Washington Basset Rescue is preserving its nearly four-decade legacy by transferring more than $50,000 in remaining assets to SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. in a final effort to help animals after the Spokane-based basset rescue's closure.

The all-volunteer organization ended operations June 1 after completing its final adoptions, eliminating all debts and liabilities, and dissolving the basset hound rescue. Rather than dividing its remaining assets among multiple organizations, both Co-Director Judy Brown and Mary Charbonneau, director of fundraising and community outreach for Washington Basset Rescue, donated $50,700, along with remaining in-kind donations and fundraising items, to SpokAnimal, which operates at 710 N. Napa, in Spokane.

"We wanted our legacy to continue through the animals this donation will help," says Charbonneau. "We have complete confidence in SpokAnimal. They have the leadership, the mission, and the stewardship to make sure every dollar continues saving lives."

Charbonneau, who has spent more than 30 years as a financial adviser and is a senior branch office administrator at a Spokane office of Edward D. Jones & Co. LP, says thoughtful financial management helped the rescue operate debt-free while building reserves that allowed the organization to make one final investment in animal welfare.

"We knew SpokAnimal would be excellent stewards of the funds," Charbonneau says. "We wanted to make one meaningful gift where we knew it would continue the work we dedicated our lives to."

The decision is a reflection of a longtime relationship between the two organizations, says SpokAnimal Executive Director Dori Peck.

Washington Basset Rescue helped promote the adoption of Haley, who was adopted through SpokAnimal. -SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.

"I was shocked to get the check," Peck says of the funds. "I wasn't really shocked there was that much money because Mary is incredible with finances. She works for Edward Jones and has always been able to grow those resources. She took what started as simply rescuing dogs and turned it into an organization that planned for the future."

The gift was an emotional and humbling experience for Peck, she says.

"I was amazed that they chose us," says Peck. "They could have given it to anyone or split it up lots of different ways. I know they spent time thinking about where it would make the biggest impact, and I was honored because they believed we would use that money well. That donation is going to save thousands of lives."

Washington Basset Rescue was founded in 1988 by Pat Benstine, known as "Auntie Pat," who launched the rescue effort from the basement of her Whitworth University-area home after noticing an increase in abandoned basset hounds in the area. The organization became a nonprofit in the '90s and expanded to a property dedicated to animal rescue, in Spokane's Hillyard neighborhood.

After Benstine's passing 13 years ago, Brown and Charbonneau assumed leadership and continued the rescue despite losing its facility. They maintained the organization's volunteer-driven mission while ensuring donated funds went directly toward animal care.

During nearly four decades of service, Washington Basset Rescue coordinated puppy mill rescues, organized community fundraising events, partnered with shelters throughout the Pacific Northwest, and built a network of adopters and volunteers spanning Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Canada.

The partnership between the two organizations stretches back nearly 30 years Peck explains.

"They were partners with rescue, they were partners with friends," Peck says. "Anytime I needed Judy for any dog — it didn't have to be a basset hound — Judy would come. If I had a really scared dog or a really old medical dog, they always helped."

Brown and Charbonneau have earned a reputation throughout the region for their generosity and willingness to help organizations that needed assistance, Peck says.

Beyond the animal rescue, Charbonneau and her husband Paul have become familiar faces throughout Spokane as Spokane Santa and Mrs. C, raising over $100,000 in donations for charities, Peck says. Charbonneau also operates the Emerson-Garfield Little Free Library and Blessing Box at 1018 W. Montgomery. Brown stays involved through voluntary music performances and fundraising efforts.

"They're just good people, and they're in it for the right reasons," Peck says. "They help the dogs. They never gossip. They're always kind. If you needed help, Mary or Judy would help. That's just the way it was."

Although Washington Basset Rescue has ended its operations, Brown and Charbonneau say the organization's legacy lives on through thousands of rescued animals and through the future work the donation will help support at SpokAnimal.