A Special Announcement from Second Chance’s Leadership
To our partners in rescue:
I’m writing today to share some significant news with you. As a supporter of Second Chance Pet Adoptions, we wanted you to know that a charitable bequest has been left to our organization after one of our donors and cat adopters passed away in late 2019. The $800,000 Second Chance received from the donor’s estate will enable our staff, volunteers, and all of our supporters to make an even bigger impact on animals and pet guardians in our community in ways that further our mission to end animal homelessness.
Lisa Imhof, the Senior Director of Operations at Second Chance, and I have made a special video to share more information about how the Board of Directors (with the help of a newly-convened planning committee and advisory panel) will decide to allocate the new funds among the many options on the table right now (for example, expanding our current programs, changing out facility, and other ideas).
We have also created a special webpage with more info and links that you may find useful.
As the planning committee’s assessment of our options unfolds, and when the Board of Directors approves the committee’s recommendation for how to make the best use of this money, we will keep our community updated.
I want to emphasize that Second Chance has been entrusted with these funds because the donor had faith that our organization was the right agency for this money and that we would be able to deliver the impact she hoped to see. For that, we are so grateful to all of you: your investment in our rescue efforts has enabled us to save lives, and your support has put us in a position to be the recipient of a life-changing gift like this one. Thank you.
Since our inception in 1987, Second Chance has made–and continues to make–a real difference in North Carolina and beyond. Just 10 years ago, we found adoptive homes for slightly more than 300 animals. Over the last 12 months, we’ve placed 667 cats and dogs in local adoptive homes, transported an additional 145 dogs to find their forever families in northern states, and funded spay/neuter procedures for an additional 358 cats and dogs, for a total of 1,170 animals touched by the efforts you’ve made through your support. We’re proud to have essentially doubled our impact twice in the last decade and grateful that your help has made our community safer and happier for cats and dogs.
Still, data collected in 2018, 2019, and 2020 from shelters and rescues show that North Carolina remains among the top 3 states whose shelters euthanize the most animals; there is important work to be done. Last year, our programs cost around $700,000, and moving forward, all of these important endeavors will still continue through the regular donations that generous people like you make to Second Chance throughout the year. The bequest of $800,000 will be considered separate from our annual budget and will be used to forge a new path ahead, a plan we wouldn’t have been able to travel yet were it not for this special one-time gift.
We look forward to putting your continued donations of volunteer time, funds, and supplies to work for the animals, even as we manage a new, additional project thanks to this bequest. With your consistent support, we get closer to our shared vision: a day when all cats and dogs have the forever families that they need and deserve.
With gratitude,
Dave Ballesteros
President, Board of Directors
Second Chance Pet Adoptions
