Congratulations Everyone!
You reached the goal in the Endowment Fund Campaign!
In this time of economic uncertainty, you pulled off a miracle. You donated $5,000 to obtain a matching $5,000 from our anonymous donor. About 40 donors gave amounts, ranging from $15 to $500. The final total has not yet been tabulated, but it will exceed $5,000.
Because you achieved the match, our chapter’s endowment fund will contain about $38,000. The fund is vital to our chapter because interest earned on the $38,000 can be used for expenses, including veterinary bills. The fund is invested in conservative instruments.
Our secret donor established the endowment in 2006. In four years, the donor has personally contributed $21,500. You have contributed over $13,000.
It is unlikely that we would have met this year’s goal without the awesome efforts of Joan Gilkerson and her sister, Mary Claire. Together, they raised $1,000, most in generous donations from family and friends. Joan and Paul Gilkerson are chapter members who live in Kahoka in northeastern Missouri, near the Iowa border. They have six house rabbits and will attend our Bunny Expo on Sunday.
“I’ve been a member of MO HRS for quite a few years,” Joan said, “but I’ve always lived too far away to help much, other than contribute to the chapter and donate items for the Expo. When I read about the New Zealand White confiscation rabbits, on top of everything else HRS does, and then the golden opportunity of an Angel Donor making an extremely generous donation of $5,000 if we could raise a matching amount, I felt that, maybe, here’s a way I could really help.
“My sister took a fantastic interest in this and she is responsible for a large amount of donations, directly and indirectly. But, I think people really wanted to donate to HRS to help out.”
Joan raised additional money by offering customers of her home business, Unique Beadwork, a $20 discount if they made a $10 matching contribution to MO HRS. Joan’s beadwork includes jewelry featuring rabbits. If you are interested, email Joan at info@uniquebeadwork.com
Joan’s first rabbit, Honey Bunny, lived with her in an apartment when she was in her twenties. When Paul and Joan married, Snuggle Buggle Bunny joined them. When they visited a bookstore in Cape Girardeau, they discovered the “House Rabbit Handbook – How To Live With An Urban Rabbit.” That led them to national HRS and our chapter.
Joan and Paul adopted Smudge and Fudge at our 2007 Expo from a batch of seven babies that had been left at the Humane Society the night before. The bunnies were facing euthanasia if not adopted at the Expo, but they were all adopted.
Last fall, Joan and Paul visited our foster home and adopted Reese’s Pieces, a black dwarf that had been passed over because he boxes and grunts. They also took in Courtney, a near-albino cottontail that Chapter Manager Joy Gioia had rehabilitated. Courtney’s coloring would doom her in the wild so she lives happily with the Gilkersons, who have experience in wild rabbit rescue/rehab.
Thank You Sincerely to All Who Donated!
Please know the HRS bunnies appreciate your kindness too!
