Adopt-A-Species Program For Kids

Transcription

1 THE MIKAL KELLNER FOUNDATION FOR ANIMALS NEWSLETTER FALL SPRING 2000 Committees Spay/Neuter Aria Barkemeyer, DVM, Chair Judy Fenton Shirley Gannon Emergency Funds Bruce Bellin, MD, Chair Dianne Nickman Education Carol Fergerson Carla Wambach Mikal Kellner Alternative Practices Research Dave Armstrong Vince Yannone Feeding, Rehabilitation and Shelter Mikal Kellner, Chair Pauline Allen Stu Kellner Habitat Jeff Herbert, Chair Jim Posewitz Dawn Wrigg Media and Special Events Cindy Utterback, Chair Toby DeWolf Bev Gibson Lynda Willms Projects Kelly Kuntz, Coordinator Rogers Little Judy Browning Lee Flasnick FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY Message from Chairman Kelly Kuntz A dec ade ago a small group of dedi cated peo ple en vi sioned a foun da tion that would fund well- managed proj ects bene fit ing do mes tic and wild ani mals. Based on that vision, the Mi kal Kell ner Foun da tion for Ani mals (MKFA) was es - tab lished in Some of our first en deav ors have be come per ma nent pro grams, including the Lewis & Clark Fairgrounds duck pond renovation and feed ing pro - gram, and MKFA s emergency funds and spay/neu ter as sis tance pro grams. The Adopt- A- Species pro gram is en ter ing its fourth year of teach ing ele men tary stu - dents about Mon tana wild life and the im por tance of habi tat. We are very close to com plet ing the build ing cam paign for the new Montana Wild life Re ha bili ta tion and Edu ca tion Cen ter ; about seventy-five per cent of the fund ing has been se cured. The cen ter will re ha bili tate in jured and or phaned wild life from across the state for re lease back to the wild. Our heart felt thanks to the many busi nesses, foun da tions and in di vidu als who have con trib uted to the Foun da tion dur ing the last ten years. We could not have come this far without your generous sup port. We have much more to ac com plish. With your help, we can raise the fi nal $230,000 needed for con struc tion of the new wild life cen ter. A few high lights from the last ten years are listed in a time line on the fol low ing pages. h Adopt-A-Species Program For Kids T he Adopt- A- Species Pro gram teaches ele men tary school chil dren about pres - er va tion of wild life through habi tat pro tec tion. Now in its fourth year, the pro gram has reached over 5,000 stu dents through books, vid eos, guest speak ers, mu sic, and art work. Stu dents have learned about wild life habi tat and re ha bili ta tion and have written newspaper ar ti cles about wild life, per formed habi tat songs for the Vince Yan none speak ing to a group of school chil dren at the old shel ter. pub lic, and dis played wild life ex hib - its in school li brar ies as well as in the He lena Na tional For est Head - quarters and the State Capitol. Par - ticipating schools adopted a Montana wild life spe cie. Post ers iden ti fy ing each school s adopted spe cies will be dis played in the new Wildlife Cen ter. MKFA ap pre ci ates the assistance of the staffs of the Mon tana De part ment of Fish, Wild life and Parks; He lena Na tional For est; U.S. Fish & Wildife Serv ice; and par tici pat ing schools in mak ing this pro gram such a suc cess. h

