A personal plea, for my own shelter

Hello Everyone,
​
I hope you are all doing well! I wanted to reach out to you as our faithful supporters to share some updates on our organization as well as one of the organizations we have enjoyed supporting over the years. 
RDMOC was created in 2017 and our mission has always been to do good for animals while also having fun. COVID obviously put a serious damper on all the things we were doing and events we were hosting to help build an animal-loving community and raise awareness for our local rescue organizations. However, there’s more to why we haven’t resumed our full calendar of events than just the pandemic.

Early in the pandemic, I (Jes Hiltner, RDMOC co-founder) lost my job with Pet Partners. I spent the rest of 2020 driving transports for rescue organizations both locally and long-distance. These efforts helped to rescue over 340 animals while logging over 13,000 miles on the road-if I may humbly brag. In late 2020 (December 28th to be exact) I was nudged to apply for a job at Hinsdale Humane Society (HHS). I have volunteered in rescue since 2009, and spent all my unemployed months assisting as an unpaid volunteer for many different rescues as well... but I have never been employed in the field, and I never held a director role of this caliber before so for me, the feelings of Imposter Syndrome were real. Imagine my surprise when not only did I land the job, but I was also honored by being promoted in less than a year at HHS. 

WHAT A DREAM! 

I have been so proud of myself and I have realized I am REALLY good at what I'm doing there and this is where I belong. I have never in my life had a job that inspired me to actually put my BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS into it. Yet, at HHS I have actually bled, I am constantly running around sweating, and this year has been filled with so many tears. Tears not just over the animals we rescue, but this year I have cried so so many tears over the state of our world at HHS. We are in such crisis and are facing challenges we have not previously faced.

Today I send this newsletter out to you, our most loyal and devoted supporters, with a personal ask. Please! Help me! Help us keep HHS open!
​We so urgently need your help.

Not only do we save an overage of more than 1,600 animals' lives annually, but we are a stray hold facility serving 13 local police departments. Dogs and cats arrive at our doors seeking our care, daily. These days, many of those pets are not reclaimed by their owners. ​

Our medical team is set to break a record by spaying/neutering 3,000 animals this year. We have just One Veterinarian, One Vet Tech, and One Vet Assistant, so this is no small feat! 

This year alone, the programs that I run at HHS have: helped to feed over 1,900 family pets, served over 3,200 children in our Youth Humane Education Programs, made over 665 visits to Nursing Homes, Hospitals, Schools, Veteran Facilities, and Special Education Groups with Pet Therapy Teams, and so much more. Some of you wonderful supporters have even volunteered at our community clinics which have helped over 600 animals get their annual rabies vaccines and microchips for no cost, as well as receive pet food and supplies. 

The loss of our shelter would be devastating to our surrounding communities and the animals in need of homes. We receive no government funding and therefore have no endowments. We rely exclusively and overwhelmingly on donations from businesses, supporters, and friends like you, in order to keep our doors open. Over the past year, our donations have substantially dwindled and we are experiencing severe financial difficulty.
I am quite literally begging you for your support. We so desperately want to continue our work to support people and pets in our communities, but we can’t continue without the support of people like you.

Please join me in donating to HHS, to get this organization so near and dear to my heart and our community, through this crisis! Please share this Go Fund Me page with everyone in our community! 
https://gofund.me/62e7a343 
​or donate through the HHS website: https://www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/help/save-our-shelter

Thank you,
 Jes
Co-Founder of RDMOC and lover of your dog(s)

Deep gratitude to my dear friend Emily Richards for being my editor of this emotional plea. 

Donate via GoFundMe

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