg Biffle Foundation.  We have used the donation for vaccines, flea/tick treatments, heartworm prevenative treatments and medical care for puppies for our transport program as well as for some of the adult dogs.  We have also used the money to expand the sleep and play areas for the puppies in the transport program.

In 2010 and 2011, Peaks of Otter Winery honored us by selecting us to receive part of the proceeds from the ticket sales to the annual Horse and Hound Wine Festival.  Participating in this event is always fun and the very generous donations are a huge boost to our rescue efforts.

In addition to our adopters, some (and forgive me and remind me if I omitted some names) of our most faithful supporters/volunteers/friends include:

Andrew and Ashley Lockhart/Lockhart Family Foundation

Michele and Carl Rakowski

Bill and Darlene French

David and Courtney Aman

Tom and Chris Mauro

Linda and Donald Zimmerman/Westside Food Mart

Shannon Zimmerman

Scott and Becky McCraw

Sherri Connor

Donald Arthur

Susan Arrington

Joanne Douglas, DVM

Wendy Gordon

Susan McLaughlin

Vicki Capps

Pettis Bond

Sharon Zimmerman

Christine Lofgren

Gaby Thompson

Cynthia Chaney

Lisa and Robert Vogel

Steve Hinrichs

Carol Penny

Nancy Johnson/Windy Ridge Kennels

Robin Caughey @ New London Massage

Corey Crompton and Allison Johnson

Liz and Ryan Bobbitt

Ashely Rafferty and Houston Mason

Carol and Christopher Cornwell

Charles and Lola Green

Lance and Meredith Lewis

Barbara and Robert Purcell

Cavin and Soni Carlton

Diane Scuderi and all the PawSafe volunteers

Debbie Blackwell - transport driver extraordinaire

Lacey Carter and Scott Bacon

Ted and Donna Abernethy

Bob and Judy Ingraham

Kurt and Rebecca Klahn

Monica Rife/Monica's Pet Grooming

Ken Walus and Robbie Lowery

Tony and Pat Parker 

Robyn Elam

Janice Phelps

Linda Settles

Sandy Clark

Bob and Kathey Lockhart

Brandi Lockhart

Janet and Frank McQuain

John and Julia Polk

Larry and Edna Ouellette

Kandy Shackelford

Ron and Sharon Felix

Mary Turman

Ed Hoisington

Gary and Julia Kirby

Phyllis and Graham Hollenbeck

Robert and Shelly Ore

Tim and Elizabeth Arner

Linda Thomas

Ed and Cathey McCann

Harb and Mary Beth Rank

Andrea Wright

Kathleen Clinton

Tommy and Rose Hall

Michelle Reedy

Carla Hurley

Dee Finch

Pat Grier

Sandy Crumrine

Sandra and Les Mullins

Paula Jones

Bev Franklin

Cindy Mayhew

Kara Jones

Brian and Debbie Staples

Jim and Mona Hagstrom

Lisel and Christian Browe

Melissa Stevens/Custom Embroidery

South Central Spay/Neuter Clinic

Peaks of Otter Winery/Horse and Hound Festival

Sans Soucy Vineyards and Winery

Blue Ridge Vineyards and Winery

Savoy-Lee Winery/David Wood

One Earth Landscape in Boulder, CO

Professional Rehabilitative Options

Baird Foundation

Monelison Animal Clinic, Dr. Charles Budzyn and staff

Smith Mountain Lake Animal Hospital

Bedford Bulletin (for donating lots of newspapers to line puppy pens!)