September 2020 Volunteer Spotlight — Marian Childress

This month we would like to spotlight the late Marian Childress, a dedicated animal welfare advocate and endangered species conservationist who passed away on August 23rd, 2020. Marian volunteered with the Virginia Beach SPCA for many years, and she was the compassionate force behind the VBSPCA Canister Program –  a program that places change canisters in local businesses to collect donations for the animals. She and her husband ran this program for 28 years and together they raised over $169,000 for the VBSPCA.

Marian remains a shining example of volunteerism at its best. She believed in the canister program from the beginning, and she built long-standing partnerships with many local businesses. Marian and her husband recognized the critical role that fundraising plays at the VBSPCA, so instead of relying on coin counting machines to count the donations, they counted every single coin by hand! This ensured that thousands of dollars that would have gone to fees instead went to the animals of the VBSPCA. 

All of us at the VBSPCA are incredibly grateful for Marian’s service to the animals and for the lasting impact she has made on our organization. Her sweet spirit will be missed throughout our community as she was an inspiration to everyone she met. Our canister program will continue on, as she hoped it would, but from this point forward it will be in her honor. 

If you would like to have a canister placed in your business, please email volunteer@vbspca.com.