The Arlington Animal Services Center Volunteer Program was established in April 2009 to support the City’s mission “to enact the will of the people through their active, inclusive participation and to provide the services they demand in a quality, cost effective manner”. In January 2009, a new, state-of-the-art Animal Services Center (ASC) opened with the goal of providing a full-service, sustainable facility with minimal impact to the city budget. Facing significant resource limitations, the City purposed to create a robust and sustainable Animal Volunteer Program. In less than a year, this initiative has yielded 326 trained and engaged volunteers. These dedicated volunteers enhance the community through their passion for animals while tangibly leveraging limited shelter staff resources.

The document was submitted to the Alliance for Innovation for consideration of a 2010 Innovation Award.