A soaring adoption rate for healthy dogs and cats has secured a $230,200 Lifesaving Award for the Richmond SPCA and the city’s Animal Care and Control Division from Maddie’s Fund, a national pet-rescue foundation in California founded by software executive Dave Duffield. Richmond is the fourth community nationwide to receive the Lifesaving Award.

People come to E. Claiborne Robins Jr. with almost stunning regularity for help. They want his time, his money, his expertise. “I’m approached over 400 times a year from everywhere and anywhere,“ Robins said. “I’m very, very interested in my community and state. “I’m a native Virginian and proud of it. I feel very strongly that if I can help Virginia or any community be a better place to live, I’m going to do it.“