Arizona Humane Society gets $5 million gift from son of Walmart founder for new campus
Jan 26, 2022, 4:15 AM
Melani and Rob Walton with their Italian Greyhounds Lulu and Jazzy (Photo by Allison Jones)
(Photo by Allison Jones)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Humane Society has received a $5 million gift from the eldest son of the founder of Walmart for its new metro Phoenix campus.
The Rob and Melani Walton Foundation donated the money for the Papago Park campus, which will be named after them.
The 72,000-square-foot campus located near the juncture of the Loop 202 and State Route 143 freeways is expected to open in early 2023.
“We are honored to partner with the Arizona Humane Society on this extraordinary project and help them make a transformational difference in the treatment and welfare of animals in our community,” Melani and Rob Walton said in a press release.
“This new campus will serve as an important gathering place for people and animals alike and as an example of how innovative, compassionate services can expand to serve to all who need them.”
The facility, which started being constructed in November, will replace the 64-year-old Sunnyslope campus located near 13th Avenue and Hatcher Road.
The location will feature the state-of-the-art Watts Family Medical Complex, which will offer medical and behavioral interventions.
Also part of the resource and adoption facility are intensive care units and a full teaching hospital, anchored by the Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital.
The trauma hospital’s expanded triage area will allow the humane society to care for thousands of additional homeless pets than at its Sunnyslope campus.
“The Rob and Melani Walton Foundation’s generous $5M commitment to our community’s pets will allow us to expand our system of care and provide medical and behavioral interventions at a level not yet seen in the United States and for years to come,” AHS President and CEO Dr. Steven Hansen said in the release.
