Alaqua Animal Refuge has launched a new social media campaign, #EveryoneNeedsABuddy, which gives pet owners the opportunity to show off their own buddies while bringing awareness to the mission of the refuge and encouraging monetary donations.

To participate, social media users can upload a 15-second video featuring themselves and their pets to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, including the hashtag #EveryoneNeedsABuddy at the end of their post. They should explain why “everyone needs a buddy” or how their buddy has filled a special place in their lives. At the end of the video, they are encouraged to pledge a donation to Alaqua’s mission in honor of their buddy and challenge five of their human friends to participate in the campaign as well. Once challenged, participants have three days to upload their own videos and donate to the refuge. The campaign will continue through May 23. The top videos (determined by the number of “likes” and “shares”) will be posted to the Alaqua website. 

A private, nonprofit animal sanctuary, Alaqua serves the Emerald Coast as a no-kill refuge, providing shelter and care to animals in need, a full-service animal adoption center, and peaceful, proactive animal welfare advocacy through educational outreach and community programs.

“We are excited to see and hear the unique stories of the owners and their buddies,” says Laurie Hood, Alaqua’s founder and owner. “After seeing the incredible amount of viral success from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, we were influenced to model our campaign with a similar structure. As a nonprofit, fundraising is always a priority, but more importantly, the awareness their campaign brought to their mission was truly inspiring.”

For more information, visit AlaquaAnimalRefuge.org/EveryoneNeedsABuddy/ or find Alaqua Animal Refuge on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.