17 minute read
Forsyth County: 38
LuAnn Farrell, co-founder Angels Among Us Pet Rescue.
On Angels’wings
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Emptying the shelters is the goal of Forsyth-based pet rescue
By CANDY WAYLOCK
LuAnn Farrell does not think of herself as a hero, or even the kick-starter of a revolution. But more than 14,000 castaway dogs and cats who found their way to her might think otherwise.
“I didn’t set out to become an [animal] rescuer,” said Farrell, who co-founded Angels Among Us Pet Rescue in 2008. “But I am a firm believer that we are destined to follow a life path, if we only listen.”
For the Minnesota native who spent her childhood surrounded by farm animals and pets, her love of animals had early roots. When she and her husband, Ray, got their first German shepherd in 1983, she knew her home would never lack a dog. But the idea of a life of rescue was never in the plans.
After a series of moves around the country — 14 in 36 years — Farrell and her husband landed in Cumming in 2005. She began volunteering for the Forsyth County Humane Society.
“Somehow, somewhere, I got on an email distribution list of rescuers, and it all really began from there,” she said.
Farrell would see pictures of dogs about to be euthanized in shelters around the Southeast, and then work within a network of rescuers in other states to eventually rescue the dogs.
“I formed an alliance with a rescuer in the Northeast, started saving a handful from local shelters [in Georgia], vetting them and then sending them north,” she said.
Soon, a like-minded neighbor, Valerie Addington, with a similar passion, reached out to her to join forces, and Angels Among Us gained its wings.
“I wish I could say we had this incredible vision of how we were going to change the world, but at the time, we were just desperate to try to save the lives any way we could,” said Farrell.
“When we started, Val and I relied on friends and family to foster, volunteer, everything. For the first couple of years, we personally paid all the vet bills out of our pockets, which is why we had to keep working full-time,” said Farrell, a recently retired financial planner.
Slowly, the group grew to include other people as dedicated to animal rescue as Farrell and Addington. In 2009, AAU became a registered 501c3 organization. Its nonprofit status allowed AAU to solicit donations to help pay vet bills, which run thousands of a dollars a month, even with discounts from their network of veterinarians.
Since its founding, Angels Among Us has rescued more than 14,000 dogs and cats, primarily from high-kill shelters in rural Georgia, through a network of dedicated volunteers and supporters.
Although the organization now has more than a million
followers on social media and strong support across the nation, Farrell said its humble beginnings never pointed to such an impactful presence.
“I tell everyone that the success of Angels had nothing to do with me, or Val, but rather the incredible family we have built of fosters, volunteers, staff and donors,” said Farrell. “They are our foundation.”
She said volunteers are drawn to the values of AAU, which include never aborting babies from pregnant animals (which is often the practice) and never leaving a “family” behind.
“From the beginning, we based Angels on values that will never change. We will be truthful and always do the right thing. That is how we have grown our incredible family of volunteers, fosters and donors,” said Farrell.
The rise of social media helped bring awareness to both animal welfare and AAU, as well as the need for donations to carry out the mission.
“We would write the story of the dog from [the dog’s] perspective, and that seemed to move people who wanted to help. We were able to raise money for the vetting and therefore, save even more lives,” she said.
But she said Facebook’s recent change to limit the number of posts users see has severely affected AAU, as well as other rescue groups across the nation. Farrell said donations started slowing with the Facebook changes, and AAU and other groups that rely on word of mouth, are looking for new options to spread their messages.
AAU does not currently have its own facility to house animals they pull from shelters. Instead, the rescue group depends solely on foster parents, who take the animals until a “forever home” can be found.
However, Farrell said she is currently rethinking that model in an effort to cut down on operating and vetting costs as well as the need to constantly recruit new fosters.
“We are currently looking for either an existing facility, or to build, and will be starting a capital campaign to accomplish this,” said Farrell. “A facility will allow us to take care of the majority of our intake vetting and other storage/ office/adoption and educational functions.”
Recently, Farrell and her husband relocated to Louisiana, but she still directs the operations for AAU, thanks to technology and planned trips back.
“I am still as involved today as I was a month ago while still in Georgia,” said Farrell, who recently retired from financial planning to run AAU full-time. “I do miss seeing the fosters and dogs, but I have to see it as another opportunity. “
She loves that rescue dogs are “cool” these days, with celebrities (including newly-anointed Duchess Meghan) touting their rescues, and companies allowing pets in the workplace alongside their employees. Farrell says the mindset is one of social conscience these days.
