Photo by DeSilva Studios; used with permission from AWLA
Stella Hanly with Betty Spaghetti
The lilt in her voice gives it away — Stella Hanly isn't from around here. The Northern Ireland native moved to the United States not long after college, from her job in Belfast after a company transfer. But after fostering a puppy for a friend who was a veterinarian, the software developer decided to change careers, going to grad school to learn how to manage a non-profit.
She adopted that foster puppy, Rupert, who is now a 17-year old senior dog, a rat terrier and dachshund mix. Hanly, executive director of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) lives with Rupert in Del Ray, along with her husband Michael Mulherin, an Amazon executive and Army veteran and their 7-year-old daughter, Aoife.
After her daughter was born, Hanly took on a part-time role at the AWLA after working for the animal shelter in Washington D.C. Working at AWLA in several positions eventually led to her becoming executive director, a position she's held for the past seven years.
She oversees an organization that has grown since its beginnings in 1946. "We're 76 years old," she said. "The city in 1989, gave us control." The AWLA moved to its current location, the Vola Lawson Shelter, in 2002, from Payne Street. A misconception by many is that the AWLA is fully funded by the city. AWLA receives about a third of its budget from the city. Everything else is paid for by fundraising.
"Even the adoption program, the city does not pay for the adoption program," Hanly noted. AWLA's main fundraiser is Paws in the Park, which was held earlier this fall. "We do other fundraisers throughout the year as the need arises." COVID slowed down some fundraising activities and AWLA hopes to do more in 2023, she said.
The pandemic also impacted staffing at AWLA, as it has at many other places of business. "We've had difficulty finding staff, keeping staff, we've had outages due to COVID and trying to maintain our customer service and animal care has been very very challenging," Hanley said.
In addition to staffing challenges, city residents are in need of pet food, supplies and vaccinations, she noted. "People are reaching out to us. We redistribute most of the donations we receive. We haven't been able to keep up with demand."
While Hanly enjoys all aspects of her job, the best part is when new kittens and puppies arrive. "It never gets old," she said. "No matter how many puppies and kittens we have, we're still 'Oooh, puppies, kittens!' I love making the connection with their new families and that's the best part of my job."
About 50 percent of the animals at the shelter come in as strays or are "surrenders" from another city. "The other 50 percent are from areas that don't have as many resources as we do," she noted. AWLA receives animals from other areas including West Virginia and as far away as the Miami Dade shelter in Florida. "Anytime we have space here, we want to make sure we fill it with an animal that needs help," she said.
More than 500 volunteers help the shelter, including fostering animals — kittens needing to be bottle-fed; animals that are too young to be adopted; animals with special medical or behavioral needs, who are not doing well.
To learn how you can help AWLA, visit their website at alexandriaanimals.org.
Here's a little more about Stella Hanly:
What I like most about Alexandria: "The easy access to the city, the waterfront. I really like the community and my neighbors in Del Ray. I love the small-town feel. And being in Old Town, especially during the holidays with all the lights."
Three people I'd invite to dinner: "My mother died when I was young. Definitely she would be one. My dad, who passed away a few years ago. And Jane Goodall would be the third."
I'm most proud of: "My daughter, Aoife. Her name comes from Irish mythology, meaning 'most fearsome warrior.'"
My favorite book is: "I love to read. 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' 'Lessons in Chemistry,' and 'Sea of Tranquility.'"
My favorite music: The Frames, a Dublin band.
