Tuesday, Jan. 27, eight prominent Battlefords residents will be going to jail.
Michelle Spark, director of the Battlefords Human Society’s animal shelter, says the first annual Shelter Us Jail and Bail is intended to be a major fundraiser toward the $1.5 million needed to create a new shelter.
The eight jailbirds are Ross McAngus, a senior special constable with the City of North Battleford, Ryan Bater, executive director of the Battlefords Tourism and Convention Association and a councillor for the City of North Battleford, lawyer Monte Migneault, real estate professional Lynne Burton, Jim Sutton, Cherry Insurance branch manager, Karen Richard, executive director of Catholic Family Services, Kelly Atcheynum, general manager of the Gold Eagle Casino, and Brendon Boothman, financial advisor.
"We have some great jailbirds," says Spark. "I think it will go well."
Spark explains, “Our jail birds are going to be in jail, in cages at the animal shelter, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on that night, and they need to raise as much money as they can in that three-hour period.”
All funds raised will go to the new building fund. The goal of the 2015 Shelter Us campaign is $10,000.
“If anyone wants to donate for any one of these jailbirds, they can come down to the shelter that night or they can phone the shelter with a credit card payment,” says Spark.
The telephone number is 306-446-2700.
Donors can also donate online at www.battlefordsanimalshelter.com.
“Or,” says Spark, “they can give their bail money to the jailbirds in advance before that night and they will make sure I get it.”
Tax deduction receipts will be issued for anything more than $20, she adds, so they will need names and addresses so they can get receipts out to everyone.
The jailbirds may be cooped up, but they won’t go hungry.
"I want to make sure we give a shout out to Domino's Pizza,” says Spark. “They will be donating supper that night for our jailbirds."
To make the new building a reality, Spark says they need about $1.5 million. So far they have raised just over $300,000.
“We're saying we have a five-year plan,” says Spark,who took over as manager in November of 2010. “We need it earlier, we'd like to have it earlier, but the reality is, $1.5 million … well?”
Due to the condition of the shelter’s present location at 751-114th Street, the sooner the new building becomes a reality the better.
“It would be nice if we had all the money raised and we'd be ready to build in three years,” says Spark. “That would be fantastic.”
A new building will mean a new location as well, since the present site isn’t large enough. It will be somewhere else in the community, says Spark, but the site has not yet been chosen.
The current shelter was built 1986 and early in 1987 opened its doors. At the time it consisted of an office, bathroom, eight dog kennels and seven cat cages.
The animals that came in were held 72 hours and then disposed of, according to Spark, either by being reclaimed by owners, adopted by new owners or euthanized.
In 1989, the humane society became a non-profit corporation. The society did all its own animal control as well as investigations and protection.
In 1991, the board of directors approached the City of North Battleford with plans for a new building. It was agreed the Battlefords Humane Society would raise $60,000 and the City would contribute $60,000. The society worked long hours at bingos and raised $25,000 more than needed. On June 26, 1994 the grand opening of the building still used today took place.
At last year’s gala, also a fundraiser for a new building, Spark told attendees, “Our current building is small, old and slowly falling apart. Our walls are going moldy, our drains are always plugged and backing up, our window frames are rotten, and our cage doors are all falling apart. A bigger building would allow us to facilitate more animals and open up opportunities to become more self-sufficient. We can have an isolation area for sick animals, a nursery for moms, babies and orphans, a grooming area, a park for our animals to run and play, and an area for our cats to play. The possibilities are endless."
The Humane Society gets approximately $75,000 from the City of North Battleford, approximately $6,000 from the Town of Battleford, an additional donation from the Brett Wilson Foundation and donations of food from the business community.
According to Spark, "The balance comes from adoptions, donations, our piggy banks and fundraising. It costs about $108,000 a year to maintain the shelter and the animals who reside there."
