Early last summer, I was staring down my 40th birthday and wanting to do something to really mark the day. I wanted to do something special, and that would allow me to involve friends who don't live close by but would want to celebrate nonetheless. So I turned to the WHS Development department for help, hoping they could create something for me. They directed me to the at-the-ready Celebration pages on our website. Setting up the page couldn't have been easier. In about ten minutes I had my birthday fundraising letter done, my goal set, a photo of our newly adopted kitten placed front and center, the Facebook link and an email to send to all my friends. My goal? To raise enough money to buy forty beds for the dogs in the shelter.
The great thing about the Celebration pages, aside from being incredibly easy, is that they are completely personalized to you. While I selected a specific thing to raise money for, based on the need I saw in the shelters every day, you don't need an item to get started. Simply set a goal and you're off. Even easier was sharing my own Celebration page. On Facebook, by email, and even with family who don't know how to turn a computer on! They simply mailed a check to WHS, marked that it was for my Celebration, and I could credit that toward my overall goal.
You can take a look at my or some of the other Celebration pages by searching here:
Washington Humane Society has long held a special place in my family. We adopted both our dogs from the New York Avenue shelter, had Animal Control Officers out to our home to help a wayward snake out of our kitchen and again to help an injured squirrel, and WHS was there for our family on a Sunday night when our beloved elderly hamster needed to be euthanized and no local vet office could help. These reasons also made the decision to come to work for WHS so much easier! The amazing work of this shelter system made selecting WHS as the beneficiary of my birthday a no-brainer.
In the end, thanks to generous support from friends, family, and business contacts, I was able to buy 59 dog cots for the shelters. What a terrific way to mark a special day.
If you have an event you'd like to celebrate by helping the animals at WHS, look no further than the Celebration pages.
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