Breaking Ground Campaign to be Officially Launched at FurBall

Save the date! The OHS will be officially launching its Breaking Ground Building Campaign at its annual FurBall gala on March 28, 2009. The elegant and ever-popular event is the perfect venue to officially unveil the campaign, as it is attended by many of those who are the most committed to helping Ottawa's animals. The gala, held at the stunning National Gallery, is the most public event on the OHS calendar and generates a lot of excitement in its own right.

The OHS will announce the location of the new facility and will use the evening to publicly thank the early donors to the campaign, as well as raise both awareness and funds for the new facility.

Trooper Rocks for a New Home for the OHS

On November 1, the OHS union, CUPE 503, sponsored a free concert to highlight public services in Ottawa featuring the bands Trooper, the Cooper Brothers, and comedians Bowser and Blue. CUPE had asked us in late summer if the OHS would like to join them to raise funds for the Breaking Ground Building Campaign. OHS volunteers were on site with donation envelopes, buckets, and 50/50 tickets, and almost $6,000 was raised to help assure a brighter future for the animals. The concert was a tremendous opportunity to offer Ottawa a “sneak peek” at the campaign and to begin to raise awareness of the sad state of the current OHS building.

The fact that CUPE was so happy to help with the campaign is a tribute to the commitment of our staff and the community to the animals, says OHS Executive Director Bruce Roney. "It is also a reflection of our excellent relationship with the union that represents our employees. Thank you CUPE!"

Along with this sneak peek, the event coincided with the launch of the Breaking Ground website. The site was launched to support the CUPE event and will link from the main OHS site after the official campaign launch in March.

Introducing… Anna Silverman

Most supporters of the campaign have already had an opportunity to meet Anna. For readers who have somehow missed her, Anna started with the OHS in March, and she has already had a big impact! Anna previously worked in development with Ottawa's Soloway Jewish Community Centre and was the key organizer of the very successful Sports Dinner for four local charities.

Please call Anna at 613-725-3166 ext. 279 or e-mail her at annas@ottawahumane.ca if you have questions about the campaign, or would like to be more involved in building a brighter future for Ottawa's animals.

Winnipeg Humane Society a Model for Modern Animal Shelters

As many campaign supporters know, the OHS Executive Director visited the Winnipeg Humane Society in the spring to tour their new shelter and to discuss the important elements of their successful campaign. "It was amazing to see how a well-designed shelter that is the right size for a community can have such a huge impact on animal health and well-being. Many of the design elements of the Winnipeg shelter mirror the thoughts we have had in our early planning," says Bruce. "Their advice also really helped us overcome some of the roadblocks that we were facing with the campaign."

The OHS is using some of the pictures that Bruce took to show supporters what a modern animal shelter looks like.