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Aug. 18—MORGANTOWN — Until further notice, Jaime Williams’ home will be a tent pitched at Kendrick Family Ballpark—and she’s not leaving until $15, 000 is raised to help local homeless pets.
Jaime Williams, known to listeners as “Jaime from WVAQ, ” is hosting the fourth annual “Camping for Canines ” fundraiser to benefit Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia, a no-kill animal shelter located on Brewer Road.
“I camp out in a tent, and I have somebody stay with me, ” Williams said. “It’s a good time—a hot time—and 100 % of the money goes to Animal Friends.”
Williams said she picks a different location for the event each year, aiming for places with high visibility and foot traffic. In past years, she has camped outside Suncrest Towne Centre and other busy spots, braving everything from heat to heavy traffic noise.
“The first year we did it, I was just shoving cash in my pockets, ” she said with a laugh. “We’re a lot more organized now. We have a cash box, and somebody comes and empties it out.”
This year’s location was chosen in part because Thursday night is the ballpark’s “Bark in the Park ” promotion, an event for dog lovers that Williams said drew attention to the fundraiser. The ballpark has pledged $2, 000 from ticket sales to go toward Williams’ $15, 000 goal.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, Williams had raised $8, 014 toward that goal.
Animal Friends staff will be on-site during the event with adoptable dogs and cats, giving visitors the chance to meet animals and submit adoption applications on the spot. As the day heats up, animals will be rotated back to the shelter and replaced with others ready to greet potential families.
The shelter’s main focus this year is raising money for an expansion of its facility. Williams said the project has been in the works for a long time but has become increasingly urgent due to a rise in pet surrenders and a drop-in adoptions.
“That equation equals so many pets, ” she said. “Animal Friends is a no-kill shelter, so they get a lot of animals. All of that takes funding and space.”
The organization plays a critical role in the community, Williams added, stepping in to care for animals when owners die, when pets are abandoned, or when injured strays are found and their veterinary care becomes too costly for individuals to afford.
“When you have your neighbor who has 10 cats more than they should, and then your neighbor dies—what happens to all the cats ? Animal Friends comes to get them, ” she said. “When you find an injured dog and maybe you don’t have the means to take care of it, what do you do ? Animal Friends comes in and they pay the veterinary costs. But all of that takes funding.”
For Williams, it is personal. She adopted her own dog and says the experience opened her eyes to the importance of pet adoption.
“She is just the light of my life, ” she said. “These pets are really deserving of a good home.”
Throughout the week, Williams is broadcasting live from her tent, calling into different shows on WBAQ to share updates on the fundraising total and highlight event sponsors, including Huntington Bank and Primo Signs.
To keep her safe, Williams always has someone with her—whether it’s a friend, her husband, or a volunteer from Animal Friends. She said her hope is to hit the $15, 000 mark early but she is prepared to stay through the weekend, if necessary.
“I’d like to go home to my kids, my husband and my own dog, ” she said. “But Animal Friends does such an important service for our community. They’re truly deserving of this money.”
Donations can be made in person at the ballpark, through Venmo at @AFNCWV, or PayPal at @AnimalFriendsNCWV. Cash and checks are also accepted on-site.
Williams said one of her goals is to spark curiosity from people passing.
“That’s what I want. I want people to be nosy and be like, ‘What’s going on ? Why is she doing this ?’” she said. “And then come talk to me about it.”
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