Holiday Fundraisers A Huge Success

Agape was very blessed during the 2009 holiday season with several successful fundraisers. We hosted Santa pictures at The Frothy Monkey, Pooch Playhouse and Petsmart. We participated in the Gaylord Hall of Trees event and implemented a supply drive for the dogs where The Crag, See Spot Eat, The Lexington Apartments and Pooch Playhouse all participated with drop-off sites and donation boxes.

Collectively, these fundraisers raised more than $3,000 in monetary and in-kind donations! Wow, that makes for an awesome holiday season, and better yet, for many good things to come for our rescued animals. Thank you to Steve Lowry, Amber Lynn, and Tricha Christy for taking photos during the Santa Day photo shoots, to Tim Causey of ReCreations Fine Furnishings & Exquisite Interiors for decorating our Hall of Trees Christmas tree, to our awesome supply drive supporters and to all of the volunteers who made these events possible! If you would like to see pictures from any or all of the holiday fundraisers, please visit our web albums under Event Photo Gallery.

$1,000 Grant Awarded to Agape Animal Rescue by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has distributed more than $900,000 in grants to 198 non-profit organizations in 30 Middle Tennessee counties as part of The Foundation’s annual grant-making process. Agape is happy to announce that it applied for, and received, a $1000 grant to help with our 2010 Foster Parent Campaign, scheduled to kick off in February 2010.

Agape’s Foster Parent Campaign will offer a series of open house meetings with the public, which is invited to learn more about what it means to be a foster parent for Agape Animal Rescue. The goal of this program is to increase Agape’s number of foster families to twenty by the end of 2010. Watch for future notices about these open houses if you or anyone you know is interested in joining our foster parent team.

“As needs in Middle Tennessee grow, the work of our non-profit partners to provide vital services and innovative programs has never been more important,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “The Foundation is honored to connect generosity with need through our annual grant-making, and congratulates non-profits on their efforts to improve quality of life for our community.”

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 700 charitable funds. In the past 18 years, The Community Foundation has distributed $440 million to its non-profit partners. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.

THANK YOU, The Community Foundation, for helping Agape continue to save the lives of dogs in need!

Local Film Crew Donates Movie to Agape

Read Ridley, known as "Bear" to his students, friends and colleagues, is the Director of Film Crew Technology at Columbia State Community College in Franklin, TN. Every year, Bear picks a new non-profit for his students as a class project, and this year Agape was the Bear's choice. Having seen one of our flyers at the Frothy Monkey on 12th Avenue South, he took a look at our website, talked to Nashville Paw owner/editor Heather Davis about us, and decided Agape was the ONE!

The result is an incredible "about Agape" video featuring footage of Agape volunteers and patrons attending the 2009 Dog Day Festival at Centennial Park, as well as shots of several previously adopted Agape dogs and their owners. And through Bear's professional connections, the narrator is a local Nashville celebrity! We won't spoil the surprise, but you'll be astonished at our honorary, voice over country and western spokesperson, all thanks to the great work of the Columbia State film crew and their rockin' director, Bear.

This was no small undertaking. Besides the director, nine students worked on the project for nearly four weeks, putting in between 180-200 man hours. The finished video, 1:41 long and valued at $6,000, is an incredible piece of artistry, and illustrates wonderfully what Agape is and what it stands for. Thanks to the professional leadership of Bear and the talent and dedication of his students, we now have an incredible video about our organization.

Saying thank you for this donated video hardly seems adequate. We are humbled by the gesture of one, until now, complete stranger and his film crew. We appreciate you, Bear, and the work of your video production students. You've most definitely made a difference in our animals' lives.

Top: Director "Bear" Ridley poses with Gator; Above: Shamus relaxes on the deck while being filmed

Mutts Strutt by for Dog Day Festival 2009

They came in all colors, shapes and sizes — mutts and their mutt-meisters — for the 2009 Nashville Humane Association Dog Day Festival and Music City Mutt Strutt at Centennial Park. And this year’s Dog Day Festival, held October 10, 2009, offered a new sizzle at the Agape booth: a real-life movie crew filming some reality shots of our rescue.

The Festival patrons could not be stopped by overnight rains and chilly temps! They got creative and loaded up their furry friends in wagons and strollers, and bundled the little ones up in warm coats and winter scarves to keep warm. People and dogs paraded through the masses at this annual event to check out the fabulous vendor booths, food, music and dog treats. There was no shortage of doggie costumes, as Halloween was certainly on display a few weeks early!

