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#1
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From the President of THe Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc.
It has come to my attention that a particularly alarming, and
disrepectful thread has been posted to a newsgroup on Google Groups. As President, Founder, and primary Caretaker, I am resisting the urge to feel hurt, not to mention furious. On July 22, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. became legally incorporated with the Pennsylvania Department Of State Corporation Bureau. Incorporated as a "Domestic Nonprofit Corporation, Entity # 3084565", we indeed CAN legally call ourselves a nonprofit corporation. On August 30, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. was granted by The United States Internal Revenue Service the status of 501c3, tax-exmpt. We were granted both the incorpration and the status because not only did we follow proper channels, we indeed adhere strictily to our Mission Statement, Article 2 of our Articles of Incrporation. The primary objective of our mission is to provide life-long care to unwanted and abandoned domestic animals, and when possible find them new forever homes. Our adoption policy is strict. We make sure that any animal which leaves our shelter is moving on to a lifetime of love and care. If our policies deter someone, and they instead adopt from a "Kill" shelter, I'm pleased that an animal has been spared unnecessary euthanasia. At The Last Resort, cats and bunnies enjoy a cage-free life. Because of this, surrenders are required to provide proof of spay/neuter, vaccines, etc., and must give a surrender fee of at least $50. Considering it costs any shelter an average of $700 per year to support one animal, I think our fee is a bargain. I, as President, manage the administration of this shelter, it's website, and all operations. I have the help and support of my very dedicated staff: Nicole Newark, Ibai Munoz, Nathaniel Snyder, Lori Rodgers, Steve Smith, Heather Baublitz, Sandy Leathery and Joe Cartwright. I, as Caretaker, am personally, daily involved in all aspects of the cats and rabbits of The Last Resort's care, welfare, and happiness. I do this every waking hour that I am not at my full-time job. I sleep very little. My clothes smell like cats. My home is my office. My answering macine is always blinking. My phone rings every day and night, including weekends. I, as Founder, am deeply saddened that a few disassociated cyber posters, would defame the name and mission of a charity and it's people, who give everything, every spare moment, every spare penny, to enable the shelter to grow and flourish. We work hard, together. We scoop poop, we vaccinate, we haul litter in our cars, we return calls to people who want to give up their life-long pet "just because", we trap, we fundraise, we beg, we bargain, we network, we laugh, we cry and then we laugh some more. THis shelter IS legitimate not only because the state and federal government say so, but because of the love, blood, sweat, tears and joy we pour into it every day of our lives. The picture on our web site, which I've read one faceless poster to desscribe as an "atrocious... tiny room..." was taken in our former barn of 2000 square feet, with multi levels, windows and screened sitting areas. We indeed are registered with PetFinder.Com, our shelter # is PA295. When the farm was sold out from under us in July 2004, we relocated our animals in to 5 foster locations, one being a 50 acre private farm, with use of a 3000 square foot barn and a summer house. Our PetFinder site is temporarily hidden while we reorganize, repair our newly donated building, and continue to grow. I'm ashamed for the people in the world like Edwin, and perhaps some of these cyber posters, who see the world through a veil of cynicism. It's as though they need to destroy what is good and joyous, so that they may have some captive company in their dark, lonely lives. My email is always accepting. My phone always rings. ANyone with questions need only call or write. I'm damn proud of our Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, of our mission, and most importantly of our volunteers. Time and time again the outside shows me how lucky I and the cats and the bunnies are to have them. Thank you Nicole, Ibai, Nate, Lori, Steve, Heather, Sandy and Joe. I love you. Gina Henderson, President/Founder 717-792-3203 www.thelastresort.us |
#2
