HOPE HAS WINGS
Race for Life Rescue is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides air transportation for animals in life-threatening situations. Not only ensuring they survive, but thrive.
What We Do
To put it simply, we save lives. We rescue animals from overpopulated shelters, areas affected by natural disaster, and relocate those living in unhealthy environments to safe locations where they have a chance to begin a new life and find a loving home.
How We Do It
With a state-of-the-art airplane and team of dedicated pilots, we fly animals in the most gentle, safe, and secure conditions. We make every effort to minimize any stress or anxiety they might experience, because transporting animals by air ensures they reach a safe location as quickly as possible.
Where We Operate
While our headquarters is in Annapolis, MD, our plane resides in Nashville, TN – a prime midwest location that allows us to easily transport animals and fly rescue missions all over the United States, throughout the Caribbean and South America.
Our Mission
“At Race for Life Rescue, we believe every animal deserves a safe, healthy environment where they can flourish. Our goals are to reduce euthanasia by relocating animals to adoption centers that have a greater capacity for care and high adoption rates, provide lifesaving supplies and emergency evacuation for animals during natural disasters, and support underserved communities with the provisions and program needs necessary to their success.”
Jim DeFrancesco, Founder
Facts You Should Know
Nearly 7 million animals enter U.S. shelters each year and over 1 million of them are euthanized.
In 2024, there were 27 natural disasters in the U.S., resulting in losses of over $1B each.
83% of pet owners live in areas impacted by disaster.
There are 22 million pets living in underserved communities.
Race For Life Rescue Numbers
Flights
VOLUNTEERS
ANIMALS SAVED
STATES COVERED
*as well as Puerto Rico and the Bahamas
Be a Champion For The Animals
We’re asking everyone to consider a monthly gift to Race for Life Rescue. Monthly gifts are the best, most effective way for you to help us continue rescuing animals and ensuring they have long, happy lives.
The Sky Is Not The Limit
By building long-lasting, trusted relationships with our partners, we’re able to maximize our missions and expand our rescue territory. If you think we could provide an impact in your mission to save animals and support communities, we want to hear from you!
Featured Flights & Mission Highlights
Comet wrote a Christmas list from inside a cold shelter.
The first two lines broke our hearts…
But the third line stopped us completely.
No dog should have to wish for one more Christmas.
But your share and your $7 can help Comet and other dogs like him.
Donate at R4LR.org and share this to give another dog their miracle
#LastChristmas #CometsStory #ChristmasMiracle
🚨FIRST CHECKPOINT🚨 Hi friends! Giving Tuesday was absolutely wonderful, to our donors and supporters, we cannot thank you enough! We are nearly halfway to our goal of $10,000 for 10,000 animals rescued by the end of 2025! 🎉🤯 - and we still have a few weeks left to book flights and save lives!!
As of today, since 2022, we’ve rescued 9,479 ANIMALS!
Mother Nature wasn’t very cooperative this past week (we love her anyway!) - but we’re making up for it this week! Keep an eye out for our flights and track our numbers as we RACE TO 10,000 ANIMALS SAVED!!
🐶🐱🐾💨
#rescue #airtransport #savelives
He didn’t know this might be his last Christmas.
Inside a cold shelter cage, Comet wrote a Christmas wish list…
A warm blanket.
A human that never leaves.
And one heartbreaking line:
“This is not to be my last Christmas.”
Santa saw his letter.
And everything changed.
Share this to give another dog their miracle.
Donate $7 at R4LR.org
#LastChristmas #CometsStory #ChristmasMiracle
#RescueDog #ShelterDogRescue #AdoptDontShop
#MakeADogsWishComeTrue #OneShareSaves
#RaceForLifeRescue #DogRescueStory #HolidayLove
We crunched some numbers and as of today, we’ve rescued 9,479 animals in 149 flights! 🎉🥳
The only thing that could top this, is hitting 10,000 animals rescued by the end of the year...right?!?!
WRONG! When Tito’s Handmade Vodka @titosvodka heard about our Race to 10,000 Lives Saved, they gave us a $10,000 matching gift for Giving Tuesday! 🤩 😍
Today, your gift WILL BE DOUBLED! And every bit of support we receive goes to helping us add more flights to our calendar and reach our goal of saving 10,000 lives by the end of 2025. 💕🐾
Yesterday, 63 dogs and puppies left Mobile, AL behind and took to the sky, where second chances and fresh starts awaited them, just a plane ride away.
Thanks to the @aspca these pups woke up in Pennsylvania, in the hands of amazing shelter teams who are going to help them find new homes and families of their very own. ❤️
Another great day in the clouds! This morning it was lucky 7s, as 77 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens flew from Georgia to Minnesota in search of happy homes - thanks to @bissellpets and @cathy_bissell
We hope these cuties find a home for the holidays and new best friends to share adventures with in the coming year! ❄️🩵 🐾
On Tuesday we flew 61 dogs 🐶 - and 1 kitty 🐱(because there had to be someone in charge) from Baton Rouge, LA to Binghamton and Buffalo, NY!
It was a wintery welcome to New York, but thanks to @bissellpets and @cathy_bissell these pets have the opportunity to find a warm, loving home. 🩵
Hello, Darlin….🩷 this sweet girl and 29 of her friends made their way from Alabama toward a brighter future in Minnesota, thanks tour amazing partners at the @aspca ❤️🐾
We’re wishing you a home for the holidays! 🦴
Flying Saves More Lives
We never lose sight of what’s at stake if we don’t complete our mission. We aim to safely transport as many cats and dogs as we can from overcrowded shelters to new adoption partners across the US.
Our Partners
We've Also Worked With...
Get On Board Now
Race For Life Rescue intends to become one the largest animal air transport programs in the country. We are building a passionate team of pilots and animal advocates to increase our animal rescue operation and conduct multiple rescue missions each week.
We need your help. Every donation, each partnership, and all our volunteers are vital in helping us achieve our goal of providing thousands of animals with a new life, in a loving home.