ANIMAL FOUNDATION OF GREAT FALLS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2011 Construction Phase One Complete! Have you driven by the Margaret J Maclean Animal Welfare Center building site lately? When you do, you’ll see that the building is starting to take shape. Phase One of the new shelter has wrapped up. Utility connections have been made, the monument sign has been placed, footings, foundation walls, and piers are Fostering a caring community for complete, and the rough grading now reveals the shape of the topography. animals by providing shelter, advancing The City is resurfacing 25th Avenue NE from 8th to 9th Street this summer, animal welfare, and promoting the so boulevard sidewalk, curbing, and driveway curb cut work will be undertaken bond between animals and humans when that project is complete. Story continues on page 2 through innovative programs, education and service. Nano McCluskey and her rescue dogs Bandit and Morin took a walk on the building site on June 4, a Spay Neuter May 2011 Clinic day of beautiful sunshine after seemingly endless rain. The monument sign is ready for text to be added. Story on page 11. On June 6, crews were working hard on site grading with more rain in the forecast. PHOTOS BY PAM LEMELIN Margaret J Maclean Animal Welfare Center Taking Shape Education/AdoptionEducation/Adoption AreasArea Animal CareCare Areas 50501 502 IncomingIncoming Puppies Main 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Entry FilingFiling & 400 9 OfficeOffffice MailroomMailroom OfficeOffffice ElectricalElectrical IncomingIncoming PAM LEMELIN 402 403 404 503 Kittens 109109 IncomingIncoming Dogs 200 LobbyLobby Bench 1 Office 401401 IncomingIncoming 405-1405-1 MechanicalMechanical 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 CommunityCommunity 407 Room Cats 110110 Education 504 406 ReceptionReception Education Center Patio Education HallHall 408 412 405 All Animal PublicPublic HallHall 413413 Incoming Animal HHallall 300 East Entry Hall 301 Men’sMen’s 411411 CatCat HoldHold Bench 2 Women’sWomen’s Restroom Adoption CatCat Evaluation / Restroom 108 LaundryLaundry Iso 405405 -2 StorageStorage 410 OfficeOffffice Medical 409 302 111 303 414 StorageStorage 415415 Dog HoldHold 417 201201 # VolunteerVVooluolunteer Area 416 DogDog Iso Kennel 1 GroomingGrooming 306 229-1229-1 VisitingVisiting StorageStorage JanitorJanitor Storage Iso 304 229 Iso Kennel #2 202 505505 506 Medical ShowerShower 229-2229-2 HHallall 307 LockersLockers 33050055 308 West North Viewing HHallall 419 CatCat ViewingViewing HallHall CCondosondos East 418 FoodFood PrepPrep HallHall West 101 DogDog DogDog DogDog DogDog DogDog VViewingiewing 309 Cat SuiteSuite SuiteSuite SuiteSuite SuiteSuite SuiteSuite HHallall VViewingiewing 206 207 208 209 210 HHallall 420 FoodFood Prep 100100 310 Storage VisitingVisiting DogDog WestWWeeest Dog East DogDog 312 SSuiteuite CCourtyardourtyard Suite CCourtyardourtyard SSuiteuite 102102 211 203 HallHall 205 212 Food Storage 204 311 SouthSouth CatCat ViewingViewing HallHall 103103 DogDog DogDog DogDog DogDog DogDog SSuiteuite SSuiteuite SSuiteuite SSuiteuite SSuiteuite CatCat CatCat 213 214 215 216 217 CColonyolony CColonyolony NAMING 104 105 South Viewing HHallall 421 SoutheastSoutheast OPPORTUNITIES PPatioatio 423 You can help open the doors of OutdoorOutdoor OutdoorOutdoor Southwest CatCat CatCat PatioPatio TrainingTraining & TrainingTraining & the shelter when you make a ArAreaea AreaArea 422 ExeExercisercise ExeExercisercise contribution or pledge and 106106 107107 218 219 name an area of your choice. Call Executive Director Ellen Gauthier at 727-PETS to Dog Dog Dog Dog Dog Dog Dog Dog Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run learn more about naming 221221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 opportunities still available. Outdoor Dog Area 220 Eight 4 x 12' Dog Runs 2 Story continued from cover page Construction drawings and specifications for Phase 2 We thank the following companies for have been completed and final pricing of this next phase the work they accomplished over the is underway. Phase 2 will include: winter and spring. Great job! • Complete thermal envelope of the building (exterior walls, columns, windows, and roof) Enterprise Electric • Under-slab utilities inside the building L’Heureux Page Werner (plumbing and electrical) Missouri River Trucking and Excavating (MRTE) • Interior concrete floor slabs Siemens Engineering Company • Mechanical heating, ventilation, and air Sletten Construction conditioning equipment and airflow distribution Thomas Dean & Hoskins • Basic electrical components United Materials • Finish grading of the site topography By the end of this month (July2011), L’Heureux Page Werner will have completed the final construction drawings for the remaining phases of the project. At that time, we will have a full set of design documents with detailed information for Phases 3 through 5. The center