A special part of the day was a visit from Rex, former Agape foster dog, now happily adopted. He stopped by our booth with his mom, little brother, and doggie friend, Lucky. Rex, pictured below with former foster mom Nancy and new mom Debi, was adopted exactly one year ago, after we met his family at the Dog Day Festival 2008.
The Dog Day Festival at Centennial Park is an event that most every dog lover in Nashville looks forward to attending! All proceeds go to support Nashville Humane Association.

Agape Attends Commodores in the Community Service Fair

Agape took part in Vanderbilt's Commodores in the Community Service Fair on August 25, 2009, where nearly 1500 freshmen visited booths to learn about volunteer opportunities in the community.

Students visited some 114 “Community Partner” tables, where Agape and the other non-profit groups (like Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Mid-TN, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Saddle Up!, Sexual Assault Center, to name just a few) spoke about their organizations and ways to give back to the community. The freshmen had only been on campus a few short days, having just moved into their dorms and gone through freshmen orientation a couple of days before. They were tired, some homesick, and many missed their dogs back home! Several hundred students came by our table to check out Agape volunteer opportunities.

Each student had three tickets to drop into their favorite “Community Partner” VOTE FOR ME box provided by the event organizers, and judging by the crowd at our table and the weight of our box, Agape was a popular volunteer option for the students that day!

A big salute to Vanderbilt for putting on such an organized, well-planned event. And what an inspirational message to send to the students about giving back to the community! Agape was honored to be a “Community Partner” at this year's Commodores in the Community Service Fair.

Summer Series of Dog and Car Washes Fun, Successful

The dog days of summer were much more fun … and cleaner… on three Saturdays this year at the Hermitage McDonald’s parking lot where dozens of Agape volunteers sweated away the hours to raise money for their favorite charity. On June 13th, July 25th and August 15th, literally hundreds of dogs and cars were the benefactors of the $5 washes we offered to raise money for Agape’s rescue dogs.

We are proud to announce that our Summer Series of dog/car washes brought in a whopping $1274! That amount will go directly to saving more animals’ lives and we want to thank all the volunteers who helped make this possible. Whether you scrubbed dogs in the tub or washed car tires, YOU made a difference in an animal’s life! Thank you.

Agape Wins Best Animal Rescue for 2009!

Thank you to everyone who voted for us in the 2009 Nashville Paw Magazine readers' choice poll. We are committed to serving our community through helping misplaced dogs find forever homes. We are able to do exactly that because of your support and encouragement.

We will continue to help the many animals in need for years to come! We appreciate your vote and support, and hope to see you at an event soon!

Music City Muttfest a Huge Hit at Loews Vanderbilt

When Music City Muttfest planners were contemplating their fundraiser for June 28th, 2009, they must've been wondering some things like: will people come to a Sunday afternoon event, indoors, for $20 a person?

Well, the answer was a resounding YES as Nashville's first indoor festival for dogs and their humans was held at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel's Symphony Ballroom from 2-5pm. The crowd just kept on growing as people and their dogs came out in droves to support the Muttfest and take advantage of Lowes indoor event and all it had to offer.

The $20 admission included ice cream for two- and four-legged friends, innovative libations including Jack Daniels, Jack's Sweet Tea, Muttfest Mojitos, soft drinks and water, and drool-worthy food for attendees at both ends of the leash, with kids and dogs allowed in free. All proceeds benefited The Brown Dog Foundation.

The crowd was treated by performances from K-9's In Flight "From Homeless to High Flying" Ultimate K-9 Sports Show, as seen on Animal Planet and the Discover Channel. Attendees were able to see, shop, and play with the best Nashville had to offer in EVERYTHING DOG, from boutiques and bakeries to retail and rescue. Agape was there as a Muttfest rescue vendor, and we look forward to many other indoor events at Loews! A true delight for the entire family, Music City Muttfest was a brilliant success and oh so much fun!

Droopy Takes Third Place in Top Dog Competition

Agape's Droopy, our handsome Lemon Beagle, raised $1,365 and placed third in the 2009 Brown Dog Foundation Top Dog Competition! Droopy received his trophy along with the first and second place winners on Saturday, June 6th, at a Top Dog party where all the candidates, committee members, volunteers, sponsors and donors came out to cheer on this year's dog and cat competitors.

