Rescue Journal

big sigh...

Carol · Aug. 21, 2012

as i understand and remember this story...back in the late 60's a group of american idealistic young people founded a new enlightend spiritual goup in europe. some tabloid called them a 'cult' and they sued. next they were down in mexico, looking for the meaning of life on an isolated mexican beach with a bunch of homeless dogs and they met an old man who said their future lay in an ocean of sand.

and hence in angel's canyon, in the desert of utah, best friends animal sanctuay was born.

now best friends is one of the largest well run animal shelters in the world with millions of supporters and a multi-million dollar annual budget.

it is a good story but not really a lot of help in figuring things out around here.

over the last few months i have watched several people sign on to our animal sponsorship program. and i have watched an equal number, after a year or two of dedicated support...drop off of the same.

and that is normal..maybe money gets tight, maybe they find a different charity that they want to support, maybe they don't like something or other from the blog, maybe they just get bored and have done their part and move on to something new.

in any case..we are grateful for the help they gave and do understand that life does go on and change.

it is the same with our volunteer corps ..there are a very few handful of dedicated souls who are woven tightly into the fabric of saints and stay. but mostly folks slide in and out..after a few weeks, a few months, maybe even a few years and then quietly fade away.
and again we are so grateful for the time and the care that they gave.

but the natural ebb and flow of how these things go makes it a challenge to care for a bunch of homeless senior and special needs animals whose needs and numbers do not ebb and flow....with them it is a continuous high tide of needy souls.

so for them i erect a small and storm free lake with a dam of a couple of well paid jobs, a willingness to stretch and bend, a huge mortgage that i have no hope of ever payng off and a promise that i will be here for them for as long as i possibly can.

but then what?

i so wish for that freaking elusive crystal ball...i need something or someone to tell me that for unwanted animals like our special saints, there will always be some relatively decent resting place.

Comments

Janice ter Borg

Way to go Bunny!! I agree with Kate about visibility and marketing. I do public/media relations, communications and event management in Calgary but if you would like my help, let me know.

erin

are you local lisa kish? at missions bottle depot saints is already there that you can donate to, its really easy. theyre just about to relocate to a new, bigger bottle depot here in town, maybe we can get a bigger better sign.

lisa kish

I also think you can donate your save on points to charity, what about a bottle drive?

lisa kish

I use my airmiles to buyall sorts of things,if someone has them that they dont use youcould purchase things for the gala auction

Kate Dumaresq

What SAINTS needs is more visibility and marketing. Everywhere I go and tell about SAINTS, they think it is a great idea, but they have never heard of it. Big charities have mastered selling themselves to the right people. SAINTS needs to accept that they need some help, and embrace the changes that need to be done to attract long-term funding. SAINTS is an amazing place, and so many of the people I talk to about it want to support. We just need more people to know the amazing work SAINTS is doing.

Bunny Horne

*******VANCITY ENVIRO VISA DONATION
Well that was GRUELING I would rather build 10 swimming pools for Brad than try to donate through a website. After numerous phone calls I was able to donate 6000 Vancity Visa Enviro Reward Points to SENIOR ANIMALS IN NEED TODAY SOCIETY. Absolutely SAINTS was listed as a registered charity. That was the easy part. God help me if I can find out exactly what that translate to on Carol's/SAINTS side of the world. Carol some where, some how in about 5 - 7 days you are supposed receive the donation. It would be great if you could let me know exactly what it is I donated. Hopefully 6000 points gets you more than a pooper scooper.

Maggie

1000 Saints is up to 97 donors as of tonight. Fingers crossed we reach our first magic number of 100 by the end of the month!

chris

It is important and i think human for a donor to want to feel a part of the charity he supports,not just looking in from the outside because he is only contributing finacially.There is a rescue i support that gives the group of sponsors updates when possible on the animals they sponsor.It is a joy to know how one has helped in the recue,foster,healing and finally the adoption of an animal and to share the emails and pics of that animals progress with family and friends.Your regular blog is great in that it provides that same connection.Thanks Saints sponsors for all your acts of loving kindness.

Sheila

If anyone knows how to access their points I would love to know. I, like Shelagh, have never redeemed my air miles. I spent a frustrating afternoon trying to figure it out. So I phoned the 1 800 number and they redirect you to their website because the receive so many phone calls. The website requires that you have a collectors number which is not on my statements. The statements redirect you to the website. I registered on the website and then went to send an email asking them how do I get my collectors number and I cannot send an email without a collectors number.
I would appreciate it if someone can point me in the right direction

shelagh f

I have worried what would happen without you there,
so I cannot imagine what your worries must be like.
I think Bunny's idea could be a good one. I am sure
there are lots of people that use their points, but
like my husband and I we have never used any of our
points at all. I don't even know if they outdate
after a few years, we did most of our flying and
big holidaying when we were younger and that was
a priority. There must be someone who knows how
that could work and that would be a pretty painless
way to give. It seems to me that you working 7 days
a week, and getting sick because of it is not a good
way to run a business.

Bunny Horne

Recently I had a conversation regarding my VanCity Enviro Visa Card and they mentioned that you can transfer your reward points to a charity of your choice. I just called their call centre to confirm if this is in fact correct and they advised the rewards can be transferred (as cash) to any Canadian Charity that has the Charitable Registration # and seal. Is this something that could work for Saints Rescue. Many people collect points and never cash redeem them of it could make donating less painful as the money isn't coming directly out of the donor's pocket book.

From their website - Give back

Making the world a better place only takes 2,000 points. Donate to any Canadian registered charity like the Canadian Red Cross and World Vision Canada. You can also donate your points to the Vancity Community Foundation. Get the satisfaction that you're making a difference in the community and receive an official tax receipt for your contribution.

Just thinkin' out loud.

Penny

Carol - do you need the bedtime crew on Wednesday when you took the extra afternoon shift?

Maggie

If we could find another few hundred '1000 Saints' it would go a very long way toward financial stability.
We are very close to our first 100 so spread the word.

suzanne

can, should you so chose, "partner" with Best Friends? It might take the edge off the finances, if nothing else.