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On the advice of our attorney until he has the opportunity to go over the edvidence in the lawsuit against the shelter, we must take down any thing we have posted referencing the the farm, or comments we have made.
Pending lawsuit Mckay vs Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter, etal., filed in Morrow County, case #2007 CV 00372.
This is going to be a nasty battle I am afraid.We have now started a "starving attorney" fund here at our shelter, the funds will go to help our "starving attorney" in his gallant effort in defending those who have no voice and our shelter.
Please spead the word, you can copy and past this entire note.Pay pal address for the "starving attorney" fund is shelter@ferretsunlimited.org please put starving attorny or need in the subject.Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you on behalf of the "starving attorney"and those he defends.
If you have anything that is inflamitory, or copied off any site, it would be wise to remove it until further notice.We will repost the pictures once we take out our comments.
As I sit here waiting for this mornings loads of ferret laundry to finish, and the hot water to heat up so I can take a shower and become a road warrior, I have been thinking.
Dangerous isn’t it? LOL! A statement a very dear friend of mine keeps echoing in my head. She made the statement after I posted that we are looking for a new, active Board of Directors. What is the comment you ask? “I read the Director’s Corner, I am glad to see you back in the saddle again.”
You see, I never had been out of the saddle, nor have I given up on the building. I have been plugging along, against the current, but still plugging along, slowly, networking as best I can with the limited number of people I know.
Oh, I can hear you now. “LIMITED? You know lots of people.” Not really, think about how I spend most of my time, it is either doing ferret laundry, cleaning litter boxes, driving to and from the vet, or my oncologist, sitting at Petco doing PR work, or of late, sitting and waiting for the tow truck or flat bed. (Old Blue, the Lumina APV with 252,000 miles bled to death in the driveway awhile ago, brakes, tranny, power steering fluid, all within two days, the Grey Ghost, 93 Taurus wagon with 190,000 miles on it, developed an electrical short, and is literally falling apart – rusted parts and pieces are falling off).
The good news in all of this, a friend’s son works for an architect, and his friend who deals with contractors have the blue prints, there are a few tweaks I was wondering about, that they will look at to see if it is possible and if they will comply with the city of Parma’s building codes. You cannot write for Capital Improvement Grants without a budget or projected start and finish date (learned that the hard way, Lord I do dislike those turn down letters).
Then I called Cleveland Lumber, on Madison Avenue. Cleveland Lumber has been around forever, and is a family business. Unbelievably they are competing with the big boys, Lowes and Home Depot. They are very customer oriented, customer service oriented, just a great place to shop for home improvement or building needs.
Now I spoke with Vince the owner. I am looking for ways to cut cost and keep the best quality we can. The conversation went like this, “Vince, it is Jean, you know formally from United Garage Door? Now just the crazy ferret lady,” He laughs, “Yes Jean, I do remember you, what is up?” “Well,” I reply, “the shelter owns property, and we want to build a new building, we desperately need it.” “Ok.” He replies. “I had this idea, rather than having the builders purchase the building supplies them selves, I was wondering if Cleveland Lumber carries all of the items and things needed to build a building, and I wanted to know if the shelter made a deposit on account, of like $50,000.00 can we purchase all the supplies from Cleveland Lumber, you guys deliver the supplies to site, you can let me know when we need to add funds to the account for the building, and I would have a better track of what is ordered, used, and the supplies won’t get a mark up from the builders.”
Ok, I know builders need to make money, but I am trying to find a way to get the best for the money. The head contractor faxes the list to Cleveland Lumber, they deliver, the builders have what they need delivered as they need it and the building is built. The shelter saves a bit of money from a small mark up, and saves the sales tax.
Vince says, “Sure, we can do that for you, we can even donate some of the supplies.” That made me go YES!!
You ask, well how much is some? My reply, even if they donate 2% of the needed supplies that is 2% less the shelter has to raise. 2% of $50,000.00 is $1000.00. In my world that is A LOT of money to save.
Add to that if the funds are transferred into the shelter’s Pay Pal account, and we use that to make the deposit at Cleveland Lumber, we get 1% cash back from purchases, which means on $50,000.00 that is another $500.00!!
Therefore, to sum up this little post, I was never out of the saddle, just plodding along. That is why the shelter desperately needs a WORKING Board of Directors.
So remember, September 15, 2 PM to 5 PM, Panora Bread, on Tiedemann Road, Brooklyn, Ohio. Find out what is needed, and how you can help, remember, beverages are on me!
You may want to know my husband found him today. Neighbor said that the cage was there yesterday.  You left this little boy in the heat??? Next to a shed, where neighborhood dogs and feral cats had a chance at him, where the sun gets an opportunity to beat down on him? You left him with two pieces of bologna for food? The water bottle laying on its side so he couldn't get water? He was out there for over 24 hours, what were you thinking? The neighbor would see him? The  neighbor doesn't save ferrets, he saw a cage with a crappy hammock in it, he thought that I must have left a cage there to take out with the trash. Thank God my husband has the sense to knows better and checked the cage. I wasn't even home, I was on my way to do an education day at Petco, and the car broke down. What is even scarier is the fact that we were going to take the day and go for a long ride, and not come home till evening, but then the Wadsworth Petco had a grand opening and I thought maybe the shelter would be better served if I were there. Let me guess, you are one of those folks who are on the waiting list to surrender, one of those folks who’s heart is breaking because they need to surrender their ferret because the ferret has become an inconvenience in their lives. One of those folks who knew that they had to move, but decided that they didn't have to spend time looking for a place that allows pets, I am sure that you cried the whole way while sneaking the cage into the back yard. Just like the one who brought a ferret in the trunk of her car two weeks ago. Oh, so heart broken. I am sure your heart was breaking while you looked at apartments, I am sure your heart was breaking when you filled out the surrender form 9 days ago saying you have to move in 14 days, or however long you had. I am sure your heart was breaking when you got the email telling you we are at capacity, and waiting list is over four weeks, I am sure your heart was breaking when you read the suggestions I had for you to take a proactive role in finding a home for your ferret. I am sure your heart was breaking when you found out that you weren't getting off the hook that easy, and I wasn't going to make you feel better about having to get up your ferret. I am sure your heart was breaking, I hope you have nightmares you piece of sh**.
