The ASTRO Foundation has been recognized with the Collective Impact award from Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to save the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters.
ASTRO Foundation was selected for the Collective Impact award based on Best Friends’ national shelter data, expert recommendations, and lifesaving impact from January through December 2025. National, state, and shelter level data can be found on the pet lifesaving dashboard published by Best Friends.
“Receiving the Best Friends Collective Impact Award is a profound honor for ASTRO Foundation and a testament to the dedication of our staff, volunteers, fosters, and community partners including the City of Oakdale who show up every single day for the animals in our care,” said Jaydeen Vicente, Founder and President, ASTRO Foundation, Inc. “At ASTRO, we’ve always believed that saving lives requires more than one organization – it takes a village. This award affirms that the collaborative spirit driving our work in Oakdale, Riverbank, and Escalon is making a real difference. We are grateful to Best Friends Animal Society for recognizing that collective impact isn’t just a strategy — it’s the heart of everything we do.”
ASTRO Foundation is a member of the Best Friends Network, which is comprised of more than 6,000 animal shelters, spay/neuter organizations, and rescue groups across the country working to save the lives of dogs and cats in their communities. Together, Best Friends and its network partners are working to take the country no-kill. Today, more than two out of three U.S. shelters are no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal. Reaching this goal will mean that every shelter in America gets the community support it needs to save every healthy and treatable dog and cat who can be saved while prioritizing public health, safety, and a high quality of life for both pets and people.
“These honorees have shown what’s possible when shelters embrace data-backed strategies, invest in collaboration, and pursue lifesaving innovation,” said Whitney Bollinger, Director of Strategy & Network Operations, Best Friends Animal Society. “Their cat and dog lifesaving results are an inspiration – and proof of what the field can achieve.”
The path to no-kill varies by community but always includes collaborative partnerships and coalitions among animal shelters and rescue groups, as well as community members working toward a collective goal.
ASTRO Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of cats and dogs in Oakdale, Riverbank, and Escalon, California. Founded in 2012, it has grown from a small foster-based rescue into a full-service adoption organization operating out of their facility at 20 S. Stearns Road, Oakdale — with a network of foster homes and programs that address the root causes of animal homelessness.
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 6,000 shelters and rescue organizations and is headquartered in Kanab, Utah.
