RPAW Animal Wellness Center

09/08/2024

More progress this past week!
Ceiling is in, new LED lights are in, cabinets are in, tile is going in! Counter tops in reception are being cut and final painting will be next week.

We are getting so close!

03/08/2024

We can hardly contain our excitement now... floors were completed this past week and cabinets get installed this coming week!!!! 😀

17/07/2024

Walls are up and so is the new paint!

26/06/2024

13/06/2024

Drywall went up this week!

05/06/2024

As construction moves along smoothly, it is now time to get that clinic filled with the necessary everyday supplies!

We will start with office supplies!

There is a nice amazon wishlist set up and it can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LKKQQG29JTBJ?ref_=wl_share

Purchases from that will be sent directly to us and we will store them until we can move in.

If you find a great deal somewhere else and want to donate items directly to us please shoot us an email and we can arrange a volunteer to pick them up!

Our email is: [email protected]

31/05/2024

Just wanted to post a progress video ❤️

25/05/2024

We have another amazing opportunity thanks to our friends at the Wildlife Science Center!

They have given us a Wolf Pup Socialization Experience to raffle off. This event would take place at their facility in Stacy, MN. It would be for up to 4 people and would be for 1 hour. This is a hands on, up close and personal experience where you will be in the puppy play people with the wolf pups of 2024 (there are 14). Their caregivers will be present and available to answer any and all questions you have about the pups and wolves in general. You need to be 18 years or older to purchase raffle tickets and also to attend. This experience would need to be scheduled and used by June 30th, 2024.

Each ticket is $25 donation and equals 1 (one) entry into the drawing.

Please use the link https://square.link/u/rtzhPrs4 to purchase your tickets. You just need to donate in increments of $25 and we will add your name to the drawing for the applicable amount. The link is open now and we will be drawing the winner on Tuesday May 28th 2024 at 7pm CST.

All proceeds from this raffle will be going to new medical equipment at the RPAW Animal Wellness Center.

*The value of this event is $700

22/05/2024

We have another amazing opportunity thanks to our friends at the Wildlife Science Center!
They have given us a Wolf Pup Socialization Experience to raffle off. This event would take place at their facility in Stacy, MN. It would be for up to 4 people and would be for 1 hour. This is a hands on, up close and personal experience where you will be in the puppy play people with the wolf pups of 2024 (there are 14). Their caregivers will be present and available to answer any and all questions you have about the pups and wolves in general. You need to be 18 years or older to purchase raffle tickets and also to attend. This experience would need to be scheduled and used by June 30th, 2024.
Each ticket is $25 donation and equals 1 (one) entry into the drawing.
Please use the link https://square.link/u/rtzhPrs4 to purchase your tickets. You just need to donate in increments of $25 and we will add your name to the drawing for the applicable amount. The link is open now and we will be drawing the winner on Tuesday May 28th 2024 at 7pm CST.
All proceeds from this raffle will be going to new medical equipment at the RPAW Animal Wellness Center.
*The value of this event is $700

Raffle Tickets $25/each 1 Raffle Ticket = 1 Entry in drawing Must be 18 or older to participate in the raffle and event. Event will occur at the Wildlife Science Center in Stacy, MN and needs to be scheduled and used by June 30, 2024.

21/05/2024

Framing has begun!

15/05/2024

We will need a refrigerator with top freezer ideally 30in W 20 cubic inch. Lightly used or new preferably. Color doesn't matter.

13/05/2024

Concrete and plumbing work was the name of the game last week! Good to see some progress happening 👏

05/05/2024

Amazing shout out to Jenna's Cookie Co. for the amazing cookies they donated for our swag bags for the event sponsors! Make sure to check her out for all you cookie needs!

05/05/2024

Gilbert wanted to say THANK YOU to all the amazing people that came out to support RPAW and the new Wellness Center at our Bingo event today! We are tallying up the numbers and will announced what was raised soon.

03/05/2024

I'm so excited to announce that the new RPAW Animal Wellness Center website is now up and running! It took a good amount of time but I'm so happy with it!

Your Columbus, MN care experts. Here at RPAW Animal Wellness Center, we have worked to create a home-like environment for you and your pet. Our goal is to give you the power through preventative medicine to keep your pet both happy and healthy.

03/05/2024

HUGE SHOUT OUT to Tonka Spirit Gear for creating these amazing items for our event this weekend!

If you are looking for a locally owned small business to make items like these please check them out. It doesn't matter if your order is large or small and the available products are endless! Their shop is in Excelsior, MN but do NOT let location deter you as they are happy to deliver or even ship.

Don't go for the big box stores or even the online shops with minimums and overpriced, subquality items... this place is AMAZING!

Give them a shout and tell them RPAW sent ya 😉

30/04/2024

Well we had to wait the entire month if April... but we FINALLY have our building permit! Work begins next week ❤️
We know everyone is anxiously awaiting the opening and no one is more than us! We appreciate your patience and support during this crazy process that we decided to go on exactly 1 year ago. We thought we would be much further along by now but it will be worth the wait we promise!

20/04/2024

Today was the big move day! We were able to get all of our stuff our of storage and into our new building in Columbus! This would not have been possible without the amazing souls that volunteer their time to help! We are forever grateful that they are along for this crazy ride ❤️

15/04/2024

We are excited to say that our new beautiful WEBSITE is in the works! We cannot wait to show you all!!!

06/04/2024

The city came out last week to hook up city sewer and water 😀

29/03/2024

We would love to find 6 sponsors for this year's Bingo event!

