Rhode Island Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (Dist. 23, Warwick) will present Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter (FOWAS) with a $15,795.41 donation at the Warwick Animal Shelter, 101 Arthur W. Devine Blvd., Warwick, Saturday, Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend the outdoor giant check presentation.

 The 1st Annual Shekarchi Charity Golf Scramble was held in August at the Quidnesset Country Club in North Kingstown. Proceeds (after expenses) from the event benefited three non-profit, charitable humane organizations in Rhode Island: Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter in Warwick, Save One Soul Animal Rescue League in Wakefield and Vintage Pet Rescue in Foster. The three non-profit organizations are all run by volunteers with important and distinct missions of helping homeless animals. 

 Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter is the recipient of $15,795.41 (50% of the proceeds) and Save One Soul Animal Rescue League and Vintage Pet Rescue received $7,897.70 each. These funds come after a difficult time for the non-profits when fundraising events were cancelled due to covid restrictions. “The Speaker's event plugged a big hole in our fundraising efforts as this year we again had to cancel many fundraisers including our biggest. One door closes and another one opens: we are grateful to him and his team for their hard work on the golf scramble to make it a huge success for our shelter animals.” said Judy Salvadore, FOWAS president. 

 Speaker Shekarchi, a lifelong Warwick resident, is a longtime supporter of Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter and has an especially strong love for dogs. 

Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter was founded in 2001 to help the homeless animals at Warwick Animal Shelter through programs of assistance, education and public awareness. FOWAS believes every animal deserves a second chance.