Arizona Animal Welfare League, Phoenix Brewery Team Up For Pets

PHOENIX, AZ — Leaders for the Arizona Animal Welfare League wanted to find a way to celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary properly.

It was that desire that led league President and CEO Alessandra Navidad to reach out to Phoenix's Walter Station Brewery about a possible collaboration earlier this year.

Fast-forward a few months, and the two have done just that, with Walter Station releasing a limited-edition lager, dubbed "AAWLager," that raises money for the organization.

Six-packs of the lager are on sale at Walter Station's brewery near downtown Phoenix, as well as at beer shops across the Valley.

For Navidad, the partnership was a clever way to help the league reach its goal of raising $50,000 to continue saving the lives of dogs and cats in the Grand Canyon State.

"We wanted to come up with a cool way to honor the history of the organization and also support our local breweries," Navidad told Patch. "And now we've got these awesome cans. They feature some of our adoptable animals, as well as the dogs and cats that have been adopted over the past few years.

"And so we're definitely encouraging people to come out and purchase them before they're gone."

Navidad said the league chose Walter Station as its partner because of the brewery's proximity to AAWL's Phoenix shelter.

"Here we have somebody who has a strong presence in terms of the local restaurant scene and the local brewery market, who is willing to stand up and put the time, energy and resources into brewing this beer," Navidad said. "And we've been neighbors for about a year now. They've been amazing partners and supporters."

Navidad is hopeful that the league, which celebrates its 50th birthday on Aug. 20, can continue to grow its operations in the Grand Canyon State, with help from partners like Walter Station.

She discussed how the league, which has grown from a small shelter near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to one with more than 100 employees, 600 volunteers and 100-plus foster families, is only as strong as its supporters.

Above all, Navidad discussed how having the support of local businesses, like Walter Station, is a crucial step in the organization's ability to fund and support its current activities.

"We started out as a small foster-based rescue in 1971, with one tiny building here in Phoenix, and now we've grown into a multi-functional community resource," Navidad said. "And so we're much larger now. We've really grown over the years, and that's thanks to the generosity of our donors and our community members who stood with us all this time."