February 16, 2007

Dear Friend,

Richmond Animal Protection Society

We are thrilled to announce that we have won the contract to operate the City of Richmond's animal shelter, effective February 1!

For the past 17 years, we have worked hard to end cat overpopulation by trapping neighbourhood strays and providing subsidized spay/neuter to people in need. Our wonderful sanctuary, now in its 8th year, has provided a temporary haven for adoptable animals, and a lifetime home for those that are not.

As a result of our efforts, the numbers of cats killed at our municipal shelter dropped dramatically. We also offered the SPCA an open door to give us cats that were feral or difficult to adopt, but, within less than a year, their management changed and they stopped calling us for assistance. We were deeply saddened by the fate of both cats and dogs that continued to be euthanized for reasons such as the animal's age, poor training, fear of the shelter environment, or treatable health problems. We decided to take a stand to end euthanasia at our municipal shelter.

The City of Richmond, too, was ready for change and unanimously voted in favour of Richmond Animal Protection Society. We are very excited about this opportunity to extend our loving reach to all of the animals in our community. We will bring education, behavioural training and spay/neuter programs to that shelter, as well as assistance for seniors. Homeless animals in this community deserve, and will now receive, a better chance at a new life.

We are writing to you, today, because taking on a venture of this scope requires a considerable amount of startup funding. When the SPCA vacated the shelter premises, they took all of the equipment and furnishings, which were owned by them. RAPS has had to purchase office furniture, a computer system, kitchen and laundry appliances, pet beds, animal food and litter, cages, staff uniforms, a fully equipped van for animal rescue and control duties, 2-way radio communication system, an alarmed security system and insurance. We will be working within a very tight budget provided by the City, which only covers basic operational costs.

In addition, we need to install a septic holding tank ($4,000) in order to have running water in our new kitten house. All this at a time when we are in the midst of replacing the two main roofs at the cat sanctuary, at a further cost of $10,000.

As you can see, this is a time when we are urgently in need of your support. We are appealing to our donors to help us raise a total of $40,000 to get our new project up and running.
Any amount of assistance you can provide will be most appreciated. Remember that all donations over $10 are tax-creditable, and you will receive a tax receipt.

If you know other animal lovers who might support our cause, please spread the word about our organization. Ask if they can donate or if they would like to sponsor a shelter animal. Their support will bring much needed food and veterinary care, or pay for dog rehabilitation and training.

We ask, too, that you continue to support our thrift store at 8260 Granviile Avenue. If you have large items to donate, such as resalable furniture, please call Marie or Eddie at (604) 244-7529 to arrange pickup.

Our financial supporters are the life force of our organization. We cannot continue our work without you. Thank you for sharing our dreams for the future of animals.
Sincerely,

Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS)
Please mail cheques to:
12071 No. 5 Road, Richmond, B.C. V7A 4E9
Or donate by credit card on our website: www.rapsocietv.com
Registered charity no. 890733777 RR0001.