Heaven Can Wait
Donation protected
Heaven Can Wait was built from the ground up by the lovely and selfless Kim Hessel. When I was in High School, we needed a certain amount of volunteer hours to graduate. So me, being an animal lover, my first and obvious choice was volunteering at Heaven Can Wait. I absolutely loved going there and spending time with all the animals and taking the time to hear all of Kim's stories. I even skipped school a couple of times just so I could spend more time there helping out. Kim is truly an incredible person - perhaps one of the most incredible people I have ever met, and I strive to be as kind and selfless as she is; I am so lucky to have met her, I've learned quite a bit from Kim in the short time I volunteered there.. And what I've learned is that good genuinely exists in people's hearts. This woman.. Has helped thousands of animals and she continues to sacrifice everything she has in order to keep her no-kill shelter up and running. So, tonight, when I read her Facebook post, I was a heart broken. I can't imagine High River without HCW. Kim has helped countless people and animals through the flood, the Fort Mac fire, and everything in between. The list is endless. I want to do everything I can to help support Kim and Heaven Can Wait, so I am reaching out to the community. High River came together when we suffered through the flood (2013) and I know we can come together to keep Kim's shelter up and running. I know this fundraiser is asking a lot, but it is worth it to me and it would mean the world to Kim and all of her lovely staff at Heaven Can Wait. Please take the time to read her post(below)
"Heaven Can Wait has worked in the community and area for almost 18 years now, and so much change in those 18 years! We’ve been living our lives, raising our children, working, paying mortgages, struggling through hard times, happy when life feels settled for a bit. We’ve all lived through a major disaster, we’ve seen the town shift and change, our lives shift and change along with it. For me, HCW is my life. I started HCW because there was a need, and I believe there still is ... the animals of our community have also shared our lives, through all our personal change, and for most of the people I know, animals are indeed a valued part of their family.
For those who know me, you know I struggle with asking for help. At the core of it, I’m a private person and sometimes it’s just hard to say the words out loud. The words that I need help, HCW needs help if we’re going to survive. And I suppose what I also need to know is if others feel there is still value to the work we do ...
In the last 48 hours, we had a kitten die of a heart defect. We returned 2 dogs to their owners. We took in a stray cat from west of HR, loaned out our trap to woman south of town to catch a stray holed up in her barn, took in a dog found on Coal Trail, High River Vet did 1 dental, 1 cat spay, 2 neuters, and did a follow up on our Shepherd MacKenzie with chronic diahrrea, we picked up one of our tattoo’d cats turned in as a stray at Bridlewood Vet, showed Lucy to a potential new home, picked up cat food, had a pallet of litter delivered from Dan, dealt with low water pressure from our well, talked with 7 owner-surrenders about options for them, signed off on a Spay It Forward form for a woman who can’t afford to get her cat spayed, and did all of our cleaning routines caring for 175 cats and a full house of dogs, both boarding and rescue. I returned or sent over 50 txts today ... followed up with the woman who found the 2 mares and foal, rescheduled the meeting with our accountant and bookkeeper, put the word out to find people to help an elderly woman who had lost her old dog, talked with my mom’s nursing home about a piece of equipment she needs and how much that’s going to cost, talked with another woman who is worried about her dog and if she should go to vet, set up a family dog-walking time for the weekend, scheduled our septic clean out, tried to arrange someone to do a dump-run for us, and get Atlas down to the Centre in time for Blessing of the Animals.
Sometimes the days are so busy they blend into each other. It’s a good busy, though, despite always being tired! And I think the fact that we’re as busy as we are means there is a real need in our area for someone to call for animal issues, of all kinds.
Animal welfare is not a money-making business. I actually don’t think it should be, truthfully. We’ve been fortunate over the years to have just enough, pay our bills, keep the lights on, get the veterinary care we need when we need it. These last few years have been harder, these last 6 months especially. And now I honestly don’t know what to do ... there is enough to keep us going until mid-November, maybe early December. Any money I had saved from the sale of the old house is gone now, the last of it seeing us through the next few weeks, but after that, there is not enough coming in to cover our debts to Dr. Brent & Dr. Yolande nor Dr. Mike & Dr. Dirk in Nanton, or to meet our monthly expenses for food, litter, the Centre, utilities, cleaning supplies, and on and on. We’ve been relying on my savings and whatever revenue the kennel generates, but it’s simply not enough for HCW to keep going.
I don’t want to close HCW. Nor does Angie, Kerrin, Debby, Mikaela, Emily and all the rest of our core people. There are good ideas on how to restructure HCW and make us more financially stable into the future, and many of those have been discussed with some solid advice available to us, but those ideas will take time and we don’t have that luxury anymore.
How does the community feel? Is the animal work we do in HR, Okotoks and the surrounding areas, plus the work we do in crisis situations such as the Priddis Heelers and Milk River, valuable to the people living their lives here? Do we keep trying with your support, or is it time to make some truly difficult decisions in the near future? I have to believe people will help.
