Our Vision for the Future: C.A.R.E. Pet Services Center

Did you know…

• Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide annually

• 1.5 million (1 in 4) don’t make it out of the shelter alive

• At least 1,376 companion animals were euthanized in Greene County alone in 2017

…and so on, and so on, and so on.

This is clearly a problem – a problem we will not accept – and we have a plan in place to attack the problem directly at its source: The C.A.R.E. Pet Services Center. The innovative Pet Services Center will provide a full-service veterinary clinic, grooming, pet training, community education, food pantry assistance, emergency services, and other pet retention services to low-income families and seniors. The goal of the Pet Services Center will be to reduce owner surrenders, ultimately decreasing the number of animals abandoned in shelters and keeping them in loving homes.

The C.A.R.E. Pet Services Center will not have a shortage of programs and services provided, including but (definitely) not limited to:

• Cage-free pet adoptions

• K-9 training and behavioral consultation

• Grooming facilities

• Full-service veterinary facility

• Food pantry and cooperative

• Humane education

• Administrative offices

• …and so much more!

We already own the building that will one day be the C.A.R.E. Pet Services Center. It’s located in southwest Springfield. However, we have a long road ahead of us as we mold this office building into the perfect Pet Services Center…the renovation alone is going to cost an estimated $750,000. This is not a small undertaking, but we are one step closer. A very generous private benefactor has agreed to match all funds raised up to $500,000. So, assuming we raise $500,000, that automatically is actually $1,000,000!

We kicked off our official capital campaign for the building on April 25, 2019, with the Red CAREpet Gala, where we raised over $19,000 (so $38,000 with matching funds)! It was an amazing evening, including drinks, food, music, silent and live auctions, and the commencement of C.A.R.E.'s vision for the future...not to mention our special guests, Sheriff Arnott, Deputy Craigmyle, K9 Lor, Leigh Moody, Diskey the Wonder Dog, and Jecobie Roberts. We’re so thrilled with how things went that we’ve decided to make this an annual event. We’re in the early planning stages for 2020. We’ll be announcing a date soon, so stay tuned!

Thank you so much to all of our sponsors and supporters for making the 2019 Gala a possibility, including Café Cusco, Van Gogh’s Eeterie, Hood-Rich Architecture, Mid-Missouri Bank, Mother’s Brewing Company, Tame Pet Magazine, Lancaster Station, Mudhouse Coffee, Greens, Springfield Yellow Cab Company, BluCurrent Credit Union, Brad Bradshaw MD JD LC, Eda and Guy Bates, Downstream Casino, the Killuminati Foundation, the 150 attendees, and 57 auction item donors!

If you would like to donate to the C.A.R.E. Pet Services Center, use the following link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/castaway-animals-rescue-effort/c-a-r-e-pet-services-center

Pictures from 2019 Red CAREpet Gala: https://www.carerescue.org/redcarepetgala

See you at the 2020 Gala!