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2026 Round of A-Paws Award Winners

ASF’s Round of A-Paws Awards, an annual celebration honoring excellence in animal welfare, recognizes community members, businesses, and organizations that have made significant contributions to the well-being of homeless animals in our community.

From hands-on rescue and tireless advocacy to visionary leadership and lifesaving partnerships, each has helped make our community a better place for animals and the people who love them. From all of us at ASF, congratulations to our honorees and heartfelt thanks to everyone who makes this lifesaving work possible.

Animal Advocate Award – Colleen Fahey & Melissa Sharp
Helping Hand Award – Cynthia Garcia & Lisa Glunt
Community Partner Award – Baypath Humane Society
Founder’s Award – Ralph DeMeo
Great partnerships save lives and, sometimes, the most extraordinary ones span 1,279 miles. Located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Baypath Humane Society has become one of Tallahassee Animal Services’ most valued rescue partners, proving that distance is no obstacle when organizations share a mission.

Since 2022, Baypath has welcomed an incredible 555 animals from Tallahassee Animal Services! Each transfer offers a fresh start while creating much-needed space at our community’s only open-intake shelter for more animals in need. For some of our longest-waiting shelter pets, Baypath has truly been a lifeline.

On multiple occasions, Baypath has welcomed animals who spent nearly a year or longer waiting for adoption in Tallahassee. Within just weeks of arriving in Massachusetts, those same animals found loving families. After waiting so long, they finally got the happy endings they deserved. These successes are no accident. Baypath’s dedicated staff and volunteers provide individualized enrichment, socialization, behavioral support, and training to help each animal thrive.

Their impact extends beyond the shelter, too! Through creative outreach, community partnerships, and even collaborations with the New England Patriots, Baypath has helped shine a national spotlight on adoptable pets, including former Tallahassee shelter animals!

Thank you for opening your doors and hearts to Tallahassee’s homeless animals, especially those who waited so long for their chance. Your partnership has been truly lifesaving, and we are forever grateful for the difference you’ve made.
Some advocates change individual lives. Others help change the very systems designed to protect them. Ralph DeMeo has spent decades doing both. As one of ASF’s earliest board members in 2007, Ralph helped lay the foundation for an organization that continues to make a difference for thousands of animals, but his impact extends far beyond ASF!

In 2008, Ralph founded Pets Ad Litem (PAL), a nonprofit dedicated to providing a legal voice for animals and promoting responsible pet ownership, including a first-of-its-kind educational partnership with the City of Tallahassee – Animal Service Center.

Ralph was one of two attorneys who established The Florida Bar’s Animal Law Committee, paving the way for its elevation to a full section in 2016. As its inaugural chair, he helped advance significant animal protections, including legal efforts supporting Amendment 13, Florida’s historic 2018 ban on greyhound racing.

A longtime member of Tallahassee’s Animal Crimes Task Force, Ralph organized a groundbreaking workshop for Florida judges to improve understanding and enforcement of animal protection laws. Through decades of service, Ralph has helped shape policy, strengthen legal protections, and empower advocates across Florida. He continues to generously share his expertise and guidance wherever needed.

Ralph’s legacy is one of compassion put into action – creating lasting change through advocacy, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to animals.
Great leaders don’t simply guide organizations – they inspire others, build partnerships, and create lasting change. Lisa Glunt, Executive Director of the Leon County Humane Society (LCHS), has spent more than two decades doing just that.

With over 25 years in animal care and rescue, Lisa joined LCHS in 2013 and became Executive Director in 2015. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded its reach, strengthened its programs, and made a lasting difference for animals and families throughout our community.

Lisa understands that animal welfare isn’t just about finding homes for homeless pets – it’s also about keeping beloved pets with the families who love them. From Pet food assistance to launching LCHS’s Community Veterinary Assistance Program in 2025, Lisa has championed initiatives that make essential care more accessible, support families facing hardship, and help prevent pets from entering shelters.

A passionate advocate for education, responsible pet ownership, and collaboration among rescue organizations, Lisa leads by example. Despite the demands of running an organization, she’s never afraid to roll up her sleeves and lend a helping hand wherever needed. For Lisa, animal welfare is more than a profession – it’s a calling. Her compassion, hands-on leadership, and commitment to serving animals and people have strengthened our local animal welfare community and improved lives throughout Leon County.
Some people see an animal in need and hope someone will help. Cynthia Garcia is the person who shows up. Since joining forces with the Animal Shelter Foundation in March 2025, Cynthia has helped humanely trap, spay or neuter, and return more than 124 community cats! Her efforts prevent future litters and help address feline overpopulation.