Do you have a local business that would like to partner with us?

We have included some amazing goodies in each of the sponsor levels!

Feel free to comment below if you would like to become a sponsor or email us at [email protected]

This is for corporations, small businesses, families, or even a group of friends! Please spread the word to anyone you think would be interested.

We know this event is going to be a huge success!

22/03/2024

We would like to give a huge shout out to the amazing staff at Northeast Bank for financing our build out!

If you are looking for a bank that is great to work with and trustworthy, please check them out

20/03/2024

Demo has begun! Things have been overwhelming to say the least, but it is an amazing feeling to see physical progress ❤️

11/03/2024

Our Cinco De Mayo Purse Bingo is on the books and we need to start collecting silent auction items!

Be creative! Baskets are always a hit and there are so many options.

Gift cards/certificates and event tickets are also popular.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

14/02/2024

WE HAVE PICKED A CONTRACTOR!!!
We are so excited to be working with PMI Homes Inc on this project. We are extremely confident that they understand our needs and wants and that they will create something beautiful for our new non-profit clinic.

We cannot wait to update you on things as the project moves along!

You can check out PMI here:

Custom Home builder and remodeler for Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin City Area. Craftsmanship combined with creative design, artistry and technology.

09/02/2024

Weekly Update!

This week was packed full with big steps forward.

-Bids are all in from the contractors for the build out; we will be carefully looking them all over and selecting one on Monday
-Pricing for all of the necessary medical equipment is in
-We had a meeting with the company that is going to be creating a beautiful new website for us for both the clinic and the rescue

Next week we will be working to secure financing for everything and moving forward on getting the actual project started!

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation towards this clinic please shoot us an email at [email protected] ❤️

29/01/2024

Please vote everyday!!! We could get $10,000!

https://americasfavpet.com/2024/gilbert-248a?fbclid=IwAR0xkKuHZA3qH2tq9D49i4aHlRZTWUIlFd9XWE4G8GgR_gdcXKGI9nDBM70

Gilbert is a one in a million pup! He was born with hydrocephalus along with a severely deformed body due to poor breeding.

23/01/2024

Update as of 1/23/23:

Things are moving ahead slowly. We wish we said things were further along but something this big takes time and we want to do it right.

- We are still working on the banking aspect
- We are still working on getting bids from contractors
- We are still waiting on estimates from the sign companies
- We are still waiting on the estimate for the medical equipment

We hope to work on the website this week along with continue to raise money for this project.

On a fun note, we are going to take advantage of the wide open space that we have right now and we are holding an event for The Wildlife Science Center called the Animal Enrichment Workshop. We are all going to get together and create amazing toys and puzzles and activities for the resident animals. If you would like to join please let us know! It will be Saturday Feb 3 from 12-3.

As always, if you would like to donate to this building and project you can do so at https://www.givemn.org/story/Rpawwellnesscenter

18/01/2024

Just a little update on all things rescue and vet clinic:

I want to be honest, things are extremely stressful right now. I have been working round the clock to figure out every piece of the puzzle. From meeting building/signage/fencing/cabinet contractors to vendors to medical equipment specialists to IT specialists to bankers it has been enormous. The thing that keeps me moving forward is knowing how may animals and people we can help with this new facility. To be able to provide our animals, other rescues and the community a place for low cost medical care is phenomenal. It will be a game changer for everyone!

I have been focusing on using local small businesses for almost every part of the new clinic because that matters to me. I want as many people to benefit from this as possible.

On top of this I am still running the rescue. These are 2 separate non-profit organizations. They all have their list of items needing to be done. We still have about 25 animals in our care and we are still a medical rescue. The animals in our care need specific food and medications and they all have vet appointments they need still. We have amazing volunteers and fosters and we couldn't do it without them. However, the load is overwhelming sometimes.

I will say that THE most stressful part of this whole thing is funding. It isn't enough to have a 20 year history of banking and not defaulting and having a good record financially. You would think you could get a loan for funding to create this space and purchase the needed equipment without a problem. The reality is that is not the case. To create a new non profit, you have to show that this will work and be profitable so you can keep the lights on. You have 2 options for funding; you can apply for a loan which has proved to be extremely difficult, or you can raise funds through donations. Many of the larger organizations have large donors and wouldn't have an issue raising necessary funds, in fact those groups have already opened medical facilities for themselves. However they don't offer what we will be offering.

If you have ever considered donating to a cause that will make a huge impact to the community and the people in it that have no other options, now is the time. If you ever wanted to contribute to something on behalf of your company or family or in memory of someone, now is the time. We have been asked countless times to help people and animals in the community and we have done everything we could to say yes... now we need the community to come through for us.

I will continue to do everything in my power to make this a reality and I appreciate the support of everyone

16/01/2024

Week of 1/15/23 Update:

- Still collecting contractor bids
- Met with fencing contractors
- Met with outdoor sign contractors
- Still working with the bank for financing
- Met with the medical equipment specialist

Current needs for this week:

- Looking for a cabinet maker
- Looking for someone to create the website
- Finding people who want to help with painting when the time comes (we will be posting an event on this page, please respond there. It will likely be in April)
- We may end up doing the fencing ourselves, so we will need helper for that as well. (Another event will be created for this when and if the time comes. It will likely be in May)

Thank you for the continued support! If you would like to help with the financial side of things please feel free to donate here:
https://www.givemn.org/story/Rpawwellnesscenter

If you would like to donate a large amount or on behalf of a small business or in memorial of someone please email us at [email protected]