will be ready to open at the end of Phase 3. Our fundraising committee is working diligently on the capital campaign. The goal is to keep donations flowing in ahead of construction needs so there will be no delays in the building process due to lack of funds. We are committed to having the new animal welfare center open as soon as possible, and the community has been unbelievably generous since we broke ground on the project. The anonymous couple who sponsored both sections of the building by donating $500,000 in March led the way for others. The education room was recently sponsored in the Morin, Bandit and Nano McCluskey walk past the piers at the shelter entrance. amount of $50,000 by a young couple who stated, “We believe we can make the biggest change in our community now – while we’re here to see the impact of our contribution. It’s so important to commit to the things you believe in. For us it is the Animal Foundation.” This spectacular donation came on the heels of several other major gifts, including $27,800 from a couple who chose to name three dog areas, and three gifts totaling $25,000 for naming rights in the cat area. You can put your name, or that of a loved one, on the new Margaret J. Maclean Animal Welfare Center, too! Available naming opportunities range from $1,200 for a landscaping tree to $20,000 for the main lobby, a large room, or viewing hall. Naming rights are also being offered at the Pacific Steel & Recycling Trailside Dog Park. Please consider donating to this wonderful project. We would be more than happy to meet with you and answer your questions! Contact Ellen at 727-7387 for more information. The timeline for overall completion depends on actual costs incurred and our fundraising results. We need your continued support and look forward to working with you to open the doors. Purple Paw Winners Showstoppers at Fur Ball 2011 2 4 1 3 Another fabulous night was had by the Fur Ball attendees, including the furry ones! A sold-out crowd of more than 350 people were in attendance at the Heritage Inn on April 16th to help raise money for our much needed animal welfare center. 6 For those of you who were unable to attend, the night was spectacular – delicious food, beautiful surroundings, exciting 7 auction items, and most importantly, people who genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and the animal welfare cause. The Foundation is pleased to report that the evening raised $57,000 – and some regular attendees reported it was the best Fur Ball in our seven-year history! A big thank you to those who sponsored the event, bought tickets, bid on items, purchased raffle tickets, joined us in the card blitz, and toasted your glasses 5 to such a worthy cause. It’s because of you that the Animal Foundation is able to move forward on our new building, provide needed spay/neuter services in Great Falls, and and Ty and Gus are part of the historical reenactments at the continue to maintain our well-loved dog park. Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. This event could not have taken place without countless hours When the dogs visit, good things happen. One example of a put in by our committed volunteers. We appreciate everyone’s positive outcome is a young girl who suffered a brain injury. efforts to make this another successful Fur Ball and sincerely She was unresponsive to her environment and unable to speak. hope you enjoyed the evening as much as those who benefited Ty, who is especially good with mentally challenged patients, from your dedication. visited this girl as she sat in her wheelchair. When she saw Ty, 2011 Purple Paw Award she struggled to shape her lips to call him. This was just the Bestowed on Canine Team beginning of her progress. Ty became a regular visitor and she Not one, but five dogs were the recipients of this year’s Purple grew better every time he came to see her, eventually reaching Paw Award at the 2011 Fur Ball. The honor, awarded annually out to pet him. to a cat or dog who best illustrates the bond between animals The couples use their time at the Juvenile Detention Center and humans, was bestowed on five dogs this year because they allowing the children to enjoy the dogs and also teaching about are a working team. “We couldn’t choose just one, since this caring properly for pets. Bonnie Ganster remarked, “When we team is a unit,” said Sally Cerny. “They work together and take our ‘fur kids’ to the center, you can see the love in the we want to recognize them together.” eyes of the children after 30 minutes with the dogs. They The certified therapy dog team is comprised of two Newfoundland bring out the best in those young people.” dogs:Ty and Gus, and a Golden Retreiver: Sasha (belonging to The Animal Foundation is grateful to these two very generous Craig & Bonnie Ganster) plus two Maltese/Chihuahua crosses: families who have dedicated so much of their time so that Bella and Biscuit (belonging to Chris & Sherri Boyer).