Dear Great Plains friends and family,
“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.”
Wow! We are finally all here, together, in Merriam: what a journey it has been these last six months!
Thank you to our adopters, volunteers, donors and supporters for all you have given our shelters and the animals in our care. Thank you too, to the entire communities of Independence and Jackson County for six years of partnership.
With your help, we have recorded 18,312 adoptions, 26,720 animals taken in, 4,422 returns to owners, and 2,156 transfers to rescues at the Jackson County Regional Animal Shelter since 2013. We truly could not have done this without you, so thank you to all you have given to your community. It may not have always been easy – as shelter life rarely is – but you all have poured heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into these life-saving missions. Thank you for it all.
Please make a gift today to help animals in our community.
On our first official day with all our team in Merriam last Wednesday, we had a day of training where we focused on our new mission as one united team on one campus. However, it was a bittersweet day. We are sad to say goodbye to one of our homes, but we are incredibly excited and focused on our future and continuing the positive impact we have made in the Kansas City area.
When we began as Animal Haven in 1966, we committed to working as the community shelter, filling in a need that didn’t exist at the time. Today, our commitment remains to the cities and residents we support. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we continue to support the nine cities that we are contracted with including Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Merriam, Bonner Springs, Lake Quivira and Johnson County Parks and Recreation and unincorporated Johnson County.
Over the next 12 months, we will continue the lifesaving work we do best by caring for homeless pets, reuniting lost pets with their owners, and serving those in greatest need through our HERO and Pet Food Pantry programs. Our commitment to matching pets with furever homes remains, and we ask that you continue to support us in this critical work.
As we approach the dog days of summer, our need for your support is greater than ever. Please make a gift today to make sure we can provide hope and opportunity for every animal that comes into our shelter.
We cannot thank you enough for all of your support. Please know you are always welcome here at Great Plains. We love to hear your feedback, so if you have ideas or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@greatplainsspca.org.
Thank you for being our Hero,
Tam Singer, CEO