With the winners crowned at The Farm at Natchez Trace, an 18-acre pet boarding facility in Franklin, TN, Finnbar, from the Music City Pug Rescue, was named TOP DOG, bringing in a whopping $5,547! Runner up was Katy Malham, who raised $3,615.

Goodlettsville's Dog Day in May a Hit

Originally scheduled for earlier in May but cancelled due to weather, Goodlettsville's inaugural Dog Day in May was held inside Moss-Wright Park on its rescheduled day of May 30th. For a first time event, the attendance was outstanding and Agape was there along with 9-10 other organizations that set up booths alongside the Fenway's Dog Park as patrons strolled by with their families and their pets. The city mayor was on hand all day to greet guests and to judge competitions, including the pet owner look-alike contest, the best-dressed dog contest, and the best trick contest. The contest winners even got real trophies! How awesome is that? It was a fun time for all, and kudos to the Goodlettsville Parks and Recreation organizers for putting on a well-organized event.

Photo: This Golden Retriever danced for his owner and took first place in the best trick contest

Agape Helps Kick Off “A Million Ways We Care” Campaign

Agape participated in the kick-off of CVS/Caremark's "A Million Ways We Care" campaign which officially started on May 5th at the Nashville Metro Center location. The overall goal for the seven call centers within the company is to raise $1 million in time and/or donations for the communities it serves nationwide, with Nashville's portion of that goal being $150,000.

Agape was honored to spend the day speaking to CVS/Caremark employees about our volunteer opportunities, along with several other great organizations represented that day: Easter Seals, Toys for Tots, Hands On Nashville, MS Society, American Heart Association, United Way, Project Pencil, Second Harvest Food Bank and VSA Arts Tennessee.

Thank you, CVS/Caremark, for including us in your “A Million Ways We Care” kick-off. We met many of your fantastic employees and were fortunate to have several of them inquire about volunteering with our rescue. What a great way to give back to the communities you represent! Good luck on reaching your goals!.

Above: Nancy Hopwood (right) discusses volunteer opportunities with an employee; Below: A CVS/Caremark employee stops by the Agape booth.

Puppy Playday at Vanderbilt a Great Event ... Again

Agape was invited to the Vanderbilt Loves Animals Puppy Playday on Saturday, April 26th and we were happy to attend along with three other local rescues. This event, typically held in the winter months, is solely intended to be a study break for the freshmen, and the dogs are there to provide the "break" for the students. What better way to get away from your final exams than to mingle with a bunch of friendly, tail wagging dogs? The warm weather for this Puppy Playday was a welcome change from past events and everyone certainly enjoyed lounging in the grass and playing with the many dogs that came to visit. Agape volunteer Gayle Kerr and her lab Simon attended on Agape's behalf and were met by dozens of doting, eager students who also enjoyed the free pizza! Nearly $200 was donated by the students who attended, which will be split between the four rescues who brought dogs to this event.

Top-Right: Simon enjoys the students' attention as he rests in the grass.

Congratulations to Vanderbilt Loves Animals for the awesome work you do, and for your support for the animals. You are making a difference.

Agape Attends Ensworth High School Social Issues Day

For the third straight year, Agape attended Ensworth High School's Social Issues Day Service Fair, held this year on Monday April 20, 2009. At this event, juniors walk around two gymnasiums of exhibitors to learn about volunteer opportunities with organizations from across the state. As seniors, these students must complete a minimum of 25 service hours with an organization of their choice, so they ask questions about each organization's mission and also how their time would be used should they volunteer.

Many of the Ensworth students were interested in animal-related causes, and our volunteers had a great time meeting them and talking about Agape Animal Rescue.

Above-Right: Gayle Kerr, Tina Weisiger and Nancy Hopwood greet students at the Agape booth. Bottom-Left: Two students stop by to learn about volunteer opportunities with Agape.

Luv My Dog Pet Portraits a Huge Hit

When local photographer April Hollingsworth offered to shoot professional pet portraits and donate the $25 sitting fee to Agape Animal Rescue, a fundraising idea was born.

On Saturday, February 21st, the idea became reality and—wow—it was a turnout that far exceeded our expectations! For our inaugural Luv My Dog Pet Portraits event, nearly 40 dogs (and their owners) came for their professional doggy portraits. The pet photo sittings were to begin at 9 am, but patrons were lined up with their pooches on the studio lawn at 8:30 in the morning.