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"Gina" wrote in message om... It has come to my attention that a particularly alarming, and disrepectful thread has been posted to a newsgroup on Google Groups. As President, Founder, and primary Caretaker, I am resisting the urge to feel hurt, not to mention furious. On July 22, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. became legally incorporated with the Pennsylvania Department Of State Corporation Bureau. Incorporated as a "Domestic Nonprofit Corporation, Entity # 3084565", we indeed CAN legally call ourselves a nonprofit corporation. On August 30, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. was granted by The United States Internal Revenue Service the status of 501c3, tax-exmpt. We were granted both the incorpration and the status because not only did we follow proper channels, we indeed adhere strictily to our Mission Statement, Article 2 of our Articles of Incrporation. The primary objective of our mission is to provide life-long care to unwanted and abandoned domestic animals, and when possible find them new forever homes. Our adoption policy is strict. We make sure that any animal which leaves our shelter is moving on to a lifetime of love and care. If our policies deter someone, and they instead adopt from a "Kill" shelter, I'm pleased that an animal has been spared unnecessary euthanasia. At The Last Resort, cats and bunnies enjoy a cage-free life. Because of this, surrenders are required to provide proof of spay/neuter, vaccines, etc., and must give a surrender fee of at least $50. Considering it costs any shelter an average of $700 per year to support one animal, I think our fee is a bargain. I, as President, manage the administration of this shelter, it's website, and all operations. I have the help and support of my very dedicated staff: Nicole Newark, Ibai Munoz, Nathaniel Snyder, Lori Rodgers, Steve Smith, Heather Baublitz, Sandy Leathery and Joe Cartwright. I, as Caretaker, am personally, daily involved in all aspects of the cats and rabbits of The Last Resort's care, welfare, and happiness. I do this every waking hour that I am not at my full-time job. I sleep very little. My clothes smell like cats. My home is my office. My answering macine is always blinking. My phone rings every day and night, including weekends. I, as Founder, am deeply saddened that a few disassociated cyber posters, would defame the name and mission of a charity and it's people, who give everything, every spare moment, every spare penny, to enable the shelter to grow and flourish. We work hard, together. We scoop poop, we vaccinate, we haul litter in our cars, we return calls to people who want to give up their life-long pet "just because", we trap, we fundraise, we beg, we bargain, we network, we laugh, we cry and then we laugh some more. THis shelter IS legitimate not only because the state and federal government say so, but because of the love, blood, sweat, tears and joy we pour into it every day of our lives. The picture on our web site, which I've read one faceless poster to desscribe as an "atrocious... tiny room..." was taken in our former barn of 2000 square feet, with multi levels, windows and screened sitting areas. We indeed are registered with PetFinder.Com, our shelter # is PA295. When the farm was sold out from under us in July 2004, we relocated our animals in to 5 foster locations, one being a 50 acre private farm, with use of a 3000 square foot barn and a summer house. Our PetFinder site is temporarily hidden while we reorganize, repair our newly donated building, and continue to grow. I'm ashamed for the people in the world like Edwin, and perhaps some of these cyber posters, who see the world through a veil of cynicism. It's as though they need to destroy what is good and joyous, so that they may have some captive company in their dark, lonely lives. My email is always accepting. My phone always rings. ANyone with questions need only call or write. I'm damn proud of our Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, of our mission, and most importantly of our volunteers. Time and time again the outside shows me how lucky I and the cats and the bunnies are to have them. Thank you Nicole, Ibai, Nate, Lori, Steve, Heather, Sandy and Joe. I love you. Gina Henderson, President/Founder 717-792-3203 www.thelastresort.us From everything you say above, it is clear that you are a collector, with no real intentions of rehoming the animals you take in. I certainly would not want to support this organization. There will just be more and more animals, and something will eventually have to give--which is why you are resorting to soliciting funds online. |
#3
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"Gina" wrote in message om... It has come to my attention that a particularly alarming, and disrepectful thread has been posted to a newsgroup on Google Groups. As President, Founder, and primary Caretaker, I am resisting the urge to feel hurt, not to mention furious. On July 22, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. became legally incorporated with the Pennsylvania Department Of State Corporation Bureau. Incorporated as a "Domestic Nonprofit Corporation, Entity # 3084565", we indeed CAN legally call ourselves a nonprofit corporation. On August 30, 2002, The Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, Inc. was granted by The United States Internal Revenue Service the status of 501c3, tax-exmpt. We were granted both the incorpration and the status because not only did we follow proper channels, we indeed adhere strictily to our Mission Statement, Article 2 of our Articles of Incrporation. The primary objective of our mission is to provide