Foundation for Tri-State
Community Fund Tops $100,000

March 4, 2008

One individual with a great love for animals has forever improved the chances that pets will be adopted from the Boyd County Animal Control Center and that fewer unwanted animals will be born in the future.

Mary Witten Wiseman, president of the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, Inc., has been working for several years with an anonymous donor to develop a fund to spay and neuter animals at the center and to market the adoption of pets from the facility. 

Today, Wiseman announced to the Boyd County Fiscal Court that the Boyd County Animal Control Center Endowment Fund now exceeds $100,000 and is ready to start making contributions.

Over the past four years, the donor has aggressively added to the endowment fund. Other individuals have contributed as well. The Foundation has invested the funds wisely, helping to bring the fund to its current level. In 2008, the Foundation will distribute $3,000 to the center. This number will increase over time, providing a permanent source of funding to improve the lives of animals at the center.

“The donor wanted to reduce the population of unwanted animals by enabling the center to spay and neuter the animals before they are adopted,” said Wiseman. “New owners will be able to adopt the pets for a small fee, without the additional costs of spaying or neutering the animals. More pets will find happy homes and fewer unwanted pets will be born.

“In recent weeks, there has been much public attention to the animal control issue in Boyd County, including stories in the local newspaper,” Wiseman said. “Because of the vision and generosity of a local philanthropist, the center will have significantly more resources to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the county and encourage the adoption of pets from the facility.”

 The Foundation has two other funds that benefit animals in Boyd County. The Pet Betterment Fund accepts current donations to spay and neuter dogs from the center and feature them for adoption as the “pet of the month.” It can accept contributions for the benefit of cats and other animals at the center, as well, and may include other services such as vaccinations and medical care. The Ashland Boyd County Dog Park Fund accepts contributions to maintain and improve the park. 

 Another fund of the Foundation, in a nearby community, provides a great example of the impact a gift from an animal lover has made. In 1995, the Foundation received a bequest of $30,000 from the estate of Edith Emma Arundel to spay female cats in Lawrence County, Ohio. Since that time, more than $23,400 has been provided to the Lawrence County Humane Society and more than 550 cats have been spayed. Over the same period, the Foundation’s wise investment of the fund’s money has enabled its current balance to stand at more than $44,000.

“This is an unqualified success and Miss Arundel’s love and concern for cats will live on forever,” Wiseman said. 

Wiseman encourages animal lovers throughout the tri-state to contact the Foundation if they wish to establish or contribute a fund. 

“Checks should be made out to the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, Inc. and should designate the specific fund they wish to support,” Wiseman said. “All contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent of the law.

“The Boyd County Animal Control Center Endowment Fund enabled an anonymous donor to work through the community foundation to make a meaningful contribution to improve the quality of life for animals in Boyd County,” Wiseman said. “The gift will help solve a significant issue and will impact the animal control issue forever.”

Wiseman encourages other individuals and businesses to contact the Foundation at (606) 324-3888 to discuss charitable giving solutions to positively and permanently impact those things they value most.