MOOSE JAW — The 12th annual Paws for Pledges Radiothon — and the Moose Jaw Humane Society’s largest annual fundraiser — just concluded with an outpouring of community support that was “paws-itively” heartwarming.
This year’s radiothon raised $106,789 and took place throughout the day on Nov. 8.
Prior to this year’s Paws for Pledges event, the Moose Jaw Humane Society’s executive director Dana Haukaas said the shelter’s staff agreed on a fundraising target of $95,000.
“We (thought we were) reaching for the stars at $95,000, just because everybody’s dollar seems to be going less far every year as inflation goes up. We weren’t really sure that we were going to reach it,” she said. “We were so overwhelmed by the number of people who… came out to the shelter that day.”
The shelter’s in-person donations were up more than $2,000 compared to last year and “our online donations went gangbusters.”
“The community stepped up and smashed that goal for us,” she declared.
These funds will now be used to support the non-profit shelter’s day-to-day operations.
“It’s just to help us with the animals,” Haukaas explained. “It (includes) vet care, spaying and neutering, and medication for the animals that are sick as well as any emergent care (they might require).”
To illustrate the value of Paws for Pledges, Haukaas cited the example of one pet — and former humane society rescue animal — who stopped by with their family during the radiothon to show their appreciation once again for the work done by the shelter’s staff.
“Their cat was found in rough shape on the side of the road,” Haukaas began. “He’d been hit by a car, and we were contacted to come pick him up. We rushed him over to the clinic and he was able to receive the care he needed right away.
“Then, the next day, his family reached out to us wondering if we had their cat. They were able to come and take over his care at the clinic from there.”
Beyond raising funds, the radiothon is also a great way to raise awareness for all the pets still seeking out their forever homes.
“We did also have four adoptions that day,” she announced. “We sent two baby bunnies and two cats home.”
One contributing factor to this year’s success was moving the radiothon to the Friday after Remembrance Day when students were out of school and many families were off work — a decision Haukaas plans to continue next year.
The Moose Jaw Humane Society wished to thank its phone bank volunteers including Artistique Acres Pet Resort, Canadian Tire, Spike Grooming, Prairie Auto Sales, the Moose Jaw Fire Department, the City of Moose Jaw, the Moose Jaw Police Service, Keon Garden Centre, the Moose Jaw Animal Clinic, and PetValu.
The shelter also wished to thank the team at Country 100 who hosted the radiothon and also Family Pizza, Tim Horton’s, and the Maple Leaf Bakery for providing food and refreshments throughout the day.
“I want to thank every person who came out to the shelter that day, and every person who donated through our mailout campaign or who… made their donations in person,” Haukaas said in her concluding remarks.
“We couldn’t help the animals the way we do without your support, and we are so grateful.”
The Moose Jaw Humane Society is located at 1755 Stadacona Street West and can be reached at 306-692-1517. For more information visit MJHS.ca or follow ‘Moose Jaw Humane Society’ on Facebook.