This work is anything but easy! From late-night trapping missions and early-morning veterinary appointments to traveling across county lines into rural communities, Cynthia goes wherever she’s needed. She coordinates veterinary care, provides recovery space in her home, and helps ensure cats have food, water, and shelter when returned to their familiar surroundings.

Cynthia is also a lifeline for overwhelmed Good Samaritans, offering guidance, reassurance, and hands-on assistance. Fluent in English and Spanish, she connects more people with the resources they need. Somehow, she does all of this while raising three sons and helping run her family’s business!

Whether rescuing a stray, opening her home to an animal in need, or spending countless hours helping community cats, Cynthia is someone others can always count on. For Cynthia, helping animals isn’t simply something she does – it’s part of who she is. She’s proof of the extraordinary difference one person can make simply by showing up.
Some of the most important lifesaving work in animal welfare happens behind the scenes — and few demonstrate that better than Melissa Sharp. As the Intake and Transfer Coordinator at the City of Tallahassee – Animal Service Center, Melissa helps hundreds of homeless animals find brighter futures each year. Through partnerships with rescue organizations across Florida and the country, she opens doors for animals who might otherwise be overlooked.

Her advocacy is especially meaningful for senior pets, animals with medical or behavioral challenges, and dogs and cats who simply haven’t found their perfect match locally. Where others might see obstacles, Melissa sees possibilities — and works tirelessly to turn those possibilities into second chances.

Known for her honesty, integrity, and professionalism, Melissa has helped establish Tallahassee Animal Services as a trusted rescue partner. From coordinating complex medical needs to navigating transportation logistics, she brings together shelter staff, volunteers, and rescue organizations to make lifesaving transfers possible.

Melissa was also instrumental in establishing ASF’s Happy Tails Transport Program, which has already helped hundreds of homeless pets begin new chapters through trusted rescue partners and is quickly approaching an extraordinary milestone — 1,000 LIVES CHANGED!

Behind every successful transport are countless hours of coordination, early mornings, late evenings, and Melissa’s unwavering determination to get animals where they need to go. For Melissa, every animal matters, every life has value, and every opportunity for a second chance is worth pursuing. Her work may happen largely behind the scenes, but its impact reaches far beyond Tallahassee.
Some volunteers lend a helping hand. Others become part of the very heart of a shelter. Colleen is unquestionably one of those special people. Since 2007, Colleen has tirelessly advocated for animals at the City of Tallahassee – Animal Service Center. From adoption photos and social media promotion to enrichment, kennel cleaning, dog walking, and confidence-building, she does whatever it takes to help shelter dogs find loving homes.

Her dedication extends beyond the shelter. Colleen regularly fosters dogs, especially those with behavioral challenges needing extra patience and care. She’s also a trusted mentor to volunteers and an invaluable resource to staff, sharing nearly two decades of experience.

The numbers speak volumes! In 2025, Colleen contributed 460 volunteer hours. With 2026 not yet over, she’s already logged another 455! Her recorded service is approaching 5,000 hours, and that’s only what’s been tracked since 2013. Add the countless hours fostering and advocating outside the shelter, and her dedication is truly immeasurable.

Colleen may be quiet, but she is a force! Her kindness, integrity, and determination speak volumes. She never seeks recognition — she simply shows up, day after day, for animals who need someone in their corner.

Past honorees of ASF’s Round of A-Paws Awards

ANIMAL ADVOCATE AWARD
2024 – Patricia Cooper
2025 – Joey Best

ANIMAL WELFARE CHAMPION AWARD
2024 – Commissioner David O’Keefe, Leon County
2025 – Commissioner Jack Porter, City of Tallahassee

HELPING HAND AWARD
2024 – Cathy Ellsworth
2025 – Madison Glaser

COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD
2024 – Be The Solution
2024 – Camp Mojo’s
2025 – Tally Cat Café
2025 – Animal Aid

FOUNDER’S AWARD
2024 – Julie Montanaro
2025 – Dr. Sandi Huffman