Whiskers and Tails Capital Campaign Project Site

Our Target Goal

$450,000

Our Deadline

MIDNIGHT May 1st 2009

The board of Whiskers and Tails has come to their final decision in regards to the fate of our small organization~ if we cannot reach our target goal by the deadline we will shut our doors for good.

We truly encourage all grantors, donors, corporations, large and small businesses, individuals, organizations, groups, clubs, schools and churches to give careful consideration to the proposal that is outlined in some detail on the pages of this site and than make the decision to help us to keep our doors open and our humane projects and programs rolling.

By awarding a grant or making a donation or offering corporate sponsorship for our campaign, by asking your employees to volunteer, offering resources or materials or giving children, young adults and seniors a chance to help you will be saving more than a non profit organization~ you will be saving lives.

We will continue to retain our Missouri Non Profit registration and our 501©3 tax exempt status while we temporarily shut down our daily operations in order to concentrate solely on the largest fundraising campaign we have ever undertaken. We will also continue to collect donated items and supplies and will strive for financial gifts to continue to provide ongoing medical care for our forever home special needs animals.

Time, space, changes in our community, growth and personal issues in combination with an ever downward spiraling economy have all taken its toll on our small organization. We have found it necessary to temporarily shut down all activities and humane programs and projects. Once funds are raised and our new facility has been built we will once again be involved in active rescue and humane education

{We have also re- homed our forever home special needs animals. Our organization still retains the responsibility of providing prescription foods, ongoing medical and daily care and all other needs until our new animal housing area can be built. If we are unable to raise the necessary funds all of the animals will remain with the private individuals that are housing them at this time }.

This web site was created to raise the necessary funds to build our all inclusive Animal and Human assistance facility. Our Founding Family will live on site to manage the facility and care for the animals on a daily basis. Here you will find a complete list of what the proceeds from the Capital Campaign Project will be used for….

1) To purchase a minimum of 10 acres in Bates County Mo. (We have a letter from the county stating that there are absolutely no ordinances for our proposed project and no permits are needed to begin building).

2) To build from the ground up a 25,000 square foot facility as well as the 2000 square foot forever home animal housing area, event area and all necessary storage buildings for food, chemicals, maintenance, donations and so forth.

3) To pay all contracting fees for building, electrical, plumbing, roofing, flooring, doors, walls, windows, set up and so forth. All concrete work and of course animal housing area.

4) To purchase necessary equipment, supplies, materials, furnishings, kennels, cages, and other items for the entire facility, animal housing and event area as well as for maintenance and up keep.

5) To cover general operating costs for our first two years of operation once the doors are opened. Since we are an all volunteer organization general operating would consist of utilities, insurance, animal care, maintenance, repairs, dumpster fees and office and clinic supplies, etc., attorney fees as needed.

6) To purchase a good used ¾ ton truck ad a trailer for picking up and hauling donated food, litter, supplies, chemicals and more.

7) To set up our offices, clinic, food pantry, programs and projects.

8) To purchase four golf carts for transporting items around the facility.

A complete folder of receipts will be organized for public viewing as purchases are made.

To all perspective donors, grantors, sponsors and volunteers,

We truly appreciate this once in life time opportunity to introduce our organization to you. Since finalizing the decision to create this very special web site our board feels that we should provide complete detailed descriptions of every facet of this huge project. Several factors have come into play in designing this facility and in making the decision to gain the funds and build our new facility or to shut down permanently.

In building this facility we would be opening the doors to various beneficial humane opportunities. These opportunities would save hundreds of thousands of lives by offering services such as low cost spay/neuter and health care , adoption assistance, an animal food pantry, emergency rescue, humane education and volunteer opportunities for everyone in the community. In this site you will find a complete detailed proposal. We are seeking $450,000 for the entire capital campaign project as well as general operating funds and ongoing animal care for our forever home special needs animals.

Our Capital Campaign Project ends on December 31st and if all necessary funds are raised we will have closing on the land within 30 days and building will begin immediately with an opening date set for August 1st 2009.

