Pool Party for Pooches

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

This annual fundraising event, Pool Party for Pooches, is a public-private partnership between Montgomery County Parks and Recreation and the Humane Society of Montgomery County—two entities that share a common concern for homeless animals, despite their differing approaches to deal with sick injured or otherwise hard-to-adopt animals. Parks and Recreation allows the Humane Society to use the county’s “Frog Pond” for swimming at the event after the water park has been closed to the public for the summer. The county also provides the aquatics staff to ensure a safe party and markets the event through its brochure and news releases. The Humane Society also publicizes the party, organizes the event and runs it with the help from volunteers from the student veterinary club at Virginia Tech. The revenue from ticket admissions and business sponsors is used to pay for animal food and adoption efforts by the Humane Society—costs that the county government might otherwise be paying for through its animal shelter operations. The partnership also fosters goodwill and cooperation that benefits both citizens and animals. This end of summer event consistently raises approximately $5,000.