The organization, Wings of Rescue, flies animals from kill shelters to non-kill shelters from all over the United States and Canada. Some of these animals are pregnant, injured, malnourished or in need of major surgical operations.

Regular ground transport takes 24 hours or more and places multiple pets in the same crate without any food, water or walks. The flights provided for by the Wings of Rescue are mostly completed between three to four hours. Wings of Rescue provides thousands of pets in poor condition fast air transport to spacious shelters where many pet adopters await, unlike the overcrowded shelters that euthanize many animals due to lack of space.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior Amanda Straus started a fundraiser to contribute toward this organization. It will take place on Sun. Oct. 1 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Coral Springs. For the fundraiser, Buffalo Wild Wings will donate 10 percent of the proceeds toward saving thousands of dogs’ lives.

“I started this project but I’ve had a whole bunch of friends talk to other people about coming,” Straus said. “My parents were also really helpful, like getting me in touch with the manager at Buffalo Wild Wing.”

This was not the first time Straus has organized service projects in the Parkland/Coral Springs community. After the earthquake in Haiti she had collected stuffed animals and medical supplies to send to people affected by the disaster. She has also helped an autistic boy get a much-needed service dog by raising money through the collection of shoes.

Wings of Rescue has saved over 28,000 lives, thanks to their generous team of volunteer pilots flying their own airplanes for the rescue missions, as well as a fleet of chartered cargo planes. In the U.S., there are about 13,600 animal shelters that take in an estimated 7.6 million pets a year, but only about 2.7 million animals ever leave these shelters. Since the organization runs completely on donations, the money raised from this fundraiser is essential for the operation of Wings of Rescue.