“Hopefully, this trend will continue. You don’t need to go to a breeder to find purebreds — we see them all of the time,” she said. “Will it continue, or is it just a fad? I don’t know. I just know that the death rate of unwanted pets in this country is a crisis. We have to change our society from being such a disposable one.”
She said AAU works with other rescue groups in Georgia, believing that a cooperative effort helps the cause of animal welfare across the state.
“The more great groups out there, the more lives we can all help,” said Farrell. “We try to share information on dogs as much as we can, and we recently formed an advisory board that we hope will help with legislative changes and education.”
Her ultimate goal is that one day, none of the rescue groups will have a need to exist.
“‘Rescue one until there are none’ has always been [the AAU] mission and that has really never changed,” said Farrell. “Saving that one life today is no less rewarding that it was nine years ago. In some respects, it seems like just yesterday this all started — but then, I don’t remember life when I wasn’t doing this.”
As a nonprofit with no paid employees, Angels operates solely on the time and talents of volunteers. Activities where the need is greatest include: • Becoming a foster home for animals rescued from shelters • Attending adoption events to handle and advocate for the animals • Conducting home checks for potential fosters or adopters • Making phone calls, screening applicants, general administrative work • Helping plan events and fundraisers Visit volunteers@angelsrescue.org for more information.
HELP ON YOUR OWN
• Rescue and promote adoptable pets • Plan a fundraising event • Donate your own special talents (like fundraising, marketing, graphic design)
DONATE
In 2017, AAU spent more than $3 million, primarily on veterinary bills for animals saved from shelters. Of that total, less than $200,000 was spent on administrative costs (none of the seven AAU board members draws a salary). Nearly every penny donated goes directly to saving a life. Wish list: From crates and food to toys and beds, there are so many items needed for animals rescued from shelters and fostered. Visit AAU’s Amazon Wish List (see the link at www. angelsrescue.org) to make a purchase that will go directly to AAU.
FOLLOW
Over the years, AAU has built up a following of more than one million fans on Facebook, where the stories of need – and the many, many success stories – are shared across the country and the world. This is also the way AAU requests donations for spaying, neutering, shots and many other medical needs. Visit facebook.com/ angelsrescue to find out how to help save more lives.
Welcome to our area!
As the mayor of the City of Milton, let me be one of the first to welcome you! Regardless of whether you moved here from another location within our city or relocated here from thousands of miles away, I am confident you will enjoy calling Milton home.
Milton is consistently ranked the second safest city in Georgia, and in January 2019, we were named the best city to live in Georgia by 24/7 Wall St. We are also home to nationally ranked schools and award-winning parks and recreation programs.
In addition to giving you a hearty welcome to Milton, I want to share a few key details about our city: 1. Leading the standard in local government: We strive to innovatively connect with residents and business owners on a daily basis. We continue our efforts to implement and execute our 2016–2020
Strategic Plan, which will continue to guide our city over the next 18 months with goals focused on preserving what makes Milton unique, continuing to build community connections, and providing rich and engaging experiences for all residents.
As part of our efforts to preserve what makes our community unique, Milton residents passed a $25 million greenspace bond referendum in November 2016, and to date, we’ve conserved approximately 257 acres through three acquisitions totaling $9.61 million with three additional properties, totaling more than 120 acres, under contract in mid-2019.
These additional properties would bring our total land conservation efforts to more than 375 acres. 1. Moving around Milton: With the 2016 passage of the five-year Fulton County Transportation
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or more commonly known as TSPLOST, we have eight transportation projects underway in 2019 — projects focused on improving transportation reliability, connectivity and reducing congestion for our residents. TSPLOST provides for an additional sales tax (0.75 percent) over five years to help fund transportation projects. These additional funds have allowed the city to expedite several transportation improvements.
1. Engaging our citizens in meaningful ways: The
City of Milton provides a variety of ways for residents to engage, whether it’s through our annual special events calendar, new programs such as the Citizens Government Academy, Milton Citizens
Police Academy, and the Community Emergency
Response Team, organized by the Milton Fire-Rescue Department, or periodic community town hall sessions. Email info@cityofmiltonga.us to learn more about these programs and how you can get involved!