life-long care to unwanted and abandoned domestic animals, and when possible find them new forever homes. Our adoption policy is strict. We make sure that any animal which leaves our shelter is moving on to a lifetime of love and care. If our policies deter someone, and they instead adopt from a "Kill" shelter, I'm pleased that an animal has been spared unnecessary euthanasia. At The Last Resort, cats and bunnies enjoy a cage-free life. Because of this, surrenders are required to provide proof of spay/neuter, vaccines, etc., and must give a surrender fee of at least $50. Considering it costs any shelter an average of $700 per year to support one animal, I think our fee is a bargain. I, as President, manage the administration of this shelter, it's website, and all operations. I have the help and support of my very dedicated staff: Nicole Newark, Ibai Munoz, Nathaniel Snyder, Lori Rodgers, Steve Smith, Heather Baublitz, Sandy Leathery and Joe Cartwright. I, as Caretaker, am personally, daily involved in all aspects of the cats and rabbits of The Last Resort's care, welfare, and happiness. I do this every waking hour that I am not at my full-time job. I sleep very little. My clothes smell like cats. My home is my office. My answering macine is always blinking. My phone rings every day and night, including weekends. I, as Founder, am deeply saddened that a few disassociated cyber posters, would defame the name and mission of a charity and it's people, who give everything, every spare moment, every spare penny, to enable the shelter to grow and flourish. We work hard, together. We scoop poop, we vaccinate, we haul litter in our cars, we return calls to people who want to give up their life-long pet "just because", we trap, we fundraise, we beg, we bargain, we network, we laugh, we cry and then we laugh some more. THis shelter IS legitimate not only because the state and federal government say so, but because of the love, blood, sweat, tears and joy we pour into it every day of our lives. The picture on our web site, which I've read one faceless poster to desscribe as an "atrocious... tiny room..." was taken in our former barn of 2000 square feet, with multi levels, windows and screened sitting areas. We indeed are registered with PetFinder.Com, our shelter # is PA295. When the farm was sold out from under us in July 2004, we relocated our animals in to 5 foster locations, one being a 50 acre private farm, with use of a 3000 square foot barn and a summer house. Our PetFinder site is temporarily hidden while we reorganize, repair our newly donated building, and continue to grow. I'm ashamed for the people in the world like Edwin, and perhaps some of these cyber posters, who see the world through a veil of cynicism. It's as though they need to destroy what is good and joyous, so that they may have some captive company in their dark, lonely lives. My email is always accepting. My phone always rings. ANyone with questions need only call or write. I'm damn proud of our Last Resort Animal Sanctuary, of our mission, and most importantly of our volunteers. Time and time again the outside shows me how lucky I and the cats and the bunnies are to have them. Thank you Nicole, Ibai, Nate, Lori, Steve, Heather, Sandy and Joe. I love you. Gina Henderson, President/Founder 717-792-3203 www.thelastresort.us From everything you say above, it is clear that you are a collector, with no real intentions of rehoming the animals you take in. I certainly would not want to support this organization. There will just be more and more animals, and something will eventually have to give--which is why you are resorting to soliciting funds online. |
#4
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"Gina" wrote in message om... It has come to my attention that a particularly alarming, and disrepectful thread has been posted to a newsgroup on Google Groups. I would also like to suggest that before you decided to solicit funds in newsgroups, you should probably have made an effort to understand what Usenet is. There is no such thing as "Google Groups," but Usenet is an international, unmoderated forum in which all may participate. |
#5
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"Gina" wrote in message om... It has come to my attention that a particularly alarming, and disrepectful thread has been posted to a newsgroup on Google Groups. I would also like to suggest that before you decided to solicit funds in newsgroups, you should probably have made an effort to understand what Usenet is. There is no such thing as "Google Groups," but Usenet is an international, unmoderated forum in which all may participate. |
#6
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The primary objective of our mission is to provide life-long care to
