ALEXANDRIA, VA–On the morning of Tuesday, September 14, the Alexandria K-9 Officers and their furry counterparts received a paw-some surprise. One local family donated $1,000 to the Alexandria Police Foundation, which cares for canines throughout their service and retirement.
Shannon Galey Ripley, daughter and sister of police officers, and her family held an average summer yard sale earlier this year. Her eight-year-old son, Keegan, proposed an above average idea: donate the money from the yard sale to the local Alexandria K-9s.
“We grew up with nine different German shepherds,” details Ripley, “and when my son said, ‘The working dogs need this money more than we do, Mom.,’ I reached out to the Alexandria Police Foundation, whose mission serves the K-9 Unit, and I knew it was going to be great.”
After the close of the yard sale, the Ripleys decided to match their earnings and present the total to the Alexandria Police Foundation. They raised $500 from the yard sale, and with the help of the Mt. Vernon community, matched that for a grand total of $1,000.
September 14, at the Alexandria Police Department Headquarters, Ripley presented this grand check to members of the Foundation, Acting Sergeant of the K-9 Unit Kyle Russel, and his canine Taz.
“We get a lot of support from our community,” states Sgt. Russel. “When individual citizens want to help raise money for us, it’s really cool, and it really helps us out a lot.”
Along with the check presented by Ripley, were goodie bags filled with treats, toys, and grooming supplies donated from Pet Supplies Plus in Franconia. Taz homed-in on a rope toy.
This presentation and donation also kicked off the year-long campaign K-9 Cares, which will focus on activities and fundraising events each month to help raise awareness for the mission of the Alexandria Police K-9 Unit and their role in the community. It will also assist in the care of active and retired canines.
If you would like to make a donation to the Alexandria Police Foundation, please visit http://www.alexandriapolicefoundation.org or contact Ginny Obranovich at [email protected].
