OUR MISSION OF HOPE

Founded in 1936, CAHS has been serving the Greater Lansing area for over 83 years. We are an animal-welfare organization with a mission to promote the humane treatment of companion animals through protection, placement, education, and example. We serve the tri-county region of Eaton, Clinton, and Ingham Counties, and beyond.

The services we provide include:

  • Shelter and adoption services for more than 4,000 animals annually.
  • A behavior program that includes extensive daily enrichment activities for all of our pets waiting for homes, obedience classes, and a free behavior helpline for both adopters and the public.
  • A pet food bank.
  • Spay and neuter surgeries for more than 8,500 pets annually.
  • Humane education programs, which include CHAT (Children for Humane Animal Treatment) Club and eight weeks of camp.

CAHS partners with local rescues and animal controls.

We currently transfer animals in for adoption from over 50 organizations. Most of these organizations are in our local region, but we also transfer pets from the southern states. In addition, we partner with local animal control agencies on cruelty investigations.

In 2017, we completed the first phase of our 3-phase, 10-year strategic facilities plan. With the generous support of our community, CAHS was able to expand the intake department and adoptable cat area, renovate our lobby, increase the number of homeless pets we can take in, and provide a less stressful environment while they wait for their health and behavior evaluations.

 

CHALLENGES FACING CAHS

The Creating Hope, Completing Families campaign will overcome the following challenges:

  • The demand for animal cruelty services requires a specialized department with a housing area to properly care for and address cruelty cases.
  • The existing dog and puppy adoption area is a high-stress environment.
  • It is too small and outdated to accommodate the animals.
  • The flooring system is challenging to clean and sanitize, which can contribute to the spread of disease.
  • There is limited space designated for animal enrichment, exercise, and play.

OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES

Animal-welfare is at the forefront of CAHS. We fully understand the needs of shelter animals and acknowledge that our facility is not adequate to carry our services into the future. As leaders in our industry, we understand it is necessary to make improvements to enable us to grow, save more lives and educate the community about proper animal care.

The Creating Hope, Completing Families campaign will focus on state-of-the-art dog, puppy and kitten housing, with a strong focus on stress-reduction and disease control. This campaign also includes the renovation of our old intake area into an animal anti-cruelty department, which will allow CAHS to develop a full-scale cruelty prevention program. The total amount needed to complete this campaign is $2.3 million.

 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?   

CAHS is seeking $2.3 million in community support to fulfill the needs and meet the goals of this project. You can help us achieve these goals by supporting this campaign through:

  • A one-time cash gift.
  • A multi-year pledge commitment (may be payable over a three-year period).
  • A gift of appreciated assets, such as stock.
  • The donation of an asset that can be converted to cash, such as property, an automobile or collectibles.

CAHS is a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Accordingly, your charitable gift is tax-deductible to the full extent of state and federal law.
Please check with your tax advisor to determine how your gift may affect your personal tax situation.

 

The campaign goal is to raise $2.3 million.
Included below, is a breakdown of how the
investment will be spent.

Campaign Costs:
$110,000

Renovation of Anti-Cruelty Department:
$140,000

Generator:
$160,000

Construction Management, Design Contingency, and Permits:
$363,678

Renovation of Dog and Puppy Adoption Area:
$1,519,200

CAMPAIGN CABINET

Bill Burke
Cheryl Fritze
Christine Dowding-Metts
Christopher Stralkowski
Clayton Stiffler
Cristin English

Deb Dansby
Ed Harden
Jan Cunningham
Jeff Metts
Jennifer Ferguson
Jennifer Marsh
Julie Cooper
Karen Currie

Kevin VanderKolk
Lisa Burke
Lisette Poletes
Mark Lockwitz
Michael Beebe
Nora Luke

Pamela Amato
Pam Harden
Paul Davis
Steve Transeth
Susan Setas

 

If you have any questions about current programs, future goals or how you can help CAHS
reach its current goal of raising $2.3 million, please contact the following staff members:

Julia Willson, President and CEO
(517) 626-6060 ext. 117 | [email protected]

Jamie Matwiczyk, Director of Development
(517) 626-6060 ext. 120 | [email protected]