ReGina Edmondson Founder/Director Whiskers and Tails

The Whiskers and Tails Fact Sheet

Whiskers and Tails

PO Box 83

Peculiar, MO. 64078

Established September 2001

MO. Registered – last updated 2008 and in good standing.

We will soon be getting our Missouri Office of the Attorney General Applcation which will be filed immediately upon its arrival.

Animals helped or rescued or assisted to date – 1000

Animals altered to date – 751

In the beginning Whiskers and Tails was basically a fundraising organization. We started out simply to raise funds for spay/neuter programs and to join the ranks of many other humane organizations by promoting spay/neuter and to decrease overpopulation in our own community. As time went on we opened our eyes to a much bigger picture of abuse, abandonment, dumping, ferals and strays, forgotten and unwanted and death row. Keeping spay/neuter as our foundation we began to add other projects and programs to round out our entire humane format.

Humane education, children’s literacy and children's humane education, volunteer opportunities, community service fulfillment, promoting spay/neuter and offering a directory of humane resources and information. We educate people on the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence.

A directory of links can be found on the left hand side of this site. Free or low cost spay/neuter clinics around the world, how to help ferals and strays, ways to avoid giving up a companion animal because of allergies or housing issues and so much more).

Active rescue and emergency rescue as well as death row rescue. Assisting animals that are sadly and cruelly being offered free to good home. Creating a registry for lost and found animals and providing a sounding board for our community and their humane situation queries. Today we are a fully functional and complete Animal Aid Organization.

Our Mission statement – WHISKERS AND TAILS GOALS ARE TO DECREASE ANIMAL OVERPOPULATION BY ACTIVE RESCUE AND HUMANE EDUCATION AND TO CREATE A FOREVER HOME SANCTUARY FOR ANIMALS THAT ARE OTHERWISE UNWANTED OR UNADOPTABLE. And for animals that are abused, abandoned, dumped feral and stray. WE INTEND TO PUT AN END TO THE NEEDLESS SUFFERING AND DEATH OF THESE PRESCIOUS BEINGS.

Narrative Statement

Organizational Information

Executive summary

Whiskers and Tails is requesting grants, financial gifts and donations of materials, supplies and time in support of our capital campaign project. With these campaign funds plus the financial gifts, supplies and materials Whiskers and Tails will be able to finally build our all inclusive animal assistance facility and animal housing area and we will be able to move from our present location to an entirely new area with a bright new outlook on the future. This new facility and area will allow us to resume our humane projects and programs and to extend our services to help even more animals and people as well as bringing our special needs animals back home where they belong. Our outreach programs require support both financial and physical, add that to a lack of space and you can completely understand while all of our operations have come to a complete and utter stand still.

We do not have due paying members as yet but are hoping to gain many by introducing more people to our organization. Our short list of donors cannot carry the cost of this project. Visitors of this site such as grantors, donors, suppliers and individuals can provide the support needed to complete this campaign and get our dreams and plans off of the drawing board and into reality.

A Brief History of the Organization and a description of serviced provided and who the services are for.

Whiskers and Tails was founded in September of 2001. Our services have stretched from our own community to cities and counties across the United States. After moving back to the town that I grew up in I noticed that there were just too many stray dogs and feral cats. Something had to be done. Most were either sick or pregnant. Spreading incurable diseases or dying from a disease or major injuries. Tons of new babies being born into an already overcrowded world of unwanted animals. Innocent animals being abused, neglected and dumped by uncaring and irresponsible humans. With no humane activities going on there appeared to be no way to make the situation better.

I started searching for humane organizations that would be better equipped to handle a large rescue like this. Some never returned my calls or e-mails. Some did return my calls but basically passed me on to other organizations that had neither the man power or the funds. Some offered advice or resources and one even offered some funding to help with altering.

