SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — KREM 2 and STCU teamed up in February to ask the community --what was your favorite charity? Who Do You Love?.
After counting up the votes, KREM 2 announced the winners of the contest this week.
Double J Dog Ranch in North Idaho won first place while the Cheney High School Band Booster Club placed second and the Kellen Cares Foundation placed third.
Winners of the Who Do You Love? campaign received the following prizes:
First place: $5,000
Second place: $2,500
Third place: $1,000
The number one favorite for Who do you love was the Double J Dog Ranch in North Idaho.
Need a cuteness fix? The non-profit is a sanctuary and re-homing facility for dogs with special needs. It offers veterinary care, training, therapies, acupuncture and end-of-life care for dogs with special needs.
The non-profit won $5,000, which will be used to provide veterinary care for the dogs.
Cristene Justus, director and founder of the Double J Dog Ranch sad the money will go to benefit a better quality of life for the animals.
"Our costs for our vet care tend to be a little more expensive since our dogs are all special needs," Justus said. "We frequent WSU specialists and fundraising has been hard since the pandemic, and this is just the shot in the arm we really need and appreciate."
Justus thanked all the supporters who made winning the prize possible.
"Thank you KREM 2, thank you STCU and all of our supporters," Justus said."It's thrilling, it's humbling, we're just so grateful and happy."
Strike up the band! The Cheney High School Band Booster Club helps raise funds for kids who play in the various bands at Cheney High School.
The community nominated the group, which won second place in the Who do you love? campaign. The group received $2,500, which will be used to pay for some transportation support for the kids and their instruments.
KREM 2's Laura Papetti and a member of the STCU surprised the Cheney High School Band leader and students on Monday with a win and a check. Go Blackhawks!
The Kellen Cares Foundation
The Kellen Cares Foundation won third place in the Who do you Love? contest.
The non-profit helps provide a roadmap for parents navigating mental health issues with their young sons. It started after the Erickson family lost their son Kellen to suicide in 2020.
The foundation is an effort to end the silence that surrounds mental health issues and provide resources for families struggling, and the $1,000 donation will go support that mission.