September 21, 2005
Paintings showcase animal instinct
Cherryland Humane Society gala fund-raiser features art created by shelter animals
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Wiping tears while cradling her beloved cat, Zoe, Venessa Forest thanked the Cherryland Humane Society for getting her and her cats to safety.
Speaking Saturday night at the Dennos Museum to attendees at the Cherryland Humane Society's second annual fund-raiser, the refugee from hurricane Katrina was in Traverse City because of the society. When her aunt, Chris John of Kingsley, called there last week begging for help with plane tickets for Forest's two cats, executive director Mike Cherry asked, 'Who do I make the check out to?'
"You don't know what it's like until it actually happens to you," said Forest, whose home in Grand Isle, La., has been completely destroyed. "That's what I told my Aunt Chris, I'm not leaving these cats because when I look at them I see home. If it wasn't for [the Humane Society,] I would be living on a street corner somewhere with my kennel."
Now settled with her aunt, Forest fled Louisiana with a few clothes and her pets the day after the hurricane hit. Low on money after a stretch in a hotel, she spent four days last week in Bristol, Tenn with relatives. When an unstable situation there required her to leave immediately, Forest found that buses, shelters and trains did not allow cats. Her aunt could not afford to fly the cats as cargo after she paid for Forest's airfare. Desperate to help her niece, John phoned around for assistance but hit a brick wall until she talked to Cherry.
"I woke up in the morning with a cry for help on my voicemail, she had to leave," recalled John. "Venessa called her people at FEMA, the Red Cross, whomever else to see what help she could get and she got the doors slammed shut."
While most tales of rescue and relief for unwanted cats and dogs are not so dramatic, staff and volunteers at the Cherryland Humane Society strive to aid as many animals as they can. Every year, they handle between 2,500-3,000 animals, about 60 percent cats and 40 percent dogs.
The society's major fund-raiser this year was A Knight's Tale, which featured music, refreshments and a live and silent auction. An estimated 100 people attended and boosted the evening's take by playing games such as Rin Tin Tin Spin, Glitter Box Scoop for Gems and Tarot Cards to learn their future's "tail." Paintings by pets at the shelter were prominently displayed before the auctions and every one sold during the evening.
Totals for this year's event are not available yet, but last year the first annual fund-raiser grossed $40,000. The money raised will help retire the mortgage on the state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2002. Since moving to the new facility, the organization has helped more than two-and-half times the number of animals than at their previous location. The shelter runs at full or nearly full capacity most of the time.
The major fund-raiser of the year will also support more than 25 programs that society administers, including benevolence programs, education and directly helping animals with rehabilitation.
The society also launched the Hurricane Emergency Animal Relief Fund ten days ago to help animals displaced by hurricane Katrina. The shelter has also committed to taking in some animals - most likely only dogs - that have lost their homes and owners. These animals will be quarantined for 30 days and evaluated for temperament and adoptability before being available.
"Any displaced animals will have their pictures put on our website and if anyone can identify them we hope they can be reunited with their owners," said Cherry.