Evansville ‘Spirit Festival’ Raises Awareness and Money for Abused Animal Care

The Evansville Vanderburgh Animal Care & Control Shelter invites the public to “show your spirit” and help abused animals by attending the first annual “Spirit Festival.” The festival raises money to provide medical care for abused and abandoned animals. It will be held this Saturday. July 13th from 11am-3pm at the Animal Care & Control Shelter, located at 815 Uhlhorn St.

“The purpose of this event is to increase public awareness about abused and neglected animals not just in Evansville but in all of Vanderburgh County,” said Animal Care & Control Superintendent Alisa Webster. “It’s also a chance to raise money to save as many animals as possible in the hopes of uniting them with a loving family.”

Proceeds from the festival will go to the Spirit Medical Fund, an Animal Care & Control sponsored relief effort to rehabilitate and reintroduce wounded stray dogs into loving homes. The fund was established and named after the heart-wrenching story of Spirit, a dachshund-mix who survived an atrocious act of animal cruelty.

In 2000, Spirit was found covered in gasoline, severely burned, and left to die at Oak Hill cemetery on a Halloween night. Spirit’s undeniable will to live coupled with overwhelming public support enabled her to make a full recovery, giving her a second chance and a new life with a caring family.

The 2013 “Spirit Festival” will include food, pony rides, a dunking tank, and the opportunity to meet and learn the incredible stories of other abused dogs at the shelter. Donations are also welcome and may be sent to the Spirit Medical Fund in care of the Animal Care & Control, 815 Uhlhorn Street, Evansville, IN 47710.