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Super PAWSabilities
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Super PAWSabilities Capital Campaign
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN STATEMENT
Super Heroes Humane Society (Super Heroes IRJ) has been leasing a facility for the past 3 years. The facility is being sold and Super Heroes Humane Society has purchased a property and vacant building at 160 Pony Farm Rd, Oneonta. The new 4,300-square foot building on-site must be renovated to house animals and existing shelter operations.
Renovation of the building at the new property will allow Super Heroes Humane Society to upgrade its facilities, including building dog kennels that meet current humane housing guidelines; separating healthy, crated cats into their own cat condo room for public visitation; creating a welcoming lobby and reception area for the public; and installing air handling and cooling to maintain a consistent, healthier atmosphere within the shelter. This renovation will ensure that the staff and the animals they care for 365 days a year are in a safe and comfortable environment. With the addition of spaces designated for animal visitation, it will improve both the animal’s well-being and the adoption experience.
Improved safety is also a critical component of our new facility. We will have upgraded security systems, multiple exits, and fire-proof building materials used in construction wherever possible. Caring for multiple animals poses very special needs in air filtration, healthcare, and the ability to properly clean and disinfect. These systems and processes will all be greatly improved in the new facility ensuring we can meet the Association of Shelter Veterinarian standards.
Super Heroes Humane Society has officially been operating in the community since 2018. We consistently maintain a waiting list for cat intakes. There is seemingly unending work to be done to prevent cat and dog overpopulation and end the inhumane treatment of animals that exists in our communities. Today, we are impeded by our lack of facility ownership and the lack of humanely designed, specialized spaces needed to meet the current demand of providing quality services to animals and their caregivers in need.
Our ultimate goal is to create an inviting space for all in our community to enjoy that will last for decades, which will include additional spaces and services. This renovation of the existing 4,300-square foot building is the first phase in that effort. Bringing and keeping people and pets together has always been our main focus, and it is because so many people in our community truly care about companion animals and their fellow community members that we are able to take on this initial ambitious $1 million renovation project.
We have been awarded a $440,347 grant through the New York State-funded Companion Animal Capital Fund. We are still in the process of raising an additional $560,000 so that we can have our fully functional facility. Our project will result in larger areas for animal care and functionally separated for animals of different ages and health conditions. It will decrease congestion by creating a welcoming lobby and reception area, a separate adoption visitation area, new kennels that provide double the living area for each dog, and moving crated cats into specially designed cat condo housing that is open to visitors. These changes provide a better visitor experience, promote healthier animals, and will shorten overall shelter stay times so that more animals get adopted out.
HISTORY
Officially organized in 2018, Super Heroes Humane Society is a no-kill, not-for-profit humane society and animal shelter, soon to be located at 160 Pony Farm Rd, Oneonta, New York. Super Heroes Humane Society does not receive public funding or support from any state or federal agencies or national animal welfare organizations. Super Heroes Humane Society has been leasing a facility for the past 3 years. However, the facility’s dog kennels do not currently meet the Association of Shelter Veterinarians standards and the age and layout of the building are deterrents to efficient and economical renovations necessary to have the structure meet the needs of the organization. Obtaining a new structure became imperative to the organization’s continued operations.
In 2021, the property for sale at 160 Pony Farm Rd was reduced in price to within the organization’s potential budget and a zoning use variance was secured from the Town of Oneonta Zoning Board of Appeals. The Pony Farm Rd property has a wide-open steel building conducive to renovations as well as a large, level yard perfect for new dog yards and visitors/staff/volunteers to walk dogs. Super Heroes Humane Society secured a mortgage commitment and immediately began working on a renovation plan that optimizes the existing building so that current operations can continue and future development phases will dovetail into ongoing operations to solidify the organization’s successful future.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Super Heroes Humane Society started as an all-volunteer endeavor. Volunteers are still at the core of our daily operations and success. From school-aged to retired, our volunteers are as diverse as the community we serve.
Super Heroes Humane Society works with Bassett Healthcare Network and other social services organizations to help individuals in need of care for their animals when they have no other options due to an unexpected hospital admission, a domestic violence situation, or facing homelessness. In these situations, Super Heroes Humane Society offers free temporary boarding, as space allows.
Additionally, Super Heroes Humane Society is a resource for aid agencies staff who are seeking assistance on behalf of their clients who are struggling to feed their animals. Super Heroes Humane Society provides a no-questions-asked pet food pantry and even makes regular deliveries to residents caring for cat colonies.
Super Heroes Humane Society continues to partner with animal care clinics to provide our community with access to low-cost spay/neuter services for cats.
