We continue to meet so many passionate animal advocates serving in a variety of organizations. To honor them for their efforts, Speed Queen gifted several of these special foster moms and dads a TR7/DR7 set to help simplify laundry day and enable them to focus on providing the best possible care for their furry foster friends. Today, we’ll introduce you to Sherry in Dunmore, Pennsylvania.

Winters in the East can be challenging even for locals. Now, imagine what it’s like for an Arizona transplant when those first December winds start blowing early snows and the realization sets in that spring is a very long way off.

That was the situation for Sherry Crolly back in 2018, when she moved to Dunmore, Penn. What to do to get through the long winter? Her husband suggested volunteer work might be rewarding…in addition to killing some time.

“I’ve always been an animal lover for as long as I can remember,” Sherry said, adding that, when growing up, her parents would take in animals who needed a home. With that background, she began volunteering at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in South Abington Township. Though early on, the stress and heartache that can be part of animal rescue, she wondered how long she’d last.

“I’m not going to lie, those first few days were rough, and I thought about throwing in the towel,” she said.

Thankfully for the many animals she’s helped through the organization, she stuck it out.

Wearing many hats

What started as volunteering to walk dogs to fill the long winter, transitioned a few years ago to training volunteers and now to her serving as the organization’s development director. Oh, and she’s also active in fostering.

She also never backs down from a challenge. One of her recent fosters had lost use of its back legs. Sherry, however, won’t give up on an animal and worked tirelessly to help the dog get ambulatory again.

Her experience in fostering means she also takes on tough cases, ones in need of significant socialization to make them adoptable.

Growing to address a growing need

Like many rescue organizations across the country, Griffin Pond has seen the need for its services growing as inflation impacts pocketbooks and living situations.

“We’ve doubled capacity since January 2023,” Sherry said. At present, the shelter has roughly 250 animals under its care, and those animals can range from cats and dogs to birds, rabbits, and even goats.

“We’ve got animals everywhere within the facility.”

All this presents challenges for a 501(c) (3) that relies strictly on donations, grants, fundraisers. Despite that, Sherry was able to drive funding for an inhouse clinic to reduce veterinary costs – one of the major expenses of all rescues. The clinic even has x-ray and ultrasound equipment.

Local support also has been strong, including a recent donation of a Speed Queen TR7/DR7 washer from Speed Queen and local retailer Dunmore Appliance. Dunmore took their support of the rescue even further by collecting a truck load of supplies for the rescue.

“They’re wonderful,” she said of the Dunmore team’s support, which came on National Pet Day.

The importance of fosters

Equally as important as donations for the nonprofit are skilled, committed fosters. Sherry said there’s no way to overstate the importance of fostering animals to increase the chances of a successful adoption.

In the rescue world, 3-3-3 is a widely accepted way to characterize the challenges animals face settling in after being adopted out of a shelter environment. They refer to:

  • The first three days, the animal will sleep. The frequent noise of the shelter environment, means animals rarely get adequate rest
  • At three weeks, the animal starts to decompress and settle into their new surroundings and people.
  • At three months, they are fully adjusted to the structure and routine.

However, fostering compresses that timeline, meaning animals are fully adjusted withing a week or two.

To learn more about Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, visit here.

Speed Queen experience

How important are reliable washers and dryers to a nonprofit animal rescue? Sherry at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter sums it up best.

“If we didn’t have laundry equipment, I don’t know how we’d function. We’d be throwing a lot of stuff out.”

The shelter was understandably excited when Speed Queen and local retailer, Dunmore Appliance, teamed up to donate a TR7/DR7 washer and dryer pair.

In addition, the new matte black color drew rave reviews from the organization, but the real cheers came in performance.

“What I’ve noticed so far is there’s not as much pet hair [left on items],” Sherry said of the dedicated Pet Hair Remover cycle on the DR7 dryer. “Seems to be working wonderfully.”

She also has appreciated the larger capacity, especially with the heavy volumes of laundry the shelter processes. Best of all, having commercial quality equipment that truly cleans means the shelter can keep towels, blankets, and other linens in use and not having to throw them out – a big advantage for a nonprofit.