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"Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is"
In December of 2002 Wolf was proud to be accepted as an agency member of Community Shares of Colorado. Community Shares is a coalition of more than 100 diverse non-profit organizations, cooperating to raise funds through workplace giving campaigns (payroll deductions).
These diverse organizations address human and health services, cultural awareness, women's issues, social change, the environment, and of course, animal welfare. This is an easy and effective way for your associates to help and support Wolf, by pledging at the Community Shares fund drive where you work. When making a pledge through Community Shares you can designate that the funds you donate go directly to Wolf . This is a once-a-year campaign. It allows even very small businesses to help their employees support the non-profit of their choice.
If your place of business or employment does not yet include Community Shares in its workplace giving campaign, please contact Pat Wendland at 970-416-9531. Pat will be pleased to explain to the appropriate people how easy it would be to expand your workplace giving campaign and how Community Shares can help accomplish this with minimal impact on the companies executive and personnel staff. The more businesses that include Community Shares in their workplace giving campaign, the more opportunity there will be for people to support Wolf.
Wolf
expects, with your help, for Community Shares to be a big benefit to
the organization, which will in turn allow Wolf
to save many more wolves and wolf-dogs and expand our educational program.
Please, remember to
"Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is".
In Memory of Max
We
did not know Max very long or very well, however it did not take long
to fall in love with him. Anyone who can truly look into their eyes and
make the connection to their soul and spirit has to be affected. We met
him during the Texas Rescue.
Although we do not have a lot of first-hand information about his history, one of the sanctuaries that we work with frequently was involved in his history and shared it with us.
Max was bred in Oklahoma and sold to an irresponsible breeder east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Max was always terrified of this breeder who ended up getting into trouble with animal control and at one point was told to get rid of some of his animals. The female that lived with Max was placed at a sanctuary. After this breeder felt is was safe again, he got another pure wolf from the same breeder in Oklahoma. Max received his second mate.
Shortly after taking this new female, the breeder was diagnosed with MS and was forced to give up all his animals. Again, poor Max, was separated from his mate as she was given to someone else.
Max then ended up in the same general area of New Mexico, but with an even more notoriously bad breeder. She never bred Max and he lived alone in a tiny, filthy pen. This new breeder got in over her head with the animals and called Candy Kitchen Rescue Ranch for help. Candy Kitchen could not take her animals and Rae Ott, from NAWA, came into the picture. She would take Max, but had to build a new enclosure for him.
Candy
Kitchen helped capture Max and provided a temporary home for him, for
over a month, until Rae could get one of her "deluxe" 15' x
20' enclosures built. Max again, was placed in an enclosure by himself.
Max basically lived a life of fear and aloneness in neglectful conditions. He was never perceived as a valuable and unique spirit and given the consideration and love just for being. He was treated as a commodity and a means to an end.
When moved by Wolf, on March 29th 2003, to the home of his new caretakers, things began to look up. One of his new guardians also suffered from a heart condition and immediately bonded with him. It became their goal to treat Max with the same level of optimism and creativity that was used on his human guardian. Max responded and seemed to understand that these folks were different. He even seemed to be getting physically better -- slowly.
This was not to be, he started failing again. His breathing became very labored and his strength waned. Within several days he was dead.
(Sharon Koehler)
I came to the bookstore that day at the end of May, having forgotten that the wolves from Wolf were going to be there. It was during that tension filled time of diagnosis. The results of one test say there is no cancer and the results of the next one say it looks suspicious for cancer. The final decision was looking like we wouldn't know for sure until surgery.
My daughter asked the people from Wolf if they would do a Wolf Reiki treatment on me after they had finished their session, and the wonderful people at Wolf said yes. So, all of the Reiki masters and Mesa, who is the ultimate Reiki master, and I went into the classroom for an intensive treatment.
I don't remember too much about the treatment itself except that Mesa was very concerned trying to dig something out in the area of my sacral chakra. He wanted to leave the treatment part way through, but he didn't. He stayed for the whole time and when it was over, he was very tired.
After that, I had the surgery, and it was ovarian cancer (which is near the area of the sacral chakra -- Mesa knows his stuff!) The biggest benefit of the treatment was in the way I came through it. Cancer changes you. If life were the tarot, cancer would be the tower card. It dredges up a lot of old emotional baggage we have been carrying around for too long. And it certainly changes how we see life, and how we live our life. As these things worked their way to the surface, I was able to deal with it and let it go. Let stronger and more positive things fill in the space. Words cannot describe how it feels to have these terrible feelings gone and know they will never come back and that life is all forward from here. I have been able to see the positive side of this experience, which is rare indeed.
I got to see Mesa last week. He looked at me with recognition in his beautiful eyes. He came over and put his head on my incision. He looked satisfied with the healing process and that the cancer is gone. I thank the Goddess for these people and the wolves: they made my cancer experience not only strengthening, but also positive. A truly tremendous feat.