And they just kept coming! Dogs with costume changes. Dogs with their families in tow. Dogs passing by on the street. Formerly adopted Agape dogs. One dog in failing health whose owners wanted a great photo of their lifetime companion.

It was an incredible day for everyone. Hard work, yes, but lots of fun and a worthwhile effort that raised over $1, 040 for Agape! Special thanks to the volunteers from Crichton Brandon Jackson & Ward and Hands On Nashville who helped us put on this event. It was a big undertaking, and a huge hit! We could not have done this without all of your help.

Most of all, our greatest thanks goes to April Hollingworth, of Harmony Designs Photography, whose talent and time made this event possible. Thank you, April. Thanks for supporting our rescue and helping us save the animals…one life at a time.

(please click here to view all the photos from this event)

Love Abounds at the Black and White Tie Adoption Day Event

There was lots of love in the air this Valentine's Day, and for three special Agape foster dogs—Levi, Cotton and JD—that meant extra attention and lots of goodies! At our annual Black and White Tie Adoption Day, held this year at the Murfreesboro Petsmart on February 14th, Levi, Cotton and JD drew quite a crowd, as people came in droves to see the darling adoptable dogs in their black and white bow ties. Everything about the Agape booth was Valentine-themed for all our guests and their pets: cupcakes, candy, punch, cookies and giant balloons. This once-a-year Valentine's event was particularly busy because Agape and some of its dogs had been featured in February's NashvillePAW magazine. Many thanks to the volunteers who helped make this Black and White Tie event so fun for the patrons and for the dogs!

PHOTOS: (top-right) JD shows off his bow tie; (top-left) Young Levi snuggles down for a nap after greeting potential adopters; (bottom-left) Cotton meets a family with foster mom Pam Carroll

(please click here to view all the photos from this event)

Belmont Freshmen Raise Money for Agape

A little rain did not stop 21 Belmont freshmen from coming out with lots of enthusiasm and high spirits to help raise money for Agape on the morning of August 25th. As part of their community service credit, these students gave it their all, headquartering at the Frothy Monkey on 12th Ave. South in Nashville, to help sell our 2009 Calendars, then spread out down the street to gather donations wherever they could. At the end of a fast two hours, these go-getter frosh raised over $281 for our rescue...an amazing effort by an amazing group of fine young people. Thank you, Belmont, for caring enough to donate your time to help save animals' lives. You definitely made a difference, and we could not be more grateful.

Agape Attends First Annual Music City Harmony Howling For Hounds Event

Whew! Now that's a mouth full! But then again, at this August 23rd Howling for Hounds event, held at the Veggie Café in east Nashville, you and your dog had to come ready to howl and meet some really friendly dogs and lots of great vendors and visitors. Presented by local animal advocate Stephanie Hargrove (pictured at right), with all proceeds benefiting the Nashville Humane Association, this great day featured periodic howl and bark contests, raffles, comedy, caricatures, prizes, free nail trims, and much, much more! Agape was proud to participate at the August Howling for Hounds event, and we look forward to many more HOWLING venues in the future. Congratulations to Stephanie for putting on an awesome "Stephanie Hargrove Presents..." event!

PICTURED: (above-left) Agape founder Tanya Willis and foster mom Pam Carroll watch the festivities, while (below-left) howling contestant Teddie enjoys a dog biscuit.

Music, Mutts and Margaritas!

A little heat did not stop the crowd from coming out to the Music City Bar & Grill on July 19, 2008, to support their favorite animal rescue, Agape! Dozens of supporters, along with their furry friends, braved the hot afternoon for a cool time on the Bar & Grill patio where live music entertained the crowd, and margaritas were aplenty.

This happy/yappy hour is held each weekend from 4-8 p.m. in support of local animal rescue and shelter groups. Not only was Agape able to raise money for our animals, we enjoyed some awesome food and drink and made some new friends. Thanks to everyone who came out to support this event!

Faith is Home
By Nancy Hopwood, Faith's former foster mom

Once in awhile we have a success story that goes beyond our wildest expectation and Faith is one of those stories.

When Faith first came to us she had the worst case of Demodex mange our vet had ever seen. In fact, the doctor thought we should seriously consider letting her go. She had almost no hair and every part of her body was red, swollen and sore. There was no place to touch her that didn't hurt. But when Tanya Stephenson picked her up from the vet's office she was wagging her tail.

