Solar Energy and a Fast Car

It's a big month for local animal welfare advocates – including the acceptance tomorrow of a solar array donation by the Williamson County Texas Humane Heroes shelter, and the kick-off of the Austin Humane Society's ninth-annual fund raising car raffle.

First up, Texas Humane Heroes – the new group created by the merger of the Humane Society of Williamson County and the CenTex Humane Society Second Chance Adoption Center – tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 29, will celebrate the installation at their Leander shelter of the no-kill operation's first-ever solar array, donated to the organization by the Green Mountain Energy Company. The company's residential energy customers – including customers in Williamson County – are able to provide solar power to worthy non-profit organizations through the company's Sun Club.

For more information, contact Texas Humane Heroes.

Meanwhile, the Austin Humane Society, the city's oldest no-kill shelter, is currently selling tickets for it's ninth annual car raffle to raise money for the care of thousands of animals the group takes in each year.

Indeed, in 2012 alone, AHS adopted out more than 3,700 animals and the shelter's trap-neuter-release program for feral cats cared for a more than 5,600 felines. And 2013 is off to a fierce start: on Jan. 17 alone, for example, the shelter took in 39 new animals; on the same day the TNR feral cat clinic served 57 cats.

To help ease the financial burden of taking care of all those furry friends, Roger Beasley Mazda has (again) donated a 2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata for the winner of the AHS' raffle. Tickets are $20 each and only 5,000 are sold. All proceeds go directly to care for AHS animals.

Find more info on the raffle here.