As we have mentioned in our previous reports, the sanctuary industry is very much in its infancy and still looking to establish itself as an integral part of the animal welfare community (see our Fall 2002 Newsletter under Money Misconceptions). Because of this factor, it is tremendously difficult to generate the funds to accomplish all we would like.
We are extraordinarily happy with what we have been able to accomplish with the funds available and thank all of you for your support.
Revenues in 2002 were slightly higher than in 2001. This is a little misleading as our cash revenue from normal sources was actually a little lower than 2001. We were blessed however, with two unexpected grants that helped significantly and with extra In Kind donations.
Revenues
Cash Contributions and Memberships $ 72,086
In Kind Contributions 146,995
Grant Income 17,500
Public Events 9,059
Merchandise Sales (gross profit) 10,380
Investment Income 190
Total Revenues $ 256,210
The In Kind Donations category was the largest source of revenue. In Kind simply means non-cash donations of material items that have a monetary value. The following chart will give you an idea of the types of items that are donated to Wolf.
In Kind Donations
Dry Dog Food $ 76,021
Store Meats 25,460
Equip./Other Materials 16,446
Vet Meds 12,152
Public Event Materials 16,916
Total $ 146,995
Obviously, the majority of materials donated is food. So much food, in fact, that it is significantly more than Wolf can use. Wolf continues to accept all of these donations in order to maintain these sources. Wolf re-donates the surplus to other nonprofit rescues and sanctuaries. Once you eliminate these contributions from the equation the picture becomes clearer.
The expenses itemized here clarify the situation even more. As you study the numbers, please pay attention to the fact that there are no paid employees of Wolf. All labor provided to care for these animals and accomplish the education, rescue and fundraising aspects of Wolf are accomplished with volunteer time. This includes the founders, Frank and Pat.
Fund Mgmt/
Expense Account TOTAL Raising General Program
Fund Mgmt/
TOTAL Raising General Program
Advertising/Promotion 482 10 472
Animal Food 449 449
Animal Food In Kind (Consumed) 60,940 60,940
Animal Food In Kind (Donated to Charities) 54,400 54,400
Bank Fees 86 86
Contract Labor 2,356 2,356
Credit Card Fees 577 577
Depreciation 11,395 321 2,331 8,743
Directors Benefits 8,485 424 424 7,637
Donations to Charities 4,600 4,600
Drugs & Medications 6,271 6,271
Drugs & Medications In Kind (Consumed) 4,105 4,105
Dues & Subscriptions 614 61 553
Facility Lease 7,200 7,200
Gas/Fuel 6,303 6,303
Insurance 9,498 95 9,403
Internet Services 1,147 1,147
Misc. Expense 821 821
Office Supplies 476 9 348 119
Permits & Licenses 673 673
Postage & Shipping 1,881 112 94 1,675
Printing & Copying 1,508 89 75 1,344
Professional Fees 6,503 6,503
Public Event Expenses 12,120 12,120
Public Event Expenses In Kind 11,400 11,400
Publications (Brochures & Newsletters) 7,373 438 369 6,566
Rent (Storage) 286 286
Repairs & Maintenance 4,232 4,232
Supplies & Materials (Facility) 8,641 8,641
Supplies & Materials In Kind (Facility) 2,715 2,715
Tax (Property & Sales) 425 425
Telephone 4,347 530 3,817
Travel 2,096 2,096
Utilities 517 517
Veterinary Services 7,404 7,404
Volunteer Expenses 1,193 1,193
Total Cash Expenses 119,959 1,403 4,990 113,566
Total In Kind Expenses 133,560 0 0 133,560
Total Expenses 253,519 1,403 4,990 247,126
In 2002 these efforts allowed Wolf to rescue 11 animals, most of which were taken to other facilities. Wolf also orchestrated the placement of approximately 75 animals that needed new homes. Wolf maintained 18 enclosures containing a total of 39 permanent residents at the sanctuary. Wolf presented the education program to 54 groups, did information tablings at 45 events and gave 27 special workshops. Also as part of its educational mission, Wolf continued to host its web site and exceeded 87,000 hits, answered over 2600 emails and 1000 phone calls requesting help or information.
Although we still believe we could accomplish much more with a minimally paid staff, we still believe the priorities for cash dictate that the group of dedicated volunteers must continue to do just that -- passionately volunteer long hours.
In 2002 over 8800 hours were volunteered to accomplish these achievements. That number does not include the full-time (plus) efforts of the founders. As things usually go with volunteer efforts, most of these hours are spent on animal care/facility maintenance and educational programs. The administrative and fundraising duties primarily fall on the founders, which prevents them from undertaking the larger projects designed to help even more animals.
If you have any questions or would like additional information about the finances of Wolf, please contact Frank at fwendland@wolfsanctuary.net
Thank you again!!
WOLF, Post Office Box 1544, La Porte, CO 80535 - USA