Charity
My name is Amber Barnes, known in the furry fandom as PrincessB. You may be used to receiving regular contact from Keith Dickinson (Hikaru) about the Tiger Haven charity auction and are wondering why that is not the case this time. You may have met me at some point over the last few years, beginning with MFM 2005 I started helping Hikaru with the charity auction. At the end of MFM 2005 I was put on staff as "assistant to the head of the charity auction", fancy way of saying I was Hikaru's right hand gal. Throughout MFM 2005, 2006 and 2007 I was at the charity donation table assisting with taking in your donations and setting up the auction. At the end of MFM 2007 Hikaru asked me to take over as lead of the charity auction, his health problems sometimes make him unsure of whether he will make it to MFM and I live near Nashville, Tn so it also cost me less to make the trip to MFM. So this MFM, 2008, will be my first year as lead of the Tiger Haven charity auction, and I am hoping to make my first year a great success, I need you for that though. Without your kindness and generosity this auction would not be possible.
As you may or may not know, Tiger Haven is a sanctuary and rescue facility for big cats, much like an animal shelter for dogs and house cats - except that they are a "no kill" facility. They are a privately run, non-profit organization that is dedicated to taking care of big cat's that have been abused, confiscated by authorities or abandoned.
New, permanent enclosures are always needed for the animals that will provide a den, covered porch area where they can lounge during rainstorms and pools so the cats can cool down in the summer heat. These enclosures are made of steel, cinder block buildings and heavy duty fencing materials. The cost is quite expensive for each cave and varies by animal size.
Care and maintenance of the animals is also a constant battle. On average, it cost about $1200/month PER ANIMAL to feed them. If you add in the monthly veterinary costs and other expenses associated with housing these animals, I think you'll get an idea of the finances involved.
Each year the Mephit Fur Meet holds a charity auction to raise money for the Tiger Haven Sanctuary. Each year the amount raised is but a drop in the bucket of the costs that the workers of Tiger Haven face everyday but every bit helps and is greatly appreciated.
In order for us to raise money at this auction, we require donations of saleable items. These items may be anything from a simple T-shirt or plushy up to practically anything you can desire to donate. Since Tiger Haven is a 501(c)(3) organization, any item you wish to donate will be considered tax deductible. We are requesting that people who wish to donate multiple items do so as a group if they are of the same time of object. Plushies, books, art and such will be auctioned off as a single item at the discretion of the auction coordinator. This change is being made to hopefully reduce the amount of time taken by the auction.
If you are interested in joining us in this year's Charity Auction, then please simply reply to this E-Mail, or if you prefer, you may contact me directly at the following:
Tiger Haven Charity Auction
c/o Amber Barnes
121 Hazelwood Dr Apt E27
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Please keep in mind that, if possible, I will need all donations by August 1, 2008 in order to properly inventory all items in time for the auction.
I personally have visited Tiger Haven and found the visit greatly rewarding. To see the cages that have been built by the money we raised at MFM, seeing the cats so happy in their safe homes was an honor to me. The workers at Tiger Haven are doing a great service in working so hard to give these cats a good home and every bit of money that we raise helps make their job a little bit easier.
I would like to thank you again for taking the time to read this E-Mailing as well as for any donation you wish to make towards the Mephit Fur Meet 2008, Tiger Haven Charity Auction.
I also welcome you to visit the Tiger Haven website at www.tigerhaven.org where you can read some of the recent news, see pictures of the cats and even "adopt" a cat for a year.