LASS Raises $13,000 for Animal Shelter

Animal lovers raised $13,000 at The Ivy Place on Sunday in a fundraiser sponsored by the Sun City group Lancaster Animal Shelter Supporters.
More than 250 people attended the event, including county council members Larry Honeycutt, Terry Graham and Billy Mosteller.
Arlene McCarthy, LASS president, and cofounder Sue White shared the story of the group and how it grew in four years from two concerned women to a community of activism and inspiration.
“We started out bringing food and supplies to the shelter, and now county council members are stepping up to the plate,” White said.
McCarthy listed LASS’s many improvements at the county animal shelter, including convincing county council to hire additional shelter staff, painting the offices, buying a new washer and dryer, raising$17,500 to buy seven additional kennels and purchasing a professional-grade microscope to test for parasites.
She thanked the attendees for their generosity and support and said LASS could do even more with more volunteers and a new animal shelter.
5th District Republican Party  candidate Ralph Norman also attended.
“I’m here to support a great cause,” he said. “We have always owned animals – cat, dogs, horses and cows - for as long as I can remember. When I heard about it, I said ‘I have got to come to this.’”
Lancaster County Animal Shelter Director Alan Williams attended and was pleased to see all the support.
“The more awareness it brings, the better off we will be,” he said. “I think as more people see what we are dealing with, they will help us out.”
Nutramax gave $500. Kristen Blanchard, vice president of external corporate affairs, and her husband, Jim, added an extra $250.
Mike Pogue, of Team Pogue, a Panhandle-based real estate agency, gathered donations during the event and agreed to match the total, which should add up to another $1,000.


McCarthy introduced Honeycutt, who made closing remarks.
“His invaluable support has allowed us to do all the things we are trying to do for the Lancaster Animal Shelter,” McCarthy said. “He has listened to us. He has heard us complain, and he has garnered support from other members of the council.”
Honeycutt said LASS taught him that the animal shelter is a reflection of the community it serves. In the the past, Honeycutt has called conditions at the shelter “deplorable.”
“Dogs and cats have been put on this earth for a reason,” he said. “We must all join LASS to make sure they are taken care of. That is what God has chosen for us to do.”
He said the county will soon have land for a new shelter, and he predicted the new facility will open next year.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we will have a new animal shelter,” he said.
Contributions to LASS are tax-deductible. Donations can be sent to LASS, 51037 Arrieta Court, Indian Land, SC 29707. Call Diane Rashall at (704) 576-5674 with any questions.


Follow Reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152.