The Portage Animal Protective League will host its annual spring fundraiser while also extending thanks to its wide range of supporters at its Paws to Celebrate Spring Fling at the American Legion Hall in Kent on April 18 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
“We have a ton of support in the community, but it is nice to see people in person and tell the stories and let them know what they are supporting,” Portage APL Executive Director Chalan Lowry told The Weekly Villager. “It puts reality with what they support, because they get to come and see and talk and meet our wonderful staff and other supporters. It is wonderful.”
The Portage APL’s annual fund raiser will welcome attendees to an informal dinner that will offer live auctions, silent auctions, raffles and musical entertainment by the Monea Brothers, from the local band Hey Monea!
Lowry said that there also will be games offered, such as a traditional plinko contest, as previously shown on the popular game show “The Price is Right.”
The live and silent auctions will offer prizes of hand-crafted items donated by residents and also donations from local businesses, including gift cards from restaurants and breweries.
In addition to donations from residents and local businesses, Lowry said that the Portage APL also has received prizes from other organizations, such as the Cleveland Guardians.
“None of the auction items that we have in our auction are things that we bought,” she added. “Every single thing that you bid on has been donated by someone whether it is a piece of art, or it is field box tickets to a Guardians game, jewelry. All of the things that are in our auction are donated to us, really great people are giving us things so we can raise money.”
The Organization has hosted spring fundraisers for the last several years, relying on the charitable donations of the community and sponsorships to sustain its mission statement of investigating animal cruelty and abandonment.
According to Lowry, the support that the Portage APL has regularly received from Portage County has always been strong.
“We save more animals, we provide more care than we ever have before; that is because of our supporters,” she noted. “We do not get government funding, we are completely 100% a non-profit and run on donations so without the people, we would not be doing any of this.”
Lowry highlighted how much the Portage APL’s annual spring fundraiser has grown in popularity and attendance, as the donations received each year have been of significant value.
When it comes to collecting monetary donations, Lowry said that even the smallest donations go a long way to support the Organization.
When it comes to animal rescue, Lowry said that the Portage APL has both a long-term and short-term view.
“It costs us a lot of money to do what we do. Especially supplies, and medical care have increased in cost. We feel it too but we have donors who sometimes send us $2 a month and it is appreciated because that $2 does stuff,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it is $100, $2, or $1,000; the money raised from this event saves lives.”
She noted that a $5 donation allows the APL to purchase a microchip and a $10 donation can be worth the cost of a vial of vaccine.
Lowry said that the APL’s efforts have also been aided by the overall caring nature of Portage County when it comes to domestic animals, consisting of a diverse range of select animals.
“We regularly get guinea pigs, we get chickens, we have pigs, we have occasionally horses and livestock. We have rescue groups that help us with that situation because we do not have a barn,” she added. “Anything that can be a domestic pet falls under our jurisdiction, so we have had rats, snakes, iguanas; if it is domestic and needs help, we want to help it.”
Lowry also has praised the outside support from organizations beyond Portage County that have backed the APL’s mission, allowing them to combine efforts in animal rescue, whether it is taking on additional animals or transferring animals to different shelters.
“Our county is the priority of our mission,” she added. “Portage County is where we focus most of our effort but if for example, we might have a few cages open for dogs and we don’t have any anyone in Portage County that is waiting, we might help another shelter or rescue in another county that might have too many animals or need help.”
