After nearly ten years of lobbying my wife, Heidi and I adopted a puppy from a rescue in Carlisle, PA. We had the opportunity to meet the entire litter of puppies as all six were in the same foster home. When we went to see them, the foster mom explained to us how lucky the dogs were. They had just transferred from a sister shelter in West Virginia, and a couple of days after they moved out, there was a terrible fire at the shelter. That story touched me and put the thought in the back of my mind that I would like to help an animal group in the future.
Our pick of the litter was a 12 week old Australian Shepherd/Black Lab mix. While he was young, it didn’t take long for him to win us over. We almost immediately began treating Fenway as our child. Heidi has said that she couldn’t love him more if she gave birth to him herself!
In mid 2006, I wanted to host a party to celebrate the 1st anniversary of my new business. After great thought, I felt it was better to host an event that gave something back to the community that has helped support our growth. As I was thinking of ways to give back, I remembered the story of the shelter in West Virginia and Paws for a Cause was born.
Our first event was held in our office and drew about 25 attendees. That year we raised over $2,500 for the Humane Society of Baltimore County. The Humane Society is a non profit organization that takes in unwanted animals; housing dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils. With your help, we were able to raise awareness for the Humane Society and all the work it does for our community’s animals in need. The Humane Society used the proceeds from Paws to buy dental equipment to help improve the health of the shelter animals.
2008 marked the creation of Paws for a Cause, Inc. In previous years, we simply hosted events and passed the proceeds on to non profits; however, our growth and multiple recipient organizations created a need for us to form our own 501(c)3. My how we’ve grown!
In 2022, we said goodbye to both Fenway and Roxy. Although our lives won’t be the same without seeing Fenway’s smiling face or Roxy’s wagging tail, we’re comforted in knowing that they’ll continue to impact the lives of animals through Paws for a Cause.
As a token of appreciation for bringing Fenway into our lives, 10% of the net proceeds of each Paws for a Cause event is donated to Furry Friends Network of Carlisle, PA. Furry Friends is a very small group in south-central PA that truly benefits from each and every donation.
Thank you for your generosity!
If you are interested in donating an item to our silent auction, sponsoring our event, or making a donation to Paws for a Cause, please contact Woody Derricks at 410-732-2637 or by email at info@paws4cause.org.
Your contribution will help support worthy animal organizations in the Baltimore-Metro area.
To become a Sponsor for this year's event, please download and return this form.
To donate items for auction at this years event, please download and return this form.
As we all know, companion animals are still being turned over to shelters and rescue groups at alarming rates. We also know that rescue organizations rely heavily on the support and monetary donations of the community. We want to help! Each year, we hold a fundraiser to benefit one or two local animal welfare groups. No animal welfare group is too small to apply! Over the past 15 years, we’ve raised more than $100,000!
Our approach at the event is to find projects that local animal organizations need funded. We believe that having a monetary goal tied to a specific project helps loosen the wallets of those in attendance. For those interested, please download the application form, and email it to us at info@paws4cause.org.
In return, we ask that the group(s) selected help raise awareness of our event within their network of supporters and that they send a representative to the event. We will notify the group(s) if we are in need of a volunteer or two to assist before or during the event.
[download an application] All submissions need to be received by April 30, 2023.
| Paws for a Cause, Inc. 606 E Joppa Road, Towson, MD 21286 410-732-2637 or [info@paws4cause.org] |  |