You might see photos on our social media page of our brick pathway asking you to purchase a brick in honor or in memory of a loved one or pet. While beautiful, our brick pathway raises lifesaving funds for our organization and is a space to celebrate milestones or help us process grief. Since the start of the program, we have raised almost $40,000 for our organization and have installed over 275 bricks in our pathway. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we added a small expansion to the pathway in 2022 to make room for more bricks. Our goal is to fill the full backyard pathway and each of our supporters helps us build to that goal.
Joy, a longtime supporter of FHS, has found great meaning with supporting the brick pathway. She has many bricks in honor of her loved ones and her passion all started with honoring Buddy.
“A win-win gift of love. Donating in honor of a pet and a loved one is soothing to my heart. Knowing that it helps to save other animals completes my purpose. We have 7 bricks, all begun in honor of our sweet Buddy. We call this ‘Buddy’s Rescue’. We shall continue this act of love, all the while, a gift for us and a gift of rescue!”
Carrie, a former board member and board president, and longtime supporter, purchased a brick in honor of her daughter Patty’s first birthday. Patty came by to visit her brick and the shelter dogs and cats of Forsyth Humane Society earlier this year. Carrie told us, “Supporting Forsyth Humane Society is a family affair for us because our four-legged friends are part of our family. We want everyone to experience the love, joy, and comfort that we have experienced. Our lives are fuller and richer because of our dogs. We continue to support FHS so that others’ lives will be enriched in this same way.”
Carrie, like many others who support Forsyth Humane, celebrates the wellness of companionship and supports a community centered around compassion.
Personally, I have shed tears with donors experiencing the loss of spouses, children, parents, friends, and pets. I have rejoiced with donors celebrating new grandchildren, birthdays, retirements, weddings, and other happy occasions in their life. Hundreds of stories, memories, and sentiments are in our pathway, and we honor them by continuing to help pets and the people who love them.
When I give a tour, I tell people this is my favorite part of the shelter and if you give our pathway a visit, you will see why. On any given day, you can see dogs playing, volunteers smiling, and the mental and physical benefits of companionship. It’s more than a brick pathway. It’s a pathway to our community, to the hearts of those who support us, and a pathway to improving the future of cats and dogs in Forsyth County, N.C.
-Carrie DuPre, Development Manager
If you would like to schedule a tour of FHS, please reach out to Carrie DuPre at cdupre@forsythhumane.org or call 336.955.1740. You can also learn more about the community brick program at forsythhumane.org/bricks