Visit our website at www.cityofmiltonga.us, where you’ll find extensive information on our government, city officials, parks and recreation and many other areas that could be of interest to you and your family.
If you have any questions or would like more information about Milton, please give me a call at 678-2422484 or email joe.lockwood@cityofmiltonga.us. Again, welcome to Milton! – Joe Lockwood, Milton mayor
Lockwood Jamison Cookerly Bentley Kunz Longoria Mohrig
Mayor Joe Lockwood
678-242-2484 joe.lockwood@cityofmiltonga.us
City Council members
Peyton Jamison, District 1/Post 1 678-242-2493 peyton.jamison@cityofmiltonga.us
Carol Cookerly, District 1/Post 2 678-242-2497 carol.cookerly@cityofmiltonga.us Laura Bentley, District 2/Post 1 678-242-2495 laura.bentley@cityofmiltonga.us
Matt Kunz, District 2/Post 2 678-242-2494 matt.kunz@cityofmiltonga.us
Joe Longoria, District 3/Post 1 678-242-2498 joe.longoria@cityofmiltonga.us Rick Mohrig, District 3/Post 2 678-242-2496 rick.mohrig@cityofmiltonga.us
Milton City Hall
2006 Heritage Walk Milton, Ga. 30004 678-242-2500 info@cityofmiltonga.us www.cityofmiltonga.us
Matilda’s opens Milton location
By JOE PARKER
After over a year of planning, relocation and setting up its new venue, music venue “Matilda’s” is now operating in its Milton location in the Birmingham crossroads area.
Matilda’s is an open-air music venue using a “henhouse” as a stage and often features acoustic bands and performers.
The venue was a staple in Alpharetta for 15 years before the decision was made to relocate the venue to Milton in 2018.
The move was a contentious issue for Milton residents, with many sharing concerns over noise, traffic and safety in the relatively quiet Birmingham Crossroads area. While some nearby homeowners had anxiety over the relocation, the venue also had strong support from its regular concert attendees and residents believing it would be a welcome addition to the area.
Milton’s City Council ultimately approved the relocation but set caps on the number of concerts per year and attendees permitted at each performance.
The venue was slated to open in October 2018, but delays in relocating the henhouse stage from Alpharetta pushed back the first concert until May of 2019. During that time, the stage was updated and set in its new foundation.
The site, which is surrounded by trees near the 7Acre BarnGrill restaurant, has been updated to allow for parking and lighting. Attendees can set up a blanket or bring folded chairs and food and drinks of their choice. Tables and chairs are also open to ticketholders.
The concert season runs from May 1 through October 31 with a maximum of 30 Friday or Saturday night shows. Each concert has a limit of 200 attendees, but Matilda’s can use permits to allow for 250 concertgoers twice per concert season.
Individual tickets and season passes are available.
The inaugural concert was held May 2, 2019 with popular female-group Farewell Angelina.
For more information, visit Matildasmusicvenue. com.
Rock for Rescues
• Spring, Downtown Crabapple
Rock for Rescues is the city’s newest annual event, bringing together animal and music lovers for a free concert. The event benefits local animal rescue organizations and features live music, vendors and furry friends of all shapes and sizes.
Christmas in Crabapple
• Early December
Downtown Crabapple
Milton hosts its annual holiday event in the heart of Downtown Crabapple. This quaint holiday tradition has become a Milton staple including Santa photos arts, caroling, s’mores, hot cocoa and more. The event will be held at Broadwell Pavilion located at 12615 Broadwell Road.
Crabapple Fest
• Early October
Downtown Crabapple
The City of Milton and non-profit Crabapple Community Association (CCA) combine to put on one massive destination festival. Crabapple Fest features antiques and art vendors, music and entertainment, children’s activities, and beer and wine on festival grounds.
Architecture, landscape and hardscape should all come together to create an harmonious effect in Downtown Crabapple, says developer Adam Orkin.
Cultural and outdoor activities
Downtown Crabapple
• Crabapple Road/Ga. 372, Milton
Milton’s “downtown” has a historic hometown feel while incorporating some of the city’s new growth. Eat at some of the best restaurants in town or bring a picnic to the Broadwell Pavilion. Shop for trendy outfits and unique artistic pieces at local retailers that bring contemporary style to southern comfort.