unwanted and abandoned domestic animals, and when possible find them new forever homes. Our adoption policy is strict. We make sure that any animal which leaves our shelter is moving on to a lifetime of love and care. If our policies deter someone, and they instead adopt from a "Kill" shelter, I'm pleased that an animal has been spared unnecessary euthanasia. So you are not a shelter, with a focus of rehoming animals. You are a sanctuary. Again, I ask, why should a highly adoptable animal have to live in a sanctuary? IMHO, sanctuaries are for animals that have absolutely no other chance of having a forever home. Our shelter also has fairly strict guidelines, and we see about 3-4 adoptions a week, sometimes more. We also readily publish where we are located so people can f'n VISIT the shelter. Yes, we do get dumped animals sometimes. But you know what? I'm glad that people at least knew where we were and didn't take them to the municipal shelter or drown them in the river or something. At The Last Resort, cats and bunnies enjoy a cage-free life. Because of this, surrenders are required to provide proof of spay/neuter, vaccines, etc., and must give a surrender fee of at least $50. Considering it costs any shelter an average of $700 per year to support one animal, I think our fee is a bargain. What about the cats and bunnies that do not meet your criteria, or do not come with a handy $50? How does it cost $700/ year to support an animal that comes in fully vetted? At the shelter I'm with, we give priority to the stray cat who's not spayed/neutered and probably never seen a vet before, whether they come in with a donation or not. We look at it like this: by taking that intact cat off the streets, we saved that cat and any babies it may have produced. The owner turn-in who needs a new home because baby developed allergies or whatever can wait. We can work with them to keep the cat to a confined area until we have room, or some other solution. Look, just about everyone who regularly participates on this newsgroup is either a volunteer or paid staffer at a shelter, or has a shelter they know and trust with their donations. You can't come on here and post, expecting an outpouring of support and money without people being suspicious. -- -Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net www.kelltek.com Check out www.snittens.com |
#7
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The primary objective of our mission is to provide life-long care to
unwanted and abandoned domestic animals, and when possible find them new forever homes. Our adoption policy is strict. We make sure that any animal which leaves our shelter is moving on to a lifetime of love and care. If our policies deter someone, and they instead adopt from a "Kill" shelter, I'm pleased that an animal has been spared unnecessary euthanasia. So you are not a shelter, with a focus of rehoming animals. You are a sanctuary. Again, I ask, why should a highly adoptable animal have to live in a sanctuary? IMHO, sanctuaries are for animals that have absolutely no other chance of having a forever home. Our shelter also has fairly strict guidelines, and we see about 3-4 adoptions a week, sometimes more. We also readily publish where we are located so people can f'n VISIT the shelter. Yes, we do get dumped animals sometimes. But you know what? I'm glad that people at least knew where we were and didn't take them to the municipal shelter or drown them in the river or something. At The Last Resort, cats and bunnies enjoy a cage-free life. Because of this, surrenders are required to provide proof of spay/neuter, vaccines, etc., and must give a surrender fee of at least $50. Considering it costs any shelter an average of $700 per year to support one animal, I think our fee is a bargain. What about the cats and bunnies that do not meet your criteria, or do not come with a handy $50? How does it cost $700/ year to support an animal that comes in fully vetted? At the shelter I'm with, we give priority to the stray cat who's not spayed/neutered and probably never seen a vet before, whether they come in with a donation or not. We look at it like this: by taking that intact cat off the streets, we saved that cat and any babies it may have produced. The owner turn-in who needs a new home because baby developed allergies or whatever can wait. We can work with them to keep the cat to a confined area until we have room, or some other solution. Look, just about everyone who regularly participates on this newsgroup is either a volunteer or paid staffer at a shelter, or has a shelter they know and trust with their donations. You can't come on here and post, expecting an outpouring of support and money without people being suspicious. -- -Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net www.kelltek.com Check out www.snittens.com |
#8
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You must be very new to both rescue and the internet indeed if you feel that
