Fifty Animal Shelters Earn Coveted Spots in ASPCA $100K Challenge

NEW YORK--The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced the 50 shelters that earned coveted spots to compete in the 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge after 12 days of spirited online voting by their supporters, which resulted in more than 500,000 votes. The contenders now will gear up for a three-month competition for more than $300,000 in prize grants, including a grand prize of $100,000.

"We were blown away by the outpouring of support and by the number of votes cast for local shelters in the qualifying heat," said Bert Troughton, vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA. "If the buzz created during the voting is any indication of how much energy and passion we'll see for these 50 contestants during the contest, then I think we're in for a really inspiring 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge, where even more animals will be saved."

During the 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge, 50 animal shelters will compete to save at least 300 more animals--during the months of August, September, and October 2011--than they did over the same three-month period in 2010. The shelter with the biggest increase in animals saved will win a $100,000 grant. The agency that gets the most community members involved in saving animals will win a $25,000 grant, and those organizations that do the best in their regions will be eligible for between $5,000 and $25,000 in grants.

The 50 shelters competing in the 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge are:

• Decatur Animal Services in Decatur, Ala.
• Ramona Humane Society, Inc. in San Jacinto, Calif.
• Animal Friends of the Valleys in Wildomar, Calif.
• Ventura County Animal Services in Camarillo, Calif.
• Butte Humane Society in Chico, Calif.
• Valley Oak SPCA in Visalia, Calif.
• Riverside County Department of Animal Services in Riverside, Calif.
• Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C.
• Washington Humane Society in Washington, D.C.
• Orange County Animal Services in Orlando, Fla.
• Animal Care and Protective Services in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Walton County Animal Services in DeFuniak Springs, Fla.
• SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo, Fla.
• Cherokee County Animal Shelter in Canton, Ga.
• Humane Society of Greater Savannah in Savannah, Ga.
• Cobb County Animal Control in Marietta, Ga.
• Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa
• Idaho Humane Society in Boise, Idaho
• Animal House Shelter, Inc. in Huntley, Ill.
• Humane Society for Hamilton County in Noblesville, Ind.
• Indianapolis Animal Care and Control in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville, Ky.
• Animal Rescue League of Boston in Boston, Mass.
• Lowell Humane Society in Lowell, Mass.
• Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield, Mass.
• Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston, Maine
• City of Independence Animal Services in Independence, Mo.
• The Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport, Miss.
• Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, N.C.
• Gaston County Animal Control in Dallas, N.C.
• Pitt County Animal Shelter in Greenville, N.C.
• Burlington Animal Services in Haw River, N.C.
• New Hampshire SPCA in Stratham, N.H.
• Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, N.J.
• Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown. N.J.
• Nevada Humane Society in Reno, Nev.
• Rochester Animals Services in Rochester, N.Y.
• Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary in Middletown, N.Y.
• Animal Rescue League of Western PA in Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Delaware County SPCA in Media, Pa.
• PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society) in Philadelphia, Pa.
• Citizens for Animal Protection in Houston, Texas
• Austin Pets Alive! In Austin, Texas
• Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander, Texas
• Galveston Island Humane Society in Galveston, Texas
• St. Croix Animal Welfare Center in Kingshill, U.S.V.I. (U.S. Virgin Islands)
• Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale, Wash.
• Seattle Humane Society in Bellevue, Wash.
• Dane County Humane Society in Madison, Wis.

It has long been a priority of the ASPCA to create a country of humane communities where there is no more euthanasia of homeless animals simply because of a lack of space or the resources to adequately care for them. The ASPCA $100K Challenge builds on that goal by inspiring shelters and their communities to innovate and act to save more animals. For more information about the 2011 ASPCA $100K Challenge, please visit http://challenge.aspcapro.org/.