BRAWA prepares to celebrate 30 Years of serving animals in South Central Kentucky

GLASGOW, Ky. – The Barren River Animal Welfare Association (BRAWA) is preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of rescuing, fostering and finding permanent homes for stray and abandoned animals across the Barren River region.

Since its founding, the nonprofit organization has relied on volunteers, staff and community support to care for animals while raising funds to support its mission.

BRAWA board member and volunteer Babette Portillo reflected on how far the organization has come over the past three decades.

“That is incredibly special because we started out literally in the dump,” Portillo said. “It took quite a while to get this building built and then add on to it. Now we have an incredible staff that’s helped us grow into what we are today.”

As BRAWA looks toward the future, board members say expanding volunteer involvement and increasing adoptions remain top priorities.

“We want people to become involved and volunteer with our organization,” said board member and volunteer Molly Taylor. “We have so many animals looking for homes, and those numbers seem to grow every year. Thankfully, our community continues to support us through fundraisers, schools and local businesses.”

BRAWA will celebrate its 30th anniversary during its annual “Shake Your Paw Ball” on July 25 at the Cave Area Conference Center.

The organization also announced plans to launch a new website later this month. Until then, information about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and adoptable animals can be found on BRAWA’s Facebook page.