Merk’s Bar and Grill, located on the North Causeway, in New Smyrna Beach, held its first annual Wags and Wheels Car/Dog Wash to benefit the Southeast Volusia Humane Society, in New Smyrna Beach, and Journey’s End Animal Sanctuary, located in Deland. The event, which took place on Saturday, July 17th, collected donations for both organizations and the response of the community was overwhelming. Money is desperately needed, especially in this economy.

Debbie Jackson, Vice President of SEVHS stated, “This was a great event and we couldn’t have been more pleased and honored to be a part of it. SEVHS has suffered some financial problems recently including losing a roof to one of the animal housing units and the air conditioning going out during what most are considering the hottest summer in a long time. Board Member Debi Laibe of SEVHS also expressed her thanks for the event stating, “Merk’s is a great example to our community and it makes you proud to live in an area where people see a need and then seek out to help that need.”

SEVHS has been in operation since 1958 and has been taking care of unwanted dogs and cats in the Southeast Volusia area for over 50 years. Like most non-profit organizations, they rely greatly on donations to maintain their daily operations. “This will help us in so many ways,” stated Vicki Fischer, President of SEVHS, “and we can’t thank Merk’s enough for what they have done for us. We are just looking forward to next year!”

Jen Dziak, an employee from Merk’s Bar and Grill organized and ran the whole event with the help of Merk’s employees and volunteers from both organizations. She stated, “We love animals and we wanted to do something to help them. This seemed like a good idea. We stayed busy all morning and washed so many dogs, cars, and trucks that we lost count. The local merchants donated baskets, gift certificates, and other great items that were auctioned off which helped add to the total monies collected for the day.”

Journey’s End Animal Sanctuary, located in Deland,and their volunteers washed dogs and thanked Merk’s for including them in the fundraising event. Florence Thout, owner and operator of Journey’s End, was overwhelmed at the amount of donations that was collected on their behalf. Journey’s End supports animals, ALL animals who no longer have a home or are deemed “un-adoptable” by other people, and these animals are given a beautiful place to live out the rest of their lives.

Everyone had a great time and the community pulled together to help two very worthwhile organizations. For more information on SEVHS, browse this website and to learn more about Journey’s End, log onto journeysendsanctuary.org

Article Written by Debi Laibe
Pictures by Gladys Starkey

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