By Loraine Monfils
Normally I publish our financial information at the end of my column, this month I am starting out with the financial information for a very good reason. For the month of September our expenses were $2,865.96, we took in $2,417 in donations and fundraisers. With that being said let me get to my point. This past month I kept hearing the same questions and comments, which are valid by the way. “You have a lot of work to do up at your new location” or “When are you going to be up at your new location, things are moving awful slow.”
The reality is yes we have a lot of work ahead of us and yes we are moving slow. We would love to have a large building up on our land and be fully operational, but good things take time and money. Please keep in mind that all the money we receive comes from bake sales, pulled pork, fundraisers and donations. We do not have a large bank account and buildings and construction cost money. We do not want a mortgage payment because that will take money away from the care of the animals and realistically we cannot do both, so our first concern is the taking care of the animals. The building will come but not at the expense of the animals.
Lets put things into perspective and look at what we have accomplished.
• We have purchased 37 acres of land in a key location. The mortgage on the land is $271.35 per month.
• Bulldozed the front part of the land and hauled in fill and loom. Work paid for in full.
• Well and septic lines run and new well pump. Work paid for in full.
• Slab for the cabin poured. Paid for in full.
• Donated cabin moved from Timoney Lake Road up to the land and placed on the slab. Moving of the cabin and the cabin itself were both donated. We own the cabin outright.
• We are currently working on putting on a new roof and cosmetics on the inside, this will happen over the winter and we should have it up and running by summer 2012.
• We are doing work as we can afford it, otherwise we would accumulate debt which is not a wise decision for a non-profit.
A very generous man left The Ark half the sale of a piece of property in Monticello in his will. If and when the property sells it will give us some working capitol. This gift was unexpected and greatly appreciated. He believed in our dream and wanted to help us and that means more than words can say.
We have a vision of what the sanctuary will be someday and it is a beautiful vision. Every year we will do what our finances allow and we will not in any way, shape or form put an animals life on hold so we can build a sanctuary. We will remain diligent and some day our vision will be a reality. It may not happen next year or five years from now or even in my lifetime, but it will happen. Everyone connected with The Ark has the same vision and ideals. We have made a commitment to the animals and that is not something that we take lightly. We work as a team and our team has some of the hardest workers you will ever meet and everyone brings something to the table.
The Ark will be a reality someday and when it is, it will be as it should be, it will belong to the animals and not to the creditors.
For the month of September the Ark took in one dog and adopted three. We currently have two dogs. We took in 12 cats and adopted two. We currently have 71 cats. We also took in one baby squirrel and cared for it until it was old enough to be released to the sanctuary.
Until further notice the adoption fee for all neutered and spayed cats will be waived to qualifying individuals.
Thank you to Nancy and Bill at The Horn Of Plenty for another successful evening. Strut Your Mutt was a huge success, thanks to all who participated – you helped us raise over $2,700. We will be doing pulled pork on Oct. 15 outside The Hollywood Pet Salon from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on Oct. 22 we will be having Barktoberfeast at The Elks club. We will have activities going on throughout the day. From noon to 2 p.m. there will be a “howl-lo-ween” costume contest for the critters at Hollywood Pet salon. There is a $5 registration and prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place. From 2-4 p.m., there will be a pumpkin carving contest at The Hollywood Pet Salon, with $10 registration fee. We supply the pumpkins and the carving tools, you get to keep the pumpkin, prizes will be awarded. From 5-9 p.m. the “Barktoberfeast” meal will be held at the Elk. The cost is $10 for adults and $7 for kids. The menu will be turkey and all the fixings with pie for dessert. A haunted room for the kids will also be offered for $5 admission. Trick or treat bags and candy are supplied. Please come join us for a day of fun and good food for a good cause.
Thank you for your continued support and for reading our column.