At its most recent meeting of the Board of Trustees, the P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center elected three new members.   "We are so pleased to have Mary Catherine Ingraham, Brieanna Dietrich and Larraine Brown join our Board of Trustees.  I know that their love of animals and the knowledge they bring in the areas of bookkeeping, law, and fundraising will be a great asset to our organization," Board president Jean Freedman-White noted.

 Mary Catherine Ingraham, a business consultant specializing in QuickBooks, explained, "Even though my roots are here in the mid-coast, I have only lived here since the mid-seventies.  I have been a bookkeeper in the area for about 30 years.  I enjoy volunteering, especially with an eye towards the finances of an organization.  I am past president of the non-profit assisted living facility, 63 Washington Street, and now oversee the finances.  I am also treasurer of another assisted living facility in Rockland, the Talbot Home.  I look forward to participating in the new and exciting plans for P.A.W.S.”

 Brieanna Dietrich, who received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in May 2011, stated:  "I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Board of P.A.W.S.  I was born and raised in Rockport and grew up admiring the wonderful work the shelter does every day.  Now that I have returned to Rockport and started my own law practice, I felt it was the right time to begin to give back to a community that has given me so much.  Joining the Board of the shelter seemed like a natural choice because it blends my love for animals and my desire to serve the community.  P.A.W.S. has some exciting new projects in the works; I can't wait to be involved and see how these projects will allow us to better serve the animals and people of the community."

 Larraine Brown, a fundraising and development professional who raised the original operating budget for WERU community radio station, has been committed to rescue animals in need for the past 20 years. She explained, "I am pleased to have an opportunity to serve on the P.A.W.S. Board at such an exciting time.  I hope to make use of my background in development, fundraising and theater to help raise the necessary funds to provide a welcoming and safe temporary shelter for the region's lost, abused and abandoned fellow creatures."  Brown worked for more than a decade for the state Office of Literacy Volunteers teaching fundraising and recruitment methodologies as well as training trainers for the 18 literacy boards.  She created and produced the 15 minute theater festival of original plays which attracted several thousand attendees to the Belfast area over a three year period.  Currently she serves as development director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

 P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center recently announced plans to renovate and build a larger, safer and more welcoming building and has launched a $1 million capital campaign to raise funds for the expansion plans at its 146 Camden Street, Rockport location.  The Shelter will also construct a dog park adjacent to the new building with areas for both small and large dogs to run and play off leash.  The new Board members come at a huge turning point for the organization and will play an important role alongside current trustees in helping in the realization of the undertaking.  For more information call Lisa Dresser at 236-8702 or visit www.pawsadoption.org