Bark in the Park, an annual fundraiser for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, is one of PAR’s most popular staff events. It brings together our mission of giving back with our love of animals. In 2020, it was our final in-person group event before the pandemic and quarantine.

The event was virtual this year due to COVID concerns, but that didn’t stop the PARty Animals from rolling up their sleeves and raising money for Tampa’s homeless, hungry, and helpless animals.

Neighborhood walks coupled with a robust fundraising campaign led to an all-time high of more than $11,000 in donations. PARty Animals Captain Melanie Casey, PAR’s Communications Manager, and CEO Kristin Greco attended a scaled-down event at the recently renovated HSTB shelter on March 27 where they learned, following a tight race, that they were this year’s “Top Dog” fundraisers.

The HSTB raised more than $125,000 overall, which will help house, heal, and feed more than 500 animals. Learn more about the event and HSTB at humanesocietytampa.org.

PAR is proud of our ongoing relationship with United Way. Last week, we took part in our annual fundraising campaign. For more than 20 years, 100% of staff members have contributed during our annual United Way drive. This year was no different. We exceeded our fundraising goal, resulting in employee contributions of $81,661.72 being donated to United Way to help continue its mission of helping others in our community.

Meet Opie, the newest recruit to the PAR family.

This year, our United Way week theme was PAR Boot Camp. Staffers were broken into five teams, each representing a different branch of the military, and took part in a host of activities, ranging from puzzle building to a mental tug-of-war. Ten staff members even went head-to-head in a push up contest! Our friends from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay stopped by… and one lucky pup found his forever home.

Want to learn more about how you can help United Way in your community? Visit www.unitedway.org.

 

The PARty Animals have a lot to bark about this year!

A group of animal-loving PAR employees, known as the PARty Animals, led the pack at this weekend’s Bark in the Park event, benefitting the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. As the top fundraising team this year, we will be proudly displaying the Bark in the Park trophy in the PAR lobby for another year.

Last year’s Bark in the Park event raised enough money to:

• save 5,611 animals


• transfer 2,765 animals from high euthanasia shelters


• achieve a 96% save rate


• treat 25,857 owned pets at the Animal Health Center


• trap, neuter, and return 5,399 feral cats


• perform 11,506 spay/neuter surgeries for the public


• give 1,708 free pet vaccinations in disadvantaged neighborhoods


• give 286,150 pounds of free pet food to the pets of disadvantaged and homebound citizens

 

We are so proud to be able to support such a wonderful cause. We can’t wait to see what this year brings for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Last week, PAR took home two titles that we are especially proud to share.

On March 29,  PAR staff and our favorite furry friends turned a rainy day into a walk to remember to support the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s Bark in the Park event. Although the walk ended up being rained out just after our team picture, the PARty Animals were thrilled to take home top fundraising honors while showing our support for such a worthy organization.

Also, for the fourth consecutive year, PAR has received the Gold Achievement Award from the American Heart Association for promoting employee wellness, making PAR a Fit-Friendly Worksite. We are proud to promote the importance of healthy living and wellness in the workplace!

To learn more about the many ways PAR staff give back to the community, visit our Community PARtners page.