Holiday Letter Page 2

With the help and support of out Volunteers and Contributors, Lake Shore Animal Shelter has persisted for almost 40 years doing whatever we can., whenever we can, to join with others like you who care for these cherished, loving companions; to stand together amidst the tide of ignorance and blindness and just simply say "ENOUGH!" Through our efforts and those of hundreds of other organizations around the country, public awareness has grown, slowly but surely, and some progress has been made to move us all closer to a society that genuinely vlaues these animals, and treats them in a compassionate, civilized, truly humane manner. The reality faced by all non-profit, charitable organizations is this: in order to continue to perform our Life-affirming mission, we must first be able to survive. Simply put, in order to continue our work, we need to be able to pay the bills! We need contributions! We work hard to control and minimize our operating costs. We have negotiated discounts with Veterinary providers, donations from pet product producers, and constantly look for ways to reduce expenses. Our most recent Certified Public Audit, completed earlier this year, shows that over 90% of our budget goes directly to the care of the animals. All of these efforts help to reduce our fund-raising requirement. Unfortunately, they don't eliminate it. We try not to spend too much time and energy raising money. We typically hold one major event each year, and do one large-scale direct mail campaign. Our mission, after all. is not to raise money: our mission is to save animals. The letter that you are reading right now is our annual Holiday appeal. This is the only letter this year that you will receive from us: your only opportunity to help us continue our life-savinp work. and our only opportunity to ask you to do so. Your tax-deductible contribution to our 501c(3), non-profit organization (IRS # 36-2601047) will help us to continue our mission; a mission that we have been privileged to pursue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, continuously since 1966. Thanks again for taking the time out from your busy schedule, and thanks especially for caring. May you and yours have a joyous. blessed Holiday season! Sincerely, Elizabeth Curran Lake Shore Animal Shelter, Inc

 

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