Winter appeal gives animals a second chance

JUST $8,000 stands between the Geelong Animal Welfare Society (GAWS) and its winter appeal fundraising target.

With six weeks remaining, the animal shelter has raised more than $67,000 of its $75,000 goal.

The fund’s raised through the winter appeal will directly support vulnerable animals by providing critical medical care, foster placements and essential daily resources.

GAWS chief executive Helen Cocks said the response to this year’s appeal reflected the community’s compassion for animals in need.

“We are so grateful to everyone who has supported the winter appeal so far,” she said.

“We’re so close to our goal, and every donation in these final days will help provide safety, care and a second chance for animals who have nowhere else to turn.”

 

The money raised will help give vulnerable animals the same second chance as Tas, a kitten found barely alive in a gutter by members of the public.

Less than one-year-old, Tas was rushed into emergency veterinary care after arriving at GAWS with his eyes sealed shut, a severely ulcerated eye and two internal parasites.

After surgery and weeks of around-the-clock care in foster, Tas recovered and found his forever home with the family who had nursed him back to health.

Cocks said Tas’s story highlighted the important role foster carers played in giving animals the best chance of recovery.

“For many animals, foster care provides the quiet environment they need to recover from illness, surgery or the stress of shelter life before finding their forever family,” she said.

“These stories remind us that behind every donation is an animal whose life can be changed.”

To donate to the appeal, head to gaws.org.au/winter-appeal-2026