The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) today announced the start of a months-long celebration of its 150th anniversary this April with ASPCA 150: Come to Their Rescue – a national campaign honoring the ASPCA’s 150 years of animal rescue by inspiring public action to help save and protect dogs, cats, horses and farm animals from cruelty.
As part of the celebration, notable stars from movies, television and music have come together in a video to encourage public participation in “150 Days of Rescue,” a call-to-action campaign encouraging the public to help animals in their community. The video, conceived and directed by photographer and filmmaker Dewey Nicks, features a variety of celebrities speaking up for animals in need and encouraging the public to do the same. Celebrity participants include Jason Schwartzman, George Lopez, Adrienne Moore, Julie Bowen, Krysten Ritter, Miles Brown, Beth Behrs, 50 Cent, Jennifer Coolidge, Ke$ha, Martha Stewart, Edie Falco, Nathan Lane, and Keith Stanfield. The soundtrack for the short film is provided by composer and musician Owen Pallett.
In the 150-day campaign, which begins on the ASPCA’s April 10 birthday, the ASPCA will encourage animal lovers to visit ASPCA.org/150days and pledge at least 15 minutes of their time to helping animals in need, toward an ultimate goal of 150,000 acts of compassion through September 7, 2016. Possible actions include volunteering at a local shelter, fostering and/or adopting homeless animals, and advocating for stronger animal welfare laws. Those who log their actions on the campaign website will be encouraged to enter their favorite shelters or rescue groups in a grant contest in which one of these organizations will receive a $150,000 grant from the ASPCA.
In addition to the “150 Days of Rescue” campaign, the ASPCA’s celebration will also include two large-scale public adoption events in New York City on Sunday, April 10 in partnership with the Alliance for NYC’s Animals, as well as an ‘NYC Paws Parade’ in partnership with the NYPD. The ASPCA will also premiere its first-ever documentary, “Second Chance Dogs” on Animal Planet on April 16. For information on all events surrounding the ASPCA’s 150th anniversary, visit www.aspca150.org.