Ok, you want to get involved, you want to help, but you really don't want to clean litterboxes, and you don't have time to be here at the shelter, but you can make a meeting once a month, and you can find time during the month to dedicate an hour here and an hour there to make things happen for the shelter.
Join me and all who want to see the shelter survive and thrive.
Date: Santurday, September 15, 2007
When: 2 PM to 5 PM
Where: Panora Bread
5090 Tiedeman
Brooklyn, Ohio
216/362-8130
Why: To start from the beginning and build a working Board of Directors, not glamorous, not a paid position, plenty of work, but rewarding!! Come see how you can make a difference.
There is no way the shelter can continue with out YOUR help.
I will pay for the beverages (pop, water, coffee) sorry can't buy you lunch.
Most people do not know that I was not around for the past few days, shelter related, but I had a day and a half where I was able to read a book on fundraising, and do some serious thinking.
My first idea was to come home and just jump into the financial stuff and not worry about the day-to-day expenses, worry about the bigger picture, and the little one will take care of itself, right?
As I was reading, the more I started to realize that this shelter is one of the many non-profits that end up with the “tin cup” begging. Basically one person who does it all. The ideas I have are sound, but in order to make things work it takes involvement and commitment, and since the help falls short, our fund raising ends up me with a tin cup begging, or running in a panic because the “wolves” are at the door.
Well, I am back, and reality hit me, I can’t not worry about the day to day expenses of the shelter, I can’t not worry about how the shelter will be dealt with if I by some miracle find a job, I cringe at that. Why do you ask? It means another step back in what I was making. Not that I was making a ton when the cancer hit, but $9 (net it ended up more like $6.50 net) an hour helped with the shelter bills.
The more I read, the more I thought and realized that things need to change. I will be the first to admit that yes, I am not the easiest person to deal with. It isn’t that I mean to be stand offish, or act like I don’t care, but I have so much on my plate, which tends to stress me out and make me a bit (ok a lot) forgetful, scattered with lots of piles of things that I need to do, and absolutely need to.
So, where is this all going? The shelter’s Board of Directors. It is time for change. A lame duck board needs to be replaced.
Now how do you replace a Board of Directors? Well, this is a start. Are you willing to make a commitment to this shelter? Are you willing to follow through on projects and building on a donor base? Are you willing to take a step beyond your comfort zone in order to help the ferrets in the shelter? Can you make that step to help the shelter be better than it ever has been and provide more help to Northern Ohio?
If you can, or think you can, please email fufs@sbcglobal.net and put Board of Directors in the subject line.
I will find a spot to hold a meeting, where we can sit and discuss what a working Board is, find ways of organizing tasks, and if it is a commitment that you can hold to.
I made the comment to a friend of mine, if I could somehow get volunteers to commit four hours a month to the shelter, it could make miracles. The response I got was not one I expected from a friend, ferret owner, and ferret advocate. Her response? “Well, four hours is this that and the other thing in my life.”
I am expected to find time to care for all of the ferrets, run to the vet, fund raise, beg, nurse sick animals, answer the phone, shop for supplies, clean the cages, do ferret laundry (yes, there are two ladies who help, but I still have tons) do human laundry, do human grocery shopping, go to the doctors, pay shelter bills (after I beg hard enough) pay human bills, figure how what I can skip in the human bills to pay for shelter, help ferret owners, and do education programs. Oh, and talk to my husband, and kids, as well as fit my pets into the equation.
You have to understand, I am not trying to sound like I am threatening anything, but I am trying to be realistic, and trying to make others see the position I am in, the shelter is in.
We still have the opportunity for a building, an opportunity to make things happen for ferrets in Northern Ohio.
However, is it fair to expect this couple to do it all? ABSOLUTLY NOT! This shelter is part of the community, and I am asking the community to become involved, to volunteer, to become a board member or to volunteer time on a committee, or volunteer here.
There can be a Board member or two out of state, but that does not excuse you from committing and following through. Everyone that serves will be getting emails on what is committed to, and updates as things progress. General meetings for the board at first can be once a month then as things grow and progress adjusted accordingly.
This is not glamorous, this has no pay, you have to work, and keep your commitment, but it will not take all of your time, just a few hours.
The shelter is dependant on your involvement. I cannot do it all alone, I have been begging for help, pleading.
The ultimate goal for the shelter? To be in it’s own building, with a working donor list, grants being written and received, an example of what a community working together can accomplish. Who knows even have a few paid positions. That way, I can hand the reins over to the next Director, and just volunteer.
The goal is the shelter to continue on independent of me. As the way things are currently, unless someone says, I will take over, there is no shelter without me, and that is not how it should be.
I am a human, a person, with (believe it or not) real emotions. I do not like being standoffish, I do not like coming across as a mean witch, or a whiney person, I do not want people to think “oh that poor person”. I am a person stretched far beyond what most of you can imagine. Emotionally, financially, time, I have nothing left.
I need help, I need you to make a commitment to the ferrets here at the shelter, to follow through and help build this shelter into something that shows what a group of people working together is capable of.
Are you with me?
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posted by Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter
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