I'm tired. I give up.

Remember the post from the fifth about how I have been working my butt off doing a mass mailing, trying to find backers for fund raisers, donations, ect? I mean, I have been on the phone, on the net, walking into places, it used to be I lived eat and breathed the shelter only 24/6.5 (24 hours a day for 6 1/2 days a week). Now it is 24/7/365.

I've written letters, made calls, you name it. Asked for donations, tried to get funds by selling pavers, begged in every way I can think of.

Tried to get the media involved to do a feel good story, maybe get some advertising interest in the pavers or tiles.

Apparently, the fact that a ferret shelter is having a building anonymously donated isn't news worthy. I mean, all they have to do is check the records at the county auditors office, the building is in the Shelter's name, and there is no mortgage.

Then again, this is a double edge sword. People think, hm, well they have gotten that much from them, they can get more. They don't need my help. But we do. This couple is trying to help the shelter become a more recognized part of the rescue society and the community (both local and ferret) in general, not to be the sole support.

The local mailing to businesses is a laugh. Four businesses our of 18,000. Yep, you read that Right, eighteen THOUSAND. I was hoping to get a positive response from .5% or 90 businesses. You know items that are maybe 5 or 10 dollars. People like to win stuff at fundraising dinners. It doesn't matter what it is worth, they like to win.

The local community (the 25,000 mailing list who have donated to animal charities) has produced more nasty phone calls then I can count. I was hoping for a positive reaction from 1% of t his list. That is only 250 people. Ideally maybe 100 pavers, and 150 tiles. Or even a couple of envelopes that had notes in them that wished us good luck, but I can't send anything.

I didn't expect nasty letters and phone calls. For the past few days things have slowed down, and I was hoping I heard the end of the nasties, but nope, someone who didn't have the guts to sign their name or send an address to be removed from the list blasts me, saving ferrets? They never heard of anything so stupid. I should be working to end abortion. If people put half the energy into the abortion issues that I am putting into saving ferrets, then there would be no problems.

Oh yeah, turn ins are up because of the mass mailing. Now didn't that one just back fire and bite me right in the butt.

Again, if you read the post from April 5th, I am also responsible for domesticating ferrets,pollution, tearing down the rain forests, and organized deer hunts. Somewhere in there I think I have been blamed for cancer too.

The local ferret community that helps can be counted on one hand. Then I hear, well, I'd love to help but the shelter is in your home, I am so busy, it is soccer season. You need to ask for help. (I thought that in the news letters and on this site that is what I have been doing). Oh, it is a holiday season, I'm too busy.

I don't expect the world from anyone. But a little help, whether it be rounding up donations for event door prizes, doing litterboxes, stuffing envelopes, printing newsletters (the mailing and newsletter stuff are actually time oriented type of things, date announcements and such). Perhaps help find a location for one of the events that would be nice to hold. (I asked three different people to call three different places that said they would like to hold a fundraiser - all restaurants - of the three none was called.

Or I get told, just ask. I do, and hear nothing, or worse yet, they say they will do something to help organize, gather donation, make calls, find places, follow through with places will to do a fund raiser, and noting happens, they don't do it, and it all lands in my lap again, and usually it is too late for me to find a way to pull a rabbit out of my hat.

I hate the phrase "you need to do this". Why you ask? Because when some one tells me that it usually means, that YOU means ME and no help. (Remember I said usually) And usually when people say they will help or do something it means as long as they don't forget, or something better comes along.

Sell candy bars!! First, you need people who are willing to help you sell them. The last time I tried selling candy bars I had 10 people say they would help. Zero did. I had to buy a minimum of $600 worth of the fundraiser bars. How many got sold? 150, by me at a function I went to. (at the time I worked in a small office of three people, couldn't sell them there) so I gave them away at Halloween.

Write a grant!! I do. The response is "you need to be in an independent public building." You need to show community support. So, back to the drawing board. (since the shelter has started I have been turned down 152 times by grant foundations. You think I would get used to it.

There is a shelter that sells cheese cakes from a company that ships direct. Only they don't ship up north. I found another company, but they will only ship to one place, which means the shelter, and order taking. Which involves order taking, and more than one or two people. The company told me it is pretty useless to order a few cheescakes, because you have no profit after the shipping cost, why sell cheesecakes just to sell cheesecakes? Free shipping is on a minimum of a $400 order.

Oh yeah, the garage sale, two people have donated items to it. Three if you count me. Not enough to hold one, yet.

There is minimal local help. There is minimal local ferret community. The National Ferret community has so many shelters to try to help it isn't even funny. But I have tried there too. There is a write up in Ferrets Magazine May/June issue, and even an ad asking for help, well, begging.

Lots of time I hear "I don't know how you do it". Neither do I, I need help. I keep saying that. I am tired. I surrender. I wave the white flag. I need ideas, I need the help to make the ideas come to reality. The shelter is staying open, I just need help.