Naming rights still available
~by Noah Rohlfing
Don Orris knows better than almost anyone (except the PAWS volunteers) how much Greene County needs a new animal sheltering facility.
The Jefferson retiree has been working with the city, Greene County and with animal shelter volunteers to create a plan for a new PAWS building, which will be owned by the city and will replace the current facility. Orris called the current PAWS building outdated and in disrepair.
But what Orris hopes to do is more than just gain money for a new building: he’s hoping to educate the Greene County community on animal safety, animal care and animal adoption. He feels that the construction of a new facility is crucial to working towards that goal.
“It’s in awful shape,” Orris said of the current PAWS building. “They’re worried about the state shutting them down.
“It just blew me away that building costs were so expensive.”
Orris — with the help of a team of designers and architects — has developed a facility he thinks will be perfect for the county, with isolation areas for pets that first enter the facility in order to protect from spreading disease, room on the acreage for a dog park and more.
The building would have expanded kennels and living areas for dogs and cats to stay before they get adopted, an updated medical room and a waiting area for those wanting to adopt. Orris said that there is a flyover of what the finished building will look like on Youtube under “Greene County Animal Facility.”
Orris says the city of Jefferson would support the building in its annual budget, with the help of small contributions from small towns in the county.
There’s just one obstacle in the way: fundraising.
The number the building needs to hit is $1.1 million, Orris said. The current total raised is $450,000 — not bad, but there’s still a long way to go.
“Nobody realizes what building costs are today,” Orris said. “We need some real large benefactors, or we’re not going to succeed.
“And we need to succeed. There’s no real second choice.”
Orris stressed the need for a substantial individual donation to make the building work, with grants from organizations coming in smaller amounts and making it hard to string together the needed funds.
As an example, he pointed to the Dallas County Animal Shelter being built in Perry, where an individual donated what Orris said reached $2 million, which pushed their fundraising campaign over the edge and has allowed the shelter to begin construction.
In a time crunch with grants that have 12-month lifespans before going away, Orris is putting on a full-court press in order to attract donors. The shelter will give donors the chance to have rooms named after them based on the size of their donations. The individual who makes the largest donation will have the building named after him or her, an honor Orris hopes can raise interest.
“Many people have helped us along the way,” Orris said. “We need to take control and educate people and be responsible for our animal care.”
Those interested can pledge one-time payments, monthly payments or an annual plan going up to three years to the Greene County Animal Facility. Click here for a pledge form.
The 2019 Amazing Race for Charity, slated for Sept. 7, is donating all proceeds to the animal shelter building fund.
Persons who want more information or to make a donation can contact Orris at 515-386-2224.
