The usual tradition of a birthday is for the honoree to be showered with gifts. But in the case of Lyndal Stephens Grethit was the other way around. With her birthday this weekend, she presented the animals of North Texas with a life-changing gift this morning – an $8 million gift for the SPCA of Texas' $31 million Care Unleashed capital campaign.
Officially, the donation came from the Stephens Greth Foundation, including $5 million to construct a new building and $3 million to accelerate SPCA programs.
Adding to the hubbub of the announcement at the SPCA, it was announced that The Addy Foundation committed $5 million to support the construction of the new building called The Addy Foundation Care and Recovery Center.
With additional funding including $1 million from the Eugene McDermott Foundation and $500,000 from SPCA volunteers Steven and Sue Koons and support from Communities Foundation Of Texas, Embrey Family Foundation, Hoblitzelle Foundation, Meadows Foundation and Theodore and Beulah Beasley Foundation, SPCA President/CEO Chris Luna reported that more than 80% of the campaign has already been raised.
Chris explained that thanks to the campaign, “our reimagined campus will now be the Stephens Greth Foundation campus and will include three key buildings: the Dallas Animal Care Center, the Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center, and the 39,443 square foot Addy Foundation Care and Recovery Center, which will feature:
- 16 cat recovery huts
- Eight doghouses for recovery
- 112 cat houses designed for comfort and low stress
- 118 dog houses designed for comfort and low stress
- 26 high-tech HVAC systems
- The Steven and Sue Koons Surgery Center with an expanded surgical suite with four prep tables and five operating tables
- A forensic laboratory
- Eight new playgrounds with grass
- Four adoption areas and meet-and-greet rooms and
- A 2,475 square foot courtyard.”
The expanded campus will enable the SPCA to meet the growing needs of the Dallas/Fort Worth region. The expansion will double the organization's care capacity and:
- Add 254 kennels designed for comfort and tranquility, dedicated recovery rooms with advanced ventilation for sensitive animals, expanded operating and treatment rooms, and a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory to strengthen accountability in cruelty cases.
- Double the organization's adoption and foster care capacity annually.
- Doubling current capacity to perform wellness visits and sterilization surgeries;
- Use the Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center as a temporary shelter for animals in the event of natural disasters and cases of major animal cruelty; and significantly increase the capacity of the SPCA of Texas' Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit to rescue cruelly treated animals and assist in the prosecution of cases of cruelty, abuse or neglect.
As a side note, Chris said: “We co-signed the contract [general contractor] Hill and Wilkinson on December 19 last year, before discussing tariffs and tariff uncertainty. When you sign the uniform maximum price, it is fixed. And we believe, based on some articles and some research, that we will probably save $2 million because of the tariffs and the tariff uncertainty.”
To celebrate the announcement, the cornerstone of the new building was unveiled by Sue and Steven Richard Greth And Joe O'Brien represents Lyndal and Ben Leal represents the Addy Foundation. State representatives were also present at the announcement Wind Jones And Rafael Anchaiawho presented a proclamation in honor of the day.
And while Lyndal was not present for the unveiling and official launch, her generosity and concern for the well-being of North Texas will always be felt in the years to come.
* Graphic provided by SPCA Of Texas