SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO's Generosity towards WoodsFriday, February 11, 2005Tales of emotionTimes Press Recorder, April Charlton Donations for Woods' new shelter come from young, old SAN LUIS OBISPO: A recent community drive to raise $500,000 to help Woods Humane Society move into its new digs this summer had shelter staffers making daily bank runs. "We had so many gifts coming in (during December), we were overwhelmed," said Yvon Gresser, Woods capital campaign manager. "We were going to the bank three to four times a day (to make deposits). It added up to generous amounts." Last year, the shelter, which will celebrate 50 years of service to the county's homeless animals in May, received a $500,000 anonymous matching challenge donation. The match had to be met by Dec. 31, with all the funding to be used for building a new shelter near the County Division of Animal Services facility. "At this point, we're over $400,000, which is wonderful," said Carol Schreiber, Woods community relations director. "The campaign was extremely successful. We had donations of $5 to $50,000 and everything in between. "This (campaign) spoke volumes to the importance of Woods and how much people in the community value the humane treatment of animals." In addition to the monetary rewards the campaign brought, Gresser also found rewards -- and some tears -- in the many letters, pictures and personal visits that the community shared when they donated. "It really showed the love affair that people have with their animals," Gresser said, adding donors often brought their pets, usually dogs, to the shelter's business office when making a donation. "It so touched your heart." She teared up as she told the story of a South County family that had just lost their daughter and decided to give the young girl's last paycheck to the campaign in her honor. "They said, 'She loved animals and would've wanted that.' It just so touched your heart," an emotional Gresser said. "I can't even begin to tell you how honored I am." In yet more donation tales, Gresser told of a young boy from Nipomo who decided to give up his allowance so his parents could donate the money to the campaign, a Pismo Beach woman who collected aluminum cans for donations and students who held fund-raisers across the county. "The effort was so far spread" she added. "The gifts were generous and many. It was so heartwarming." "People gave to the cause (of) helping to get us home," Schreiber added. Schreiber hadn't calculated the exact dollar amount of donations given during the campaign, as the shelter is still receiving contributions that are earmarked for the matching challenge. Once all the contributions have been counted, the anonymous donors will match the amount up to $500,000. Woods, which debuted as a small farm in Nipomo in 1955, is considered a low-kill shelter, meaning animals are only euthanized as a last resort. Due to a planned expansion of the county airport, the shelter's current Broad Street facility, which was constructed in 1959, needs to relocate. The new 23,729-square-foot shelter will showcase a cattery as well as dog, kitten and puppy kennels, a spay/neuter site, veterinary examination rooms, multiple get-acquainted rooms, nine outdoor exercise yards, a public reception area, grooming areas and a crematory, among other features. The new facility, located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., is set to open in June and will accommodate up to 60 cats, 30 kittens, 83 dogs and 20 puppies, almost doubling what the current shelter can board. Woods is still raising funds to keep the construction and opening of the new shelter on schedule, and its staff hopes the community will keep giving. "We can't say we're done yet; we have a lot more work to do," Gresser said. "We're really hoping that our fans out there will keep helping." Read More
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