That's when Tanya took her home and began the process of getting her well. Faith's treatment was extensive and painful. There were weeks of dips, baths, medicine, special food, and vitamins. Tanya said, "I remember holding her in my arms till she fell asleep and telling her it was all going to be okay even when I wasn't sure I was telling the truth.î There were set backs but gradually she began to improve. Pretty soon her personality started to show through and what a personality it turned out to be.

Faith had not been able to enjoy much of her puppy hood but she quickly made up for lost time. She made fast friend with the other dogs. She learned about toys, swimming pools, hiking in the woods and riding in the car. It didn't matter where you were going as long as she was going with you. It was about this time that she came to my house for a little fine tuning of her manners and social skills.

Faith stole the hearts of everyone who met her. That's the thing about Faith, to know her is to love her. We have never known a happier dog. Every day is the best day ever and anything you are doing is wonderful as long as she can help. There is always a smile on her face and she made us laugh out loud at least once a day. Everything she does, whether it's playing with toys or running though the woods, she does with such enthusiasm, such joy, you just can't help but get caught up in it. There is no time for feeling blue. Life must be lived every second to the fullest. She always seems to be saying, "What's next?î

Now, I am very happy to report that Faith has found her forever family and is living happily in her new home. I actually think it was love at first sight for all of them. The first time they met, Faith watched them leave until their car was completely out of sight. On her home visit it was obvious she would have little trouble adjusting as she explored every inch of the place in typical Faith fashion. The day we took her home she ran to the door, slid across the entry rug, said hi to her new mom and then on upstairs to see who else was home.

We congratulate the Hersh family on their new addition and wish them many years of happiness with this most remarkable dog. The Hersh's have already fallen in love with Faith's spirit, personality and her happy-go-lucky nature. "It is quite clear that we undoubtedly have the sweetest dog in the world! She has been so good and is so loveable," says new mom Malinda Hersh (left, with Faith).

To all of you who have helped Faith reach this new beginning, thank you just doesn't seem nearly enough. We could not have done it without you.

Thank you Faith, you taught us more than we could have ever taught you and we are blessed to have been part of your journey.

Agape Animal Rescue has joined forces with 1-800-PetMeds! 1-800-PetMeds has agreed to donate 10% of your purchases to Agape! The next time you need animal supplies and medications, please consider buying them from 1-800-PetMeds.

It's simple! Either click the link at left, visit www.1800petmeds.com/mypartner/agape or call 1-800-738-6337 to order. When checking out, just enter the code "agape" and 10% of your sales will automatically be donated to us!

Also, for an extra $5.00 off your next purchase, enter the code "INQ906."

Thank you for purchasing your supplies from 1-800-PetMeds and supporting Agape at the same time!!

Beau's Owner Honors Dog With Tribute to His Life, Vet and Agape

Jennifer Gies, a recent Nashville resident, faced one of the hardest decisions any animal owner has to make when her beloved dog Beauregard was losing his battle to lymphoma. Through the anguish and grief of ending Beau's suffering, Jennifer realized her dog deserved more than just a peaceful death in her loving arms. She wrote and printed a eulogy to Beau, entitled, "The Light of My Life Has Gone Out" (click here to read eulogy under SAD GOODBYES). Included in Beau's eulogy was Jennifer's request that friends could honor Beau's life by making a donation to Agape Animal Rescue.

Though Jennifer lost her best friend and constant companion, her tribute to Beau honors not only his life, but the extraordinary care he received from his Nashville vet, Dr. Summerfield Mobley. Her request that Beau's memory be honored by making donations to Agape means that other animals will have a chance to live the loving, joyful life that Beauregard shared with her.

Thank you, Jennifer, for thinking of Agape during your time of grief. You are a special woman, and Beau was a special friend.

(read Jennifer and Beau's entire story)

Agape Featured in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine

The May 2006 issue of Nashville Lifestyles Magazine featured an article about Agape Animal Rescue! Please click here for a sneak peak or get a copy today for the full story!

Checks Your Way Fundraiser

We are now affiliated with Checks Your Way and yes, you should check this out! Checks Your Way offers great products (checks, labels, notecards) and now, with any purchase on its website, the company will contribute 10% of your purchase back to Agape Animal Rescue. It's simple! Just enter Agape's affiliate number (270169534) when you purchase any Checks Your Way product online. Help the animals and receive customized checks, labels, or notecards with your own photos ... or choose from an extensive photo gallery. How fun and how great a cause!