a spam of newsgroups is the best method to raise funds for your animals. What other fundraising programs do you have? Certainly you receive some community support, yes? If not, then why not? Surely you have applied for grants from the PetSmart Foundation, the PetCo Foundation, Maddie's Fund and others? If not, why not? Anyone who posts in cyberspace and isnt' a kook had better be willing to back up their statements with verifiable facts. That's just common sense and good security measures for someone to fact check. It is incumbent on the person stating the fact to provide verification of that fact, not someone who questions the information. Thus far, the only facts that you have provided have been that you are a 501 c3 organization. Fine. Lots of groups can get registered. Not that many make over the long haul. With your unwillingness to provide public information about your group and it's policies, it's fairly easy to see that you'll probably be one of those statistics that just don't make to the 5 year mark. I will repeat the questions I posed in another thread in hopes that you will be more willing to share information about your group. It is public verified information that succeeds in drawing both volunteers and donors. A group that ducks questions while repeating that they are "certified" implies that they have something to hide. A non profit can NOT afford to have that reputation. So, please do share with the public the answers to my questions. What are your adoption statistics? I'd be more than happy to tell you our shelter's. 80% of the animals that come through the door find homes, with 10% being euthanized for health reasons, and 10% for overcrowding. And we work damn hard to keep that rehomed figure that high. How many cats do you take in and how many go out? We took in 282 cats last year and 450 dogs. 80% of them found homes. How many cats are you currently housing? What is your adoption criteria? What is your adoption fee? How long does it take for a typical adoption to occur? What methods do you utilize to be sure that you find homes for these animals? None are listed on Petfinder and you don't have any information as to how to view the pets at all. Do you do remote location adoptions like at PetSmart? Just how can one adopt an animal when there is no information about any of the animals or adoption proceedures? Many "no kill" shelters are covers for collectors who take in far more animals than they can adequately provide care for, even with donations from the community. If "adoption doesn't happen often", then you have to ask yourself if you are in it for the animals benefit or not. Because it's not beneficial for any animal to *live* in a shelter situation. All animals deserve to own their own people to provide them with individual loving attention. And the fact that your group isn't very successful at doing this is a huge red flag. Where can one go to see a copy of the minutes of the meetings of your organization as well as the required financial report information? That is required to be public information for any 501 c3 and ours is available at our shelter. Where is yours? A PO box isn't an acceptible location. Care to tell us how much money in fees were taken in last year? How about donations? Donations in kind? What were the outgoing expenses? What was the largest slice of that pie? I can tell you that veterinary expenses were approximately 85% of our approximately $34K budget, and our primary income was from adoption fees and one or two large donations. Care to be that candid about your group in public where it counts? HSUS guidelines on feline housing will tell you exactly how much square footage a cat should be allotted. (Are you aware of what that figure is?) Any organization that does not abide by that is inhumane in it's housing policies. On that, we agree. Our shelter utilizes a cattery for our longer term residents as well. *We* spay and neuter and vaccinate the animals before they're allowed to run in there though. Every animal that comes through our doors leaves up to date on shots and spayed or neutered. These are just the costs of running a rescue. Where is the money going if you are not paying for vaccines and spay/neuter? You certainly can't have that big a light bill. Food is available by donation from grocery stores and chain stores. Cat litter is too. We get all of the burst bags free and therefore only have to purchase kitten food and backup litter supplies. If we can beg like this, surely your group can! If you don't take any animals in that need spay/neuter or shots or testing, then you're not really running a rescue. And if you can't afford to provide these services to the animals that need them, perhaps you'd best reassess whether or not your group has the financial savvy to run a real rescue group. It's just like finding an animal a responsible home. It takes more than love. People who "love animals" and take in large number of them but don't provide them with any medical care from their own pocket or personal attention because of the large number of animals are COLLECTORS. And the really do believe that they are "saving animals". But the reality check is, they're actually creating more animal suffering, not less. |
#9
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You must be very new to both rescue and the internet indeed if you feel that
