SPCA Fundraiser

When you enter the Fluvanna County SPCA you’re met with a serenade of meows and barks from loveable creatures looking for their forever homes. It takes many volunteers and donations to keep the facility running and able to care for the 100 animals under its care. This month the FSPCA has partnered with Keswick Vineyards to host a wine-tasting fundraiser.
The event will be held Sept. 5 from 1-4 p.m. and include: wine tasting—festival-goers will receive their own special glass to take home; dessert—donated by local businesses; and a silent auction with items donated from the community. Some of the silent auction items are: gift certificates from upscale local restaurants, gift certificates for spas and acupuncture, four U.Va. football game tickets, an autographed baseball from a player on the Washington Nationals, green fees for four and other items.
The FSPCA has been in operation for 20 years and this event is an anniversary celebration, said Director Amy Kirchner, who started on May 1.
Kirchner said in her first few months she’s “made great strides in improving the FSPCA.” Her first priorities were to make the shelter a cleaner, friendlier place to visit. Greeted by friendly volunteers, you will notice the changes.
“The volunteer base is growing, companies are showing support and families are visiting,” she noted. She loves the support shown by the community and feels it will just keep getting better. Some of the 100 animals are being fostered in homes in the community, she noted.
“Fluvanna County has grown quite a bit [in the past 20 years], with a corresponding increase in the number of animals brought into the shelter,” said Kirchner, who used to be a manager at the Charlottesville SPCA. “We are a privately held SPCA so we depend on donations in order to provide quality housing, food and medical treatment for the lost and abandoned dogs, puppies, kittens and cats in Fluvanna.”
“In the past three months, there have been some major changes, but there is so much more that can be done. These animals belong to everyone in our community—I am just taking care of them until they find their permanent homes.”
Tickets for the Keswick fundraiser are $12 before the event and $15 at the door. Fluvanna SPCA, Fluvanna Do-It-Best Hardware, 4 PAWS SPCA thrift store, Happy Tails, Video at the Lake and the Dog & Horse Lovers Boutique in Charlottesville have tickets available. All proceeds from the event will go directly to caring for the animals, Kirchner said.