On June 8, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit [FAMD] will celebrate Best Friends Day by launching its “Unleash the Love” campaign. The shelter hopes the program will raise $200,000 as part of Phase Two of the shelter’s capital campaign.

FAMD’s “Unleash the Love” program features 2,000 animal leashes on display at the MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center, located at FAMD’s Dearborn campus. For a donation of $50 or more, donors can “purchase” a leash. The leashes will be used to transport each of the approximately 2,000 pets that FAMD finds a forever home for each year.

“Our pets truly are the best friends we can have,” said Kim Cross, FAMD president and CEO. “They deserve all the love and care we can give them. Part of that is making sure we have the best facilities to take care of them while they are waiting to find their forever homes. Our ‘Unleash the Love’ program will help us continue to nurture and care for the animals in our shelter.”

The “Unleash the Love” program has also found a friend and benefactor in FAMD board member Al Kammerer, who has offered to match all donations up to $100,000. “Al has been a kind, staunch supporter of our efforts for years now, and we are so grateful that he is helping us in this effort,” said Cross.

“I have been involved with FAMD for over three years as both a board member and co-chair of the fundraising committee and I have witnessed the great work our dedicated staff and volunteers have done caring for the animals that come through our doors,” added Kammerer. “I am proud that for over 20 years we find forever homes for 100% of adoptable and treatable animals no matter how long it takes. The staff and volunteers deserve to be under one roof in a modern facility that is much healthier for them and the animals they care for. We also want to expand our learning opportunities for the community and need the space for gatherings.”

The “Unleash the Love” initiative is part of FAMD’s capital campaign to expand and renovate its Dearborn campus. After years of planning, in January 2021 FAMD began Phase Two of their drive to move all operations to a new state-of-the-art shelter. Phase One of the campaign was completed in September 2018, with $5.1 million in donations, as well as a donation of land from the City of Dearborn.

FAMD is a 501c3 organization and is located at 16121 Reckinger in Dearborn. For more information and to donate to the Capital Campaign, visit https://www.metrodetroitanimals.org/unleashthelove/.

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