Reopened in October 2015, Bell Memorial is a nearly 36-acre, active-use park with four diamond baseball fields and two multipurpose fields, pavilions, concessions and a playground.
Thomas Byrd Sr. House
• 15690 Hopewell Road, Milton
Renovated in June 2015, the historic 4,000-squarefoot, two-story home on Hopewell Road, which dates back to the mid-1800s, is a center for Senior Services North Fulton during the business day and an event facility for special occasions.
Milton cuts ribbon on Mark Law Arboretum
By JOE PARKER
Dozens gathered at Bell Memorial Park Feb. 15 for the official opening of the Mark Law Arboretum, dedicated to former City Arborist Mark Law who envisioned the site to benefit park goers for generations. Law, who began his tenure with the city at incorporation, retired in 2018 amid a battle with cancer. Law passed away two weeks after the arboretum dedication.
The arboretum is designed to engage and inform its users about different species of trees, their origins, mature sizes and, in many cases, showcase trees not native to the area.
City officials and Law’s family spoke about the arborist’s dedication to the city and his passion for arboriculture.
“Our family is beyond honored at this gesture,” Law’s wife, Christine, said. “It has so much meaning to us to know for many years people will remember Mark’s legacy.”
Mayor Joe Lockwood said it was an honor to work with Law, and the amount of people in attendance at the arboretum dedication is a testament to his impact on the community.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned, as Mark told me, by our actions and his actions, we can benefit others for generation after generation,” Lockwood said. “What Mark has done and as we continue on, it’s going to outlast every one of us. I’m just so thankful for everything Mark has done.”
The city opened the first phase of the arboretum with plans to open the second and third phases over the next two Arbor Day celebrations. Park visitors can now learn about trees planted in the first phase, including a Corkscrew Willow, Black Tupelo, Persian Ironwood, Bald Cypress and Sweetbay Magnolia. The trees have been planted along the path near the entrance to Bell Memorial and are marked with signs that give information on each species.
The first tree planted is a survivor tree from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
Following the bombing, efforts were made to save an American elm tree outside the building, a tree which was nearly chopped down in an effort to recover evidence from the bombing that killed 168 people.
Efforts led the community to save the tree, and seedlings have been gathered from the tree which are grown and have been planted around the country.
“Mark has long had the vision of establishing an arboretum at a Milton park,” said Conservation Projects Manager Teresa Stickels. “He requested a [survivor tree] seedling many years ago in the hopes that one day it would be planted in the city’s arboretum, a place where people could go and enjoy nature and learn about trees.”
Law received a seedling and planted it in his own yard to foster its growth into a young tree that will serve as the first species within the arboretum.
Milton continues efforts to preserve greenspace
By JOE PARKER
Milton is putting its Greenspace Bond dollars to work with the city completing multiple purchases for land preservation.
Milton voters passed the $25 Greenspace Bond in 2016, and funds can only be used to preserve buildable land and create passive parks. The bond was created with the intention of preserving Milton’s rural character.
Since 2017, the city has finalized multiple purchases, including the acquisition of the former Milton Country Club property.
The city purchased the site in January 2017 and has since kicked off the planning phase for a 139-acre passive park. The site also includes tennis courts and the city’s public pool.
A proposed plan for the development of the park was presented in February 2019. The working plan calls for removing the golf cart paths and creating a 2.2-mile granite trail running adjacent to nearby homes to begin the first phase of development. New trees would also be planted to help shield the homes from park users.
The trailhead would be located near tennis courts and the pool, and upon completion of the trail the park could be opened to the public. The plan then calls for the connection of the two ends of the trail to Dinsmore Road to create a loop. The roadside trail could feature a 10-foot wide multi-use trail and an 8-foot wide equestrian bridle path.
The second phase of the project would add another trail loop along the southern end of the property near Freemanville Road
Planners said the completion of both phases could take between four to nine years.
Milton also purchased 106 acres near Lackey Road, 21 acres at the intersection of Freemanville Road and Birmingham Road, but no plans have been presented for potential passive parks at the two locations.
Milton is also in multiple contracts to potentially purchase 114 additional acres of land. If all sales are finalized, the city will have preserved 380 acres of land with roughly $7.5 million remaining in bond funds.