For over one year I had to sit idly by with a heavy heart and watch as each animal became sicker and sicker or got pregnant over and over again. As they silently disappeared leaving me wandering what had become of them. New babies were literally coming out of the woodwork. Their fates sealed from the moment that they were conceived. I watched them fight for food, mates, territory and the right to live. I simply could not take it any more. I had to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

I went to a local retail store and bought a 97 cent spiral bound notebook and I set down and began to outline my plans. Without realizing it at the time I was creating a map that would eventually lead me down the road to creating Whiskers and Tails.

My plans started by concentrating on certain areas where I knew help was needed the most. The truly sick and injured. Next we went after the babies and the pregnant ones. Than the young adults and old females and than all of the males. We humane trapped them one by one and armed with a little of our own personal funds, the keys to my old car and a large amount of hope I headed off to the one and only vet that had agreed to work with us on this huge undertaking.

Dr. Michael Koch of the Koch/Stigge Vet Clinic in Harrisonville MO. ( 816 884-5749)

Little ones that were too far gone were humanely euthanized and the ones that were sick but could get better were given some meds and TLC were altered. We covered everything from combo testing for diseases to shots to parasite control and finally spay and neuter.

Most were returned to where they had come from. Several that could not go back outside because of diseases, chronic conditions, various medical situations or other reasons were brought back to our small place where they would live out the remainder of the lives without having to fight for anything, especially food or love. We have dedicated our entire lives to making sure that these special babies have 24/7 care and a permanent place to call home.

From 2001 to present we have rescued or been involved in the rescue or assistance of over 1000 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. We have been a multi humane and human service provider. Since our very first rescue we have actively promoted spay/neuter, taught humane education and we have introduced a vast and varied directory of humane resources and information to our community.

Beginning as an all volunteer organization we have continued this practice. Our by-laws include a “a no vote accepted” policy that will not allow this particular to be changed or altered in the future. All funds raised have and always will benefit the animals that we are working with . It is our strong personal belief that led us to the realization that the only way a community can make a positive change would be to involve the residents, businesses and local government in the goals of the organization. Being paid to make a difference does not always make someone care.

The demographics in our county and in the neighboring counties drive us to the need for expansion. Times have always been bad when it comes to issues for animals. Our present economy is only making it worse added with the ever growing enforced limitations of animals in and out of city limits. More and more animals are finding themselves dumped on roadsides and at farms. In shelters and being given away to strangers as if they were nothing more than an old pair of shoes. Numbers do not lie. Than there are the ones that no one ever even knows about.

In the past we have never proposed a relationship with another humane organization. Our beliefs, convictions, drive and willing ness to help all animals in all areas has always seemed too unorthodox to become involved with.. We want to do it all when it comes to helping animals.

We want to be able to enjoy peer support as well as the support of our community and the world for that matter. Unwanted animals are not the sole responsibility of animal rescuers. They are the responsibility of every human every where. Why? It is through unaltered animals being passed from one home to another.

Newspapers should keep their readers informed but instead they allow free to good home ads for money. There are no safety warnings. No follow up. No nothing. They simply take the ads and the money. Free bulletin boards in local businesses allow these postings and you can even find free animals on roadsides, in parking lots and all over the internet. All of these places should be hold part of the responsibility for the overabundance of unwanted animals.

Back yard breeders, the people that we work with and even our relatives should also some portion of the responsibility. People that give animals as gift. They neighbor down the road that feeds a stray but never alters him or her. The friend whose dog just had another litter of puppies. We all know someone like this~~ maybe even our selves.

Paw Note:

We cannot take in every unwanted animal in the world. We do not have the funds or the man power to do this and animals have needs that must be met. We can help communities and their residents to learn about safer adoption procedures. After all, when you want to "get rid" of an animal you are handing over an innocent and precious life to a perfect stranger. Keep in mind that there are a lot of abusive and uncaring people in the world. Whiskers and Tails can help with the adoption process.

The facility that we are proposing will not be a drop off point for people to "get rid" of their unwanted animals. We will serve as an outreach program to help people to find safer homes for the animals that they cannot keep and we will work hard to make sure that the population of unwanted animals will be greatly decreased.