Paying the vets who support us is most urgent. We owe High River Vet $18,000 and Nanton Vet at $5,000. We have to buy 3 – 4 pallets of litter a month from Home Hardware, approx. $1200. We buy $2000 of pet food and supplements each month, mostly from Pet Valu Okotoks and specialty foods from the clinic. Our rent at the Centre is $2500 a month. Our utilities and insurance average $3,000. Cleaning supplies run us upwards of $1000/month. Randy was just out to shock our well because we’ve been having water issues. We’ve done all the urgent repairs to the buildings, but there are still many more needed and waiting in the wings. Through it all, the animals keep coming, some move onto their new lives, some will stay here until it’s their time. Behind each animal, there is a person. Either the one who found the kitten on a dirt road, or the dog running around the traffic circle, or the one who called about an injured heron. Or the woman who adopted the Riversides, or the couple who welcomed Ebony into their home, or Lynne who just adopted a 10 year old Shepherd.
I have to believe people will help. Because we really need it.
Thanks so much for listening." -Kim
"Heaven Can Wait has worked in the community and area for almost 18 years now, and so much change in those 18 years! We’ve been living our lives, raising our children, working, paying mortgages, struggling through hard times, happy when life feels settled for a bit. We’ve all lived through a major disaster, we’ve seen the town shift and change, our lives shift and change along with it. For me, HCW is my life. I started HCW because there was a need, and I believe there still is ... the animals of our community have also shared our lives, through all our personal change, and for most of the people I know, animals are indeed a valued part of their family.
For those who know me, you know I struggle with asking for help. At the core of it, I’m a private person and sometimes it’s just hard to say the words out loud. The words that I need help, HCW needs help if we’re going to survive. And I suppose what I also need to know is if others feel there is still value to the work we do ...
In the last 48 hours, we had a kitten die of a heart defect. We returned 2 dogs to their owners. We took in a stray cat from west of HR, loaned out our trap to woman south of town to catch a stray holed up in her barn, took in a dog found on Coal Trail, High River Vet did 1 dental, 1 cat spay, 2 neuters, and did a follow up on our Shepherd MacKenzie with chronic diahrrea, we picked up one of our tattoo’d cats turned in as a stray at Bridlewood Vet, showed Lucy to a potential new home, picked up cat food, had a pallet of litter delivered from Dan, dealt with low water pressure from our well, talked with 7 owner-surrenders about options for them, signed off on a Spay It Forward form for a woman who can’t afford to get her cat spayed, and did all of our cleaning routines caring for 175 cats and a full house of dogs, both boarding and rescue. I returned or sent over 50 txts today ... followed up with the woman who found the 2 mares and foal, rescheduled the meeting with our accountant and bookkeeper, put the word out to find people to help an elderly woman who had lost her old dog, talked with my mom’s nursing home about a piece of equipment she needs and how much that’s going to cost, talked with another woman who is worried about her dog and if she should go to vet, set up a family dog-walking time for the weekend, scheduled our septic clean out, tried to arrange someone to do a dump-run for us, and get Atlas down to the Centre in time for Blessing of the Animals.
Sometimes the days are so busy they blend into each other. It’s a good busy, though, despite always being tired! And I think the fact that we’re as busy as we are means there is a real need in our area for someone to call for animal issues, of all kinds.
Animal welfare is not a money-making business. I actually don’t think it should be, truthfully. We’ve been fortunate over the years to have just enough, pay our bills, keep the lights on, get the veterinary care we need when we need it. These last few years have been harder, these last 6 months especially. And now I honestly don’t know what to do ... there is enough to keep us going until mid-November, maybe early December. Any money I had saved from the sale of the old house is gone now, the last of it seeing us through the next few weeks, but after that, there is not enough coming in to cover our debts to Dr. Brent & Dr. Yolande nor Dr. Mike & Dr. Dirk in Nanton, or to meet our monthly expenses for food, litter, the Centre, utilities, cleaning supplies, and on and on. We’ve been relying on my savings and whatever revenue the kennel generates, but it’s simply not enough for HCW to keep going.
I don’t want to close HCW. Nor does Angie, Kerrin, Debby, Mikaela, Emily and all the rest of our core people. There are good ideas on how to restructure HCW and make us more financially stable into the future, and many of those have been discussed with some solid advice available to us, but those ideas will take time and we don’t have that luxury anymore.
How does the community feel? Is the animal work we do in HR, Okotoks and the surrounding areas, plus the work we do in crisis situations such as the Priddis Heelers and Milk River, valuable to the people living their lives here? Do we keep trying with your support, or is it time to make some truly difficult decisions in the near future? I have to believe people will help.
Paying the vets who support us is most urgent. We owe High River Vet $18,000 and Nanton Vet at $5,000. We have to buy 3 – 4 pallets of litter a month from Home Hardware, approx. $1200. We buy $2000 of pet food and supplements each month, mostly from Pet Valu Okotoks and specialty foods from the clinic. Our rent at the Centre is $2500 a month. Our utilities and insurance average $3,000. Cleaning supplies run us upwards of $1000/month. Randy was just out to shock our well because we’ve been having water issues. We’ve done all the urgent repairs to the buildings, but there are still many more needed and waiting in the wings. Through it all, the animals keep coming, some move onto their new lives, some will stay here until it’s their time. Behind each animal, there is a person. Either the one who found the kitten on a dirt road, or the dog running around the traffic circle, or the one who called about an injured heron. Or the woman who adopted the Riversides, or the couple who welcomed Ebony into their home, or Lynne who just adopted a 10 year old Shepherd.
I have to believe people will help. Because we really need it.
Thanks so much for listening." -Kim
Organiser
Chauntelle Dakota-Rose MacLeod
Organiser
High River, AB
