07/19/2024
True Story:
Even when times get hard, I try to move forward on faith. I’ve not considered myself a religious person, but the older I get and the more things I see and learn about, from, the examples of grace and miracles - all occurring in front of me, and as an imperfect person, who sometimes doesn’t feel worthy of the gifts and covering received - I do believe in something.
So - when it gets dicey, I keep moving one foot forward in confident belief that it will be ok.
If I hadn’t there would be so many cases I never looked twice at, because how could helping even be possible?
But, the work we’ve done in the last four years, and me committing to having at least ONE person to split 100+ hour weeks, a skilled veterinarian from time to time, and not having to reject or return hard cases - has put us in a bind where we need support.
Today, I have some past due deposits to make, some are earmarked for a specific purpose - but we are poor. We must get some donations in that don’t require months of planning and money out, doesn’t require 5 of us get up and load up for an hour and unload for another for half of our weekly dog food cost.
We need room to breathe and do the work. I never paint a harsher picture - because I believe we have enough support to cover, and the ebb and flow of things does work out. But, in fairness, we have increased capacity 250% over the last few years, and nearly 180% this summer…and we didn’t get the requisite support to match the expense of additional animals.
Whenever vetting funds get low, figuring out how to respond to the dog in the dumpster at community center that appears to have been assaulted, the dog thrown against the wall at the social service center, the dog stuck in the house because his owner had a stroke, the dog whose owner comes by daily (12 times last weekend) to see if we have room so owner can enter the shelter, the dog brought by ACO after left in the house when owner taken on involuntary hold, the dog brought by ACO for owner having health crisis, the dog hit by car and needing diagnostics or euthanasia…
It’s all cloudy by impossibility and it makes it really hard to think about anything else. Without funds, we can’t work. We are doing it now - but we need a flood of support to breathe easier and meet the need we are serving.
I’m going to donate my salary this week; as I’ve done many times before in silence - and I’m hoping to make a match. If we hit $5000, I’ll donate it again next week. We need surplus to be able to triage our cases well, and where we are at financially forever me to make some harder choices yesterday, I just didn’t love.
Will you match me? Are you with us?
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/soarinitiative
Button below.
We do accept check, but our mailman does not love his job, or the work we have brought him, and we do not have a typical staff where deposit checks immediately takes precedence over pending emergency. We ask for patience on checks until we are blessed with Alan Wlasuk hitting the lottery and us being able to hire someone FT whose job is only development and deposits. Right now you got me, with no bra on, haven’t brushed my hair since Wednesday, covered in fluids and fur, before realizing bank is already closed.
Picture of Shelly for tax, who has incurred roughly $1000 worth of repair expenses on her own, still needs a spay and expects her meals on time and with a smile.
**EDITING TO ADD: another HUGE, gargantuan, ginormous THANK YOU, to Indianapolis Animal Care Services ACOs and enforcement team. They have been a major reciprocal partner over the last few months and I haven’t done the collaboration any justice in our posts, because a lot of the cases involve vulnerable humans/ human crisis or, pretty serious abuse/neglect, and, none of the officers/team require kudos - but they deserve them.
To each officer we’ve seen - since early this year, but definitely since March, May since being ridiculous - THANK YOU. We appreciate your work, support, transport, diligence, response, advocacy, thoughtfulness, communication, and…kindness. We are grateful.