a spam of newsgroups is the best method to raise funds for your animals. What other fundraising programs do you have? Certainly you receive some community support, yes? If not, then why not? Surely you have applied for grants from the PetSmart Foundation, the PetCo Foundation, Maddie's Fund and others? If not, why not? Anyone who posts in cyberspace and isnt' a kook had better be willing to back up their statements with verifiable facts. That's just common sense and good security measures for someone to fact check. It is incumbent on the person stating the fact to provide verification of that fact, not someone who questions the information. Thus far, the only facts that you have provided have been that you are a 501 c3 organization. Fine. Lots of groups can get registered. Not that many make over the long haul. With your unwillingness to provide public information about your group and it's policies, it's fairly easy to see that you'll probably be one of those statistics that just don't make to the 5 year mark. I will repeat the questions I posed in another thread in hopes that you will be more willing to share information about your group. It is public verified information that succeeds in drawing both volunteers and donors. A group that ducks questions while repeating that they are "certified" implies that they have something to hide. A non profit can NOT afford to have that reputation. So, please do share with the public the answers to my questions. What are your adoption statistics? I'd be more than happy to tell you our shelter's. 80% of the animals that come through the door find homes, with 10% being euthanized for health reasons, and 10% for overcrowding. And we work damn hard to keep that rehomed figure that high. How many cats do you take in and how many go out? We took in 282 cats last year and 450 dogs. 80% of them found homes. How many cats are you currently housing? What is your adoption criteria? What is your adoption fee? How long does it take for a typical adoption to occur? What methods do you utilize to be sure that you find homes for these animals? None are listed on Petfinder and you don't have any information as to how to view the pets at all. Do you do remote location adoptions like at PetSmart? Just how can one adopt an animal when there is no information about any of the animals or adoption proceedures? Many "no kill" shelters are covers for collectors who take in far more animals than they can adequately provide care for, even with donations from the community. If "adoption doesn't happen often", then you have to ask yourself if you are in it for the animals benefit or not. Because it's not beneficial for any animal to *live* in a shelter situation. All animals deserve to own their own people to provide them with individual loving attention. And the fact that your group isn't very successful at doing this is a huge red flag. Where can one go to see a copy of the minutes of the meetings of your organization as well as the required financial report information? That is required to be public information for any 501 c3 and ours is available at our shelter. Where is yours? A PO box isn't an acceptible location. Care to tell us how much money in fees were taken in last year? How about donations? Donations in kind? What were the outgoing expenses? What was the largest slice of that pie? I can tell you that veterinary expenses were approximately 85% of our approximately $34K budget, and our primary income was from adoption fees and one or two large donations. Care to be that candid about your group in public where it counts? HSUS guidelines on feline housing will tell you exactly how much square footage a cat should be allotted. (Are you aware of what that figure is?) Any organization that does not abide by that is inhumane in it's housing policies. On that, we agree. Our shelter utilizes a cattery for our longer term residents as well. *We* spay and neuter and vaccinate the animals before they're allowed to run in there though. Every animal that comes through our doors leaves up to date on shots and spayed or neutered. These are just the costs of running a rescue. Where is the money going if you are not paying for vaccines and spay/neuter? You certainly can't have that big a light bill. Food is available by donation from grocery stores and chain stores. Cat litter is too. We get all of the burst bags free and therefore only have to purchase kitten food and backup litter supplies. If we can beg like this, surely your group can! If you don't take any animals in that need spay/neuter or shots or testing, then you're not really running a rescue. And if you can't afford to provide these services to the animals that need them, perhaps you'd best reassess whether or not your group has the financial savvy to run a real rescue group. It's just like finding an animal a responsible home. It takes more than love. People who "love animals" and take in large number of them but don't provide them with any medical care from their own pocket or personal attention because of the large number of animals are COLLECTORS. And the really do believe that they are "saving animals". But the reality check is, they're actually creating more animal suffering, not less. |
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