West Palm Beach, FL- (July 18, 2022) Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League announced today that Rich Anderson, Executive Director and CEO of the organization for the past 11 years is stepping down to start a new chapter in his life and career.
For over a decade, Rich led Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in the growth, success, and lifesaving efforts of the organization. In the 11 years of Rich’s dedication to Peggy Adams: 380,000 cats and dogs have benefited from the League’s programs and services; 54,000 pets have been adopted into loving homes; and 3,000 reunited with their grateful owners. Since 2011, $95 million has been raised to benefit the mission and lifesaving work of Peggy Adams and 66,000 lost, injured, or homeless animals were provided temporary shelter. Over 71,000 pets were fed through Peggy’s Pantry which provides food to families in our community who are experiencing financial hardship and 133,000 spay and neuter surgeries were performed.
One of the most significant programs initiated during Rich’s tenure is the Countdown 2 Zero (C2Z) collaborative partnership with Palm Beach County to end the unnecessary euthanasia of pets in the community. Back in 2014, Palm Beach County was saving 73% of their dogs and 29% of their cats. That year, 1,865 dogs and 6,071 cats were euthanized at the county shelter. With a lot of effort and many programs expanded and created – fast forward to 2021 – the dog save rate increased to 91% and the cat save rate improved to 81%. Last year, 252 dogs were euthanized and 841 cats. That improvement meant that 1,613 fewer dogs and 5,230 fewer cats were euthanized. The national benchmark used to indicate a “no-kill” community is 90%. The dog save rate has been at or above 90% since 2018. The cat save rate is steadily improving, but there is still much work to be done to increase the spay/neuter rate for our free-roaming cats.
“It truly has been an honor and privilege to serve Peggy Adams and our community. After 11 incredibly rewarding years as the Executive Director and CEO of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, I will be leaving this organization that I love dearly to start a new chapter in my life and career,” noted Rich. “The growth, success, and lifesaving efforts of Peggy Adams have made this time, by far, the most rewarding period of my 32-year nonprofit career. I am so grateful for the remarkable people in our community and beyond who have always remembered the animals – our donors, volunteers, staff, and those who have served on our Board of Directors. Together, we have accomplished so much and during my tenure, truly made a difference in the lives of more than 200,000 animals.”
“All of us at Peggy Adams applaud Rich for the tremendous growth that has happened under his 11-year leadership. He has made a forever impact on our community and our organization, and we wish him all the best with his new chapter in Oklahoma,” says Lesly Smith, Board Chairman of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. “We look forward to introducing our new CEO, Sue Berry, who will bring a wealth of knowledge from her more than 20 years of animal welfare experience to continue and grow our mission.”
*The Board of Directors of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League will soon formally announce in a press release that Sue Berry will be the incoming CEO of the organization.
About Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League:
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League saves more lives than any other rescue organization in Palm Beach County. It provides critical services to more than 34,000 animals each year.
The Mission of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League is to provide shelter to lost, homeless, and unwanted animals, to provide spay and neuter and other medical services for companion animals, and to care for, protect, and find quality homes for homeless and neglected companion animals, to advocate animal welfare, community involvement, and education to further the bond between people and animals. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity navigator. Peggy Adams is an independent nonprofit animal rescue organization operating continuously since 1925. For more information and to donate, please visit PeggyAdams.org
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Media Contact: Cara MacVane, Email; 561.685.2342
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League Contact: Lauren Ellis, Email; (Office) 561.472.8845
