State Health Secretary Rita Landgraf and Wilmington illustrator Andy Lendway unveiled a redesigned animal welfare Delaware license plate Wednesday.
Lendway designed the new plate, which features a dog and cat touching noses. His design won the First State Paw Draw contest sponsored by the state Division of Public Health’s Office of Animal Welfare.
Lendway, who has designed other specialty Delaware plates in the past, says he decided to enter the contest at the urging of his family and friends.
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DHSS Sec. Rita Landgraf unveils the state's new animal welfare license plate at Delaware SPCA.[/caption]
"I love dogs, I’m a dog guy, I’ve had dogs my whole life. And my wife pushed me, saying ‘you gotta do it, you gotta do it’," said Lendway.
Officials saw Lendway’s design was the best of many strong contenders.
A portion of the revenue raised from the sale of the new plate will fund free or low-cost spay and neutering services for community cat colonies and those who do not qualify for the State Spay & Neuter Program. Funds raised will also supplement spay and neuter programs for Delaware shelters and other programs.
Christina Motoyoshi, deputy director of the Office of Animal Welfare, says the benefit of the license plate program is two-fold.
"We think the more people that put this on their car, there is greater awareness to the need for programs for companion animals and particularly for spay/neuter," said Motoyoshi. "So it’s both awareness and to raise money for the fund.
The new animal welfare license plate sells for $50 at any Delaware DMV location. $35 of that purchase will go toward animal welfare programs.
This is the first year the animal welfare license plate program is under the Office of Animal Welfare. It was previously administered by the state’s Department of Agriculture.