Latest News Items:

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PETCO Partner Venture Provides Success in King George -- Tuesday June 9th, 2015

Spring of 2015 was an exciting time for King George County with the opening of a new Petco in the Merchant’s Lane shopping center adjacent to the Wal-Mart Super Center. What made the opening even more exciting for King George Animal Rescue League (KGARL) was the partnership with Petco to find homes for local homeless cats. “We just can’t say enough good things about our local Petco staff” Charlotte Gaither, who heads up the Petco Adoption program, said,” They have been incredibly supportive of our efforts and are a great group to work with!” Petco provides housing for the cats so that the community has access and can visit to find their ‘purr-fect match’. Local volunteers provide twice daily care for the animals by visiting morning and evening to feed the feline friends, tidy up the kennels and spend time socializing the cats. It is like therapy for me after work,” Barbara Wagner, volunteer with the Petco Program stated,” It is so nice to go and spend some time with these fur-babies. They are so excited to see you and just want to love on you and play. It is really one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering with KGARL that I can think of.” Eleven cats have currently been adopted through the efforts and there are currently four being housed at the store and three more waiting in the wings. The success of the program has been a pleasant surprise for the organization but it is no light undertaking. “We had to weigh the pros and cons of this mission before we agreed to take it on.” Michele Shipman stated, “There is a lot of work involved – 365 days a year the cats need care and ensuring we had the volunteers to take on this challenge was a key element to the success.” So far there have been about 20 volunteers who have attended the Cat Care Training and are able to take care of the cats. But as in many organizations it often falls on a core few dedicated workers to make sure the cats are always well cared for. “It really isn’t hard – a little housekeeping, fresh food and water, ensuring the safety of the animals and about an hour of your day” Shipman continued, “and that hour you spend is so critical to the success of this venture. We would love to see more of our volunteers take an active role in this program. “ To be a Petco Cat Care Volunteer and help out with this tremendously successful venture, go to www.kgarl.org and sign up under the volunteer page application. One of the members of the KGARL staff will contact you to set up a training date and introduce you to the available cats at Petco.

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Combined Federal Campaign - KGARL #47944 -- Thursday January 22nd, 2015

For all Government workers, KGARL is part of the 2014 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which kicked off on September 1st. The CFC now offers Universal Giving; which means that, even though we are only listed in the Potomac and the Northern Capital Area campaign books, anyone can donate to KGARL through any campaign region by searching for our charity code (47944) at https://apps3.opm.gov/CFC/CharitySearch/Main.jsp. This is a wonderful opportunity for KGARL to raise much needed funds! And, don't forget to designate the King George Animal Rescue League (#47944) when you're filling out your CFC forms this year!