Fundraiser amasses more than $7,000 in honor of Gavin Buchanan

(Originally published in the 2/25/16 edition)

   The Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation hosted a Dog-Wash-a-Thon at Pet Food Express Saturday to raise money for bulletproof vests for police dogs. The foundation’s goal was to raise $2,000, but due to strong support from the community, it ended up raising more than $7,000, with online donations still coming in. 

   Chairwoman Brandi Narvaez said she was elated by the results.

   “We are just stunned by the community outpouring, both financially and just people showing up,” she said.

   Gavin Buchanan, 8, was killed in September alongside his father, Adam, and mother, Molly McAffee in the family’s Greenwood cabin. His 16-year-old half brother, Nolen, was arrested on suspicion of the homicide, and his case is currently being handled in El Dorado County.

   Gavin was very passionate about the safety of police K9s. When he was 5, he donated his entire allowance and chore money to police K-9s. This effort so touched Benicia police officers that he even became an ambassador to K-9s. 

   Gavin’s family set up the nonprofit foundation in October to honor his commitment to protecting K9s. The first fundraiser was held over the weekend at Pet Food Express, where customers would spend $15 to have their canines washed at the shop’s self-service dog wash stations. All the proceeds went to the foundation which in turn will be donated to help outfit the Benicia Police Department’s new K-9 unit vehicles with proper safety gear, including window guards, door panel guards and alert systems. 

   Patrons also had the option to get custom embroidered pet collars and meet local officers, and they were also treated to K-9 demonstrations. 

   “We had three separate K-9 demonstrations,” Narvaez said. “We were lucky enough to have Palo Alto police present, and the two Benicia K-9 units did some really fun stuff.” 

   Officer Brad Young of the Palo Alto Police Department did obedience demonstrations with his department’s K-9 Eddie. Benicia officers Kirk Keffer and Jake Heinemeyer did additional demonstrations with K-9 Bak and K-9 Atos and also answered questions about the day in the life of a K-9 officer. 

   The event drew a large crowd and amassed $7,000 in donations. Two anonymous donators gave $500 each. Those who could not be at the event in person mailed checks. In a parallel to Gavin’s dedication, the first donor of the day was a young Benicia resident named Amaya who donated the entire contents of her piggy bank to support the protection of police dogs. 

   Narvaez said she was very appreciative of the event’s turnout.

   “People came by to tell us their stories about how they knew Gavin or his family and how they wanted to support the local community,” she said. “For the financial reasons, we are related but also really grateful for the community outreach as well.”

   Narvaez said the foundation has other fundraiser ideas planned for the spring and has received calls from local businesses about fundraising concepts, but she said nothing is set in stone. 

   “We don’t have anything formal to announce yet, but we have a couple ideas brewing for the spring and summer,” she said. “We’ll definitely reach out to the Benicia community and let them know where we’ll be hosting our next fundraising event.”

   For more information on the foundation, visit GavinBuchananMemorialFoundation.com or call Narvaez at (707) 365-5424. 

Photo courtesy of Brandi Narvaez

K-9 Eddie of the Palo Alto Police Department jumps a fence during an obedience training demonstration.

Fundraiser held to honor late 8-year-old's passion

(Originally published in the 2/17/16 edition)

   The Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation will be holding a fundraiser at Pet Food Express, Saturday. The funds will go toward the same thing the slain Benicia third grader was so passionate about in life: donating bulletproof vests to police dogs. 

   Gavin, 8, along with father Adam and mother Molly McAffee, was murdered in the family’s Greenwood cabin. Gavin’s half brother was arrested on suspicion of having committed the murders. 

   In October, members of Gavin’s family established The Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the goal of carrying on his legacy.

    “He was very passionate about protecting K-9 law enforcement officers,” Gavin’s cousin and foundation Chairwoman Brandi Narvaez said. “He was definitely passionate about this cause, and we are continuing that in his honor.”

   Shortly before his 6th birthday, Gavin had converted all the money he had earned from chores and through the tooth fairy into a $100 bill. He then walked into Pet Food Express, which was holding a fundraiser for Bay Area police dogs, and donated the money.

   Gavin’s efforts did not go unnoticed in the community. He was subsequently featured on a poster with Benicia police dogs outside Pet Food Express and was the subject of a 2014 Benicia Herald article. When asked why he would give up all his money to help a police dog, Gavin told then-staff reporter Donna Beth Weilenman, “So he doesn’t get shot and killed.”

   The foundation will be holding its first big event Saturday at Pet Food Express. 

   “They are offering us the use of their self-service dog washing station,” Narvaez said. “Any patron who comes in that day and purchases a dog wash token for $15 or any increment will wash their dog and enjoy their day.”

   The proceeds from the $15 purchases will go to the foundation who will then donate the money toward outfitting Benicia Police Department’s new K-9 unit vehicles. There will also be local law enforcement officers on site to do K-9 demonstrations and stations where people can have their names embroidered on dog collars.

   “We’re going to have a fun energy and a fun crew all the way around,” Narvaez said. “It’s gonna be a really really great day.”

   The foundation has more events planned for the summer, but Narvaez said the board is still waiting to see how Saturday’s event will go.

   “We are looking to really knock it out of the park, but we’re also clear we need to learn how to do this,” she said. “In the future, we will make announcements about upcoming events.”

   Narvaez expressed gratitude to the community for its support.

   “We really want to make sure we stay partnered with them, express our gratitude and really look for the long term of continuing Gavin’s legacy,” she said. “We’re working with local law enforcement and really making sure that this little 8-year-old has a legacy that we can all be proud of.”

   The fundraiser will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 20 at Pet Food Express, located at 838 Southampton Road. A Benicia Police Department K-9 demonstration will be held at 2 p.m. For more information on the fundraiser or the foundation, contact Brandi Narvaez at (707) 365-5424. 

   

   

   

Solano County Friends of Animals hoping to adopt out 1,000th cat this weekend

(Originally published in the 1/20/16 edition)

   Solano County Friends of Animals will be holding adoption events at Pet Food Express and PetCo this weekend. Active member Pat Holcomb says the group is hoping to adopt out its 1,000th kitty since the opening of the Cat Center at Pet Food Express 10 years ago this weekend.

   Solano County Friends of Animals is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit group that does not euthanize its foster animals.

   “We take in kittens that the Humane Society is trying to pass off to Fairfield, which is a kill shelter,” Holcomb said.

   Holcomb believes this weekend will be the best way to cap off a productive year for the organization.

   “This year has been kind of crazy,” she said. “We had a lot of adoptions before Christmas, a surprising number of adoptions this January and a long kitten season. We’re hoping to make this a celebration.”

   Holcomb says that the animals that are available for adoption have been spayed, neutered and tested for problematic diseases, and they are socialized and healthy. 

   The adoptions will take place from 3 to 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22; noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23 and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24 at Pet Food Express, located on 838 Southampton Road. Kittens will be available to adopt for $75, and cats 1 year and older will be $40. Holcomb says there will be a special prize for the lucky 1,000th adoptee. Additionally, there will be more adoption events at PetCo in Vallejo, located at 161 Plaza Drive. The hours will be the same, although there will be no Friday adoptions. For more information, contact Solano County Friends of Animals at 552-3323.