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All God’s Creatures begins re-construction
The new animal shelter looks forward to the next chapter as they prepare their building to meet Henry County needs
MT. PLEASANT — After well over a year since beginning their journey to bring an animal shelter to Henry County, All God’s Creatures has officially begun re-construction of their East Washington Street building to expand their services to the community.
While it has taken some time for AGC to raise funds and gather volunteers to begin needed renovations to tailor the 2205 E. Washington St. building to operate as an animal shelter, AGC has not remained stagnant.
Over the last year, AGC hasn’t waited to live out their mission to connect the hands and paws of all God’s creatures in Henry County. They’ve done this by connecting socially isolated individuals and groups with friendly furry friends like AGC’s ambassador cat Cleo.
One such connection came when Cleo and another cat, Bitsy, took a trip to Park Place Elder Living to spend time with some residents just this month. Both cats happily played and snuggled with equally happy residents during their visit.
They have also connected with the community through their provision of educational information either through short blurbs on their Facebook page informing the public that cats are actually lactose intolerant or through events like their open house in November where they taught how to build winter cat houses.
Other ways AGC has already started serving and will continue to serve Henry County include assisting with the trap/neuter/release program, micro chipping animals, and coordinating a foster pet program.
Last fall, AGC announced they would begin coordinating foster care while they continued their fundraising efforts to renovate their building.
“We couldn’t just sit back and ignore that the animals need us now,” AGC stated in a newsletter. “So, as resources and foster homes allow, we will be helping as many animals as we can.”
AGC screens potential foster families and supports them as they provide temporary homes for animals until they find their forever homes.
During the foster screening process, AGC takes into consideration a potential foster home’s schedule, space, and potential animal match needs. While fostering, AGC funds all supplies including food and medical costs associated with fostering.
Additional information about fostering is available on the All God’s Creature’s website: www.allgodscreaturesmp.org under the “get involved” tab.
Even while keeping busy with all this, AGC kept their eyes on the future of the much needed animal shelter for Henry County. Through unique Fundraisers like Cat Yoga, Ink Ascension’s annual Tattoos for Tails donation drive, and multiple yard sales they continued to chip away toward meeting their goal to make necessary renovations to their building.
“Because of generous bequests, All God’s Creatures was able to purchase a building and get serious about developing an animal shelter designed for dogs and cats for Henry County,” All God’s Creatures’ Chairperson Cyndy Danielson said.
According to Danielson, “The location and layout of the structure are perfect for AGC, but it is because of the generous support by the citizens of Henry County that we are able to move into re-construction."
“Significant funds have been raised since coordinated fundraising efforts were started one and a half years ago,” AGC Board Member Kathy Nellor added. “We are working toward our overall goal of $2 million that will assure that the AGC shelter, its operations and programs will be ready and able to meet the needs and animals and people of Henry County in the years to come.”
After much research into the proper specifications needed to operate as an animal shelter and many months of fundraising, work on the building officially began this month. AGC estimates the project will take approximately four to five months to complete.
“Through research on shelters, state codes and valuable suggestions from local veterinarians, AGC will reconstruct the building so that the central corridor of the structure will remain, and a minimal number of walls will need to be removed to accommodate dogs and their kennels on the west side,” a news release from All God’s Creatures explained. “Cats and their kennels and community living spaces will be on the east.”
“Both sides of the building have rear entrances for the intake of animals,” the news release continues. “There will be isolation areas on each side. Other essential areas for animal care such as laundry and storage will be reconfigured from existing rooms.”
In order to make this vision a reality, volunteer support will remain crucial to the success of the much-needed animal shelter and AGC will offer many volunteer opportunities throughout the re-construction process for individuals and groups alike. In just the first few weeks of construction, they’ve already seen the impact volunteers can make.
Recently retired, Bryce Creager started volunteering by lending his construction expertise to help direct individuals and groups on "volunteer days" to assist in re-construction. Creager not only supervises volunteers like the Mt. Pleasant High School iJAG students that came out to rip up carpet and remove ceiling tiles, but he also puts in his fair share of elbow grease and keeps the project on schedule.
Even after re-construction, more volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups or civic organizations located in Henry County will become available. AGC encourages those interested in volunteering during re-construction or after to visit the “Get Involved” tab on their website or call (319) 280-7035 to request a volunteer form and find a way they’d like to serve.
This is not the finish line for AGC, though. As construction continues, AGC’s fundraising emphasis shifts to purchasing equipment for the shelter include dog enclosures, community cat housing, a grooming tub & scale, and dedicated medical isolation equipment.
“It has been amazing to find out what we can accomplish within Henry County without even having a building,” AGC Executive Director Emily Davis noted. “I have loved making new connections with different organizations and individuals and will continue to do so. We will be able to accomplish even more once our building has been completed and I am so grateful for our community's support and generosity shown! This is a very busy and exciting time with a lot of opportunities for growth."
All God’s Creatures is a community supported animal shelter that connects the hands and paws of all God’s creatures in Henry County to build a happier, healthier community for all.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
