FALLS CHURCH, VA—Wildlife Rescue League is pleased to announce Rachel Feeney as the Chair of its capital campaign, Putting Down Roots. The campaign aims to raise $1,671,675 to construct WRL’s first-ever Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Virginia.
The Putting Down Roots capital campaign launched in 2023 with a transformative land donation from Elaine and Joe Miletta, founders of Pets Limited and Animal Allies. The campaign funds will cover construction, essential equipment, and the center’s first year of staffing and operational costs. Wildlife Rescue League aims to soft launch the new center in summer 2025 and fully open by summer 2026.
Rachel Feeney brings more than a decade of experience in marketing and events, including previously serving as Wildlife Rescue League’s Marketing and Outreach Committee Chair, planning WRL’s most successful Critter Carnival to date.
“Volunteers like Rachel are essential to our mission to support communities and animals in Northern Virginia and the surrounding area,” said Wildlife Rescue League Board President Beth Axelrod. “This first-ever rehabilitation center is the physical culmination of 40 years of Wildlife Rescue League’s hard work and love for our community, and we are thrilled to benefit from Rachel’s passion and expertise as we undertake this ambitious project.”
The new Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Virginia will transform wildlife care in the region, offering:
- Daily wildlife intake by transporters, the public, and animal control personnel
- Onsite veterinary care for a broad range of species
- Hands-on training for wildlife rehabilitators
- Educational classes about Virginia’s native wildlife
- Stewardship and preservation of 94.50 acres, including 50 acres of wetland, maintained and cared for by Wildlife Rescue League
Through this remarkable new Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Virginia, Wildlife Rescue League will expand its service area, support more volunteers and rehabilitators, care for animals with more complex needs, and save more animal lives every year.
To learn more about the Putting Down Roots campaign and to contribute, visit www.wildliferescueleague.org/rehabcenter.
Wildlife Rescue League is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing care for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife with the intent of releasing them back into their native habitat. Our permitted rehabilitators, located throughout Northern Virginia and surrounding areas, work with a network of volunteers, wildlife centers, animal shelters, humane societies, nature centers, and veterinary hospitals to provide life-saving help for wildlife in need. www.wildliferescueleague.org
