Scottsdale fan group donates to local dog rescue

For the fourth year in a row, EaglesWest, a local fan club of the Philadelphia Eagles football team run out of Rockbar Inc. in Scottsdale, 4245 N. Craftsman Court, spent this past football season collecting money via 50/50 raffle tickets and donated merchandise auctions to benefit the LovePup Foundation.

The LovePup Foundation is a nonprofit dog rescue organization that lives by the mantra “Don’t Shop, Please Adopt” and was originally started in the home of local radio DJ Johnjay Van Es and his wife Blake. Trish Smith, the EaglesWest member who runs the 50/50 raffle, originally chose LovePup as the beneficiary of the money raised due to her affinity for animals (especially dogs).

On Feb. 12, EaglesWest delivered a check for $11,160 to the LovePup Foundation in Scottsdale. Several members of the EaglesWest group were present, as well as the owner of Rockbar Inc., some of the volunteers/employees of LovePup (including a couple of furry friends) and Johnjay and Blake Van Es.

With autographed merchandise donations from Justin and Nicole Nielson (along with several other EaglesWest members) and the larger-than-life personality of “Philly Ray” Poserina who runs the microphone on game days, Trish Smith and EaglesWest have collected more than $50,000 for the LovePup Foundation over the last four years.