VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — Thousands of dollars are now helping animals in South Georgia and Tallahassee as a way to honor an animal advocate from Nashville Georgia.
First Commerce Credit Union raised more than $10,000 in honor of a woman named Liz Nix. That money is split among four rescues including the Humane Society of Valdosta and Lowndes County.
Nix is the mother of Rodney Nix, who sits on the Advisory Council for First Commerce Credit Union in Nashville. The fundraiser was started last year at the Nashville location to honor her memory. It was such a success that First Commerce expanded it this year to animal shelters in Valdosta, Thomasville, and Tallahassee. Donations came from fundraising in all of those areas.
It breaks down to about $5,000 for Nashville, $2,000 for Valdosta, more than $1,000 for Thomasville and more than $2500 for Tallahassee. Kriss Vallese, Director of Marketing for First Commerce Credit Union, says they regularly look for local causes that can make an impact, and the local humane societies were excited to work with them.
"In Valdosta, we talked to the humane society there and they said they were in need of all kinds of services for the animals they were caring for everything from heart-worm medication to low cost no cost spaying and neutering to just food for the animals there."
Shelters and rescues continue to stay busy. According to data from the ASPCA website from 2019, about 6.3 million animals enter U.S. shelters across the country every year.
First Commerce plans to continue this fundraiser every year in the month of May. In the meantime, they encourage people to support local animal shelters if they can.