Together, Super Heroes Humane Society and all those with whom we partner make this a better place to live for our residents and are the heroes at the heart of our community.
WHY NOW
The facility Super Heroes Humane Society leases is being sold. The facility does not meet current humane housing standards and the costs to renovate the structure are prohibitive. Super Heroes Humane Society is in the process of buying 160 Pony Farm Rd, a level, open property perfect for dog yards, that has a well-built, easily renovated building constructed in 2013, and is conveniently accessible from I-88.
Our current facility has held us back from creating the welcoming public spaces, the proper cat and dog housing, and the operational and systems layout we know we need to create a healthier environment for the animals in our care and a better experience for the community members that visit us.
Renovation of 160 Pony Farm Rd allows us to create the type of facility that reflects our vision—one that enhances all aspects of Super Heroes Humane Society’s services and furthers our mission to serve our community’s animals and their caretakers.
OUR VISION
A community-centered animal shelter that remains proactive, forward-thinking, and models practical actions that improve the well-being of animals and the residents whose lives they touch.
OUR MISSION
Super Heroes Humane Society betters the lives of our community’s companion animals and their caretakers through compassion, expertise, and engagement.
OUR GOALS
1. Spay or neuter every animal in our care so that they do not contribute to the cat and dog overpopulation issues.
2. Operate as a no-kill shelter where the life of every animal is valued. Overcrowding will never be a factor in the decision to euthanize.
3. Adhere to the highest standards for caring for the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of every animal in our care.
4. Administer vaccinations, medical diagnostic tests, and medical treatments for parasites and other treatable conditions to every animal in our care.
5. Promote a positive adoption application experience that encourages adopters to thoughtfully accept the responsibilities of pet ownership.
6. Share our knowledge, experience, and resources so that our community understands the importance of the humane treatment of animals and acts to ensure such treatment.
7. Collaborate with individuals, organizations, and businesses to inspire creative ways to bring people and pets together for the common good of our community.
Super Heroes Humane Society FACTS
- A private, 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization and receives no public funding or support from any state or federal agencies or national animal welfare organizations.
- A no-kill shelter in Oneonta, New York that houses approximately 400 animals a year.
- An average of 395 animals were adopted into forever homes each of the past 2 years.
- Donations received on an annual basis are essential to cover the costs of animal spaying, neutering, vaccinating, and medical costs when animals are sick or injured.
- All animals are spayed or neutered as soon as medically or age appropriate
SERVICES 2022
Adoptions
Emergency boarding
Facilitate low-cost spay/neuters
CAPITAL PROJECT
$1,000,000 = $559,653 Super PAWSabilities Capital Campaign + $440,347 Companion Animal Capital Fund grant
4,300-square foot renovation
- Build all new dog kennels, cat community room, cat and dog intake room, veterinary surgery suite, laundry room, pet food and supplies storage.
- Build specialized intake/exam room to keep potentially sick animals separated from healthy animals.
- Install a fire suppression/sprinkler system, larger laundry facilities, and improved air circulation and cooling system.
- Provide fully functional staff office space.
- Renovate the front of the building to include a cat community room and welcoming visitor lobby area with reception.
- Build a cat condo room to keep healthy cats out of the lobby area and safely housed where the public can visit them.
TIMELINE
June 2021 Board votes to purchase 160 Pony Farm Rd
July 2021 Board connects with BBL, a design/build firm with extensive experience in animal shelter design and construction
July 2021 Board approves the Project Program
August 2021 Board commences Capital Campaign
August/September 2021 Organization submits $500,000 grant application for the Companion Animal Capital Fund
December 2022 Anticipated start of renovations
TURN THE VISION INTO REALITY
We’re embarking upon a $560,000 capital campaign to renovate our new facility located at 160 Pony Farm Rd, Oneonta. We are looking to animal-loving, community-centered people to help us reach our goal. Your efforts and generosity mean we can embark on this exciting project that will change the lives of thousands of animals and animal caretakers in Otsego, Delaware, Chenango Counties and beyond.
You can support the campaign with a charitable gift today:
- The campaign welcomes gifts of cash, securities, or other negotiable instruments.
- Naming opportunities are available for gifts of $5,000 or more.
For more information and updated naming opportunities contact: Kristin Kulow at [email protected] or (607) 441-3227.
Help Save A Life With A Donation
Let’s face it, we’re happy to get paid in purrs and tail wags, but the rest of the world wants something different. Your generosity is why we can keep saving lives. There are several ways you can make an impact.