Speaker Shekarchi presents $15,795 to
Friends of Warwick Animal Shelter
Speaker Shekarchi (center) with staff and volunteers from the Warwick Animal Shelter, FOWAS, and Vintage Pet Rescue. Also participating
were Rep. Julie Casimiro (seated to the right of Speaker Shekarchi) and Rep. Thomas Noret (standing, back row third from right), who helped organize the Shekarchi Scramble golf tournament, Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi (standing, back row second from right), and Speaker Shekarchi’s dog Merlin (standing, far right)
Back row / standing: Kathy Cote, FOWAS Treasurer; Audrey Snow, FOWAS Board Member; Steve Snow; Shanna Morrison, Warwick Animal Shelter Staff; Ann Corvin, Warwick Animal Shelter Director; Rep. Tom Noret; Debby Niosi, Warwick Shelter Animal Caretaker; Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi; Sandy Salvadore, FOWAS Volunteer; Kevin Murphy
Front Row: Bridget Dissaint, Vintage Pet Volunteer; Dawn Burnham, FOWAS Volunteer; Speaker Joe Shekarchi; Rep. Julie Casimiro; Judy Salvadore, FOWAS President; Merlin the wonder dog
STATE HOUSE – On Saturday, December 18, Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) presented a check for $15,795.41 to Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter (FOWAS), representing the organization’s share of the proceeds from the First Annual Speaker Shekarchi Charity Golf Scramble.
The Shekarchi Charity Golf Scramble was held in August at the Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown. Proceeds from the event benefited three non-profit, charitable humane organizations in Rhode Island: Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter in Warwick, Save One Soul Animal Rescue League in Wakefield and Vintage Pet Rescue in Foster. The three non-profit organizations are all run by volunteers with important and distinct missions of helping homeless animals.
“I’m very excited to distribute these funds, which I know will go a long way in helping lots of deserving shelter pets,” said Speaker Shekarchi. “While the Warwick Animal Shelter does charge a fee for pet adoptions, those fees don’t cover all of the costs associated with the medical care the shelter provides for homeless animals; donations like this help to ensure that all of the shelter’s adoptable pets receive the care they need. The Warwick Animal Shelter and the volunteers from FOWAS do an amazing job of helping pets find their forever homes, and I’m happy to support their work.”
FOWAS is the recipient of $15,795.41 (50% of the proceeds) and Save One Soul Animal Rescue League and Vintage Pet Rescue received $7,897.70 each. These funds come after a difficult time for the non-profits when fundraising events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“The Speaker's event plugged a big hole in our fundraising efforts as this year we again had to cancel many fundraisers including our biggest. One door closes and another one opens: we are grateful to him and his team for their hard work on the golf scramble to make it a huge success for our shelter animals,” said Judy Salvadore, FOWAS president.
Speaker Shekarchi, a lifelong Warwick resident, is a longtime supporter of Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter and has an especially strong love for dogs. He is the proud adopter of a shelter dog, Merlin.
Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter was founded in 2001 to help the homeless animals at Warwick Animal Shelter through programs of assistance, education and public awareness. FOWAS believes every animal deserves a second chance.