2 Focus on Animals Highlights of MKFA s First Decade of Service 1989 Foun da tion is formed and named in honor of Mi kal Kell ner, re cipi ent of Ameri can Vet eri nary Medi cal As so cia tion s 1989 Hu mane Award First funds re ceived for care and feed ing of the ducks at Lewis & Clark Fair grounds pond He lena Vet eri nary Medi cal As so cia tion makes ini tial con tri bu tion to Emer gency Funds pro gram He lena vet eri nar ian Arla Barke meyer of the Ani mal Cen ter com mits all fu ture eutha na sia fees to the Foun da tion, to be split be tween Spay/Neuter and Emer gency Funds. Part ner ship de vel oped with USDA For est Serv ice, North ern Re gion and Mon tana De part ment of Fish, Wild life and Parks (FWP) for ex pan sion and im prove ment of ex ist ing wild animal shelter on Cus ter Ave nue in He lena. Foun da tion re ceives first ma jor gifts: Ken Ma rin gives $60,000 in memory of his wife Olive; MKFA board mem ber Pau line Al len es tab lishes a $200,000 chari ta - ble re main der an nu ity trust bene fit ing the Foun da tion. MKFA provides financial assistance to Northern Rockies Rap tor Cen ter for a pre- release ex er cise area Lewis & Clark Fair grounds duck pond habi - tat ex pan sion, im prove ment and land scap ing com - pleted in co op era tion with Chad wick s Nurs ery and Grow ing Friends of He lena. Duck food pur chased with as sis tance from in di vid ual do nors. MKFA awards grant to Lewis and Clark Humane So ci ety for ani mal shel ter reno va tion Foun da tion em barks on study to iden tify cru cial habi tat for He lena area wild life At the re quest of the Foun da tion, the Mon - tana State Leg is la ture agrees to a master site plan and author izes par tial fund ing for con struc tion of a new Mon tana Wild life Re ha bili ta tion and Edu ca - tion Cen ter ad ja cent to Spring Meadow Lake in He - lena. MKFA agrees to raise the pri vate match re quired for con struc tion and ex pands its part ner - ship with Mon tana FWP and USDA For est Serv ice. This proj ect would not have been con sid ered with out par tici pa - tion of the pri vate sec tor. Jim Fowler of Mu tual of Oma ha s Wild King dom is the ce leb rity guest at MKFA s first fund rais ing ban quet for the new wild life cen ter. (Con tin ued on page 5) MKFA Advisory Council and Board Members Volunteer Their Time To Benefit Animals Advisory Council Kelly Kuntz is Chair and a Found ing Mem ber of MKFA and serves on its Spe cial Pro jects and Wild life Cen ter Over sight com mit tees. He is a Vice Presi dent of DA David son. Cindy Ut ter back is Vice Chair of MKFA and serves on its Spe cial Pro - jects, Me dia & Spe cial Events, and Wild life Cen ter Over sight com mit - tees. Cindy is a CPA with An der son, Zurmueh len & Co. Di anne Nick man is Sec re tary and a Found ing Mem ber of MKFA, as well as Co or di na tor of its Emer gency Funds Pro gram. She is past Presi dent of the Lewis & Clark Hu mane So ci ety and cur rently serves as an Ad min is tra tive As sis tant for the U.S. Army Corps of En gi neers. In 1997 Gov er nor Marc Raci cot pre sented a $66,968 check to MKFA from bed tax funds to bene fi t the Mon - tana Wild life Re ha bili ta tion Cen ter. L-R: Sena tor Sue Bar lett, Cindy Ut ter back, Gov er nor Raci cot, Kelly Kuntz, Dr. Pe ter Blouke, Shir ley Gan non, Sena tor Mi gnon Wa ter men. Carol Ferg er son is Treas urer of MKFA and serves on its Edu ca tion Com mit tee. She is a former ranch and busi ness owner. Dave Arm strong is a Found ing Mem ber of MKFA and serves on its Wild life Cen ter Over sight Com mit tee. Dave is now re tired and is ac - tive in the Mon tana Sled Dog, Inc. Race to the Sky. Judy Brown ing serves on MKFA s Pro jects Com mit tee. She is former Chief of Staff and Le gal Coun sel to Mon tana Gov er nor Marc Raci cot. Toby De Wolf serves on MKFA s Me dia & Spe cial Events Com mit tee. He is a He lena busi ness owner and Chair man of the He lena Area Cham ber of Com merce. Shir ley Gan non is a Found ing Mem ber of MKFA and serves on its Wild life Cen ter Over sight Com mit tee and its Spay/Neu ter As sis tance Pro gram. She is a leader in the arts in He lena. Mi kal Kell ner is a Found ing Mem ber of MKFA and serves on its Feed ing, Re ha bili ta tion & Shel ter and Edu ca tion com mit tees. Mi kal (Con tin ued on page 5) Page 2

3 Assistance for Pets S pay/neu ter fi nan cial as sis tance is avail able for pet own ers who could not oth - erwise af ford to have their pets al tered. The pro gram got un der way in 1992 with a $500 donation from the Federated Hu mane So cie ties of Mon tana. Since then, fund ing has come from eutha na sia fees con trib uted by the Ani mal Cen ter Vet eri nary Clinic in He lena. Our Emergency Funds pro gram pro vides a safety net for ani mals in criti cal need. In most cases, the program helps pet own ers who could not oth er wise af ford the total cost of medi cal treat ment that can mean the dif fer ence be tween life and death for the pets they love. Initial fund ing for the pro gram was through a $500 gift from the He lena Vet eri nary Medi cal As so cia tion. On go ing sup port for both pro grams has come pri mar ily from the Ani mal Cen ter Veterinary Clinic in He lena through a unique and gen er ous gift pro gram. Since 1992, all eutha na sia fees re ceived by the clinic are do nated to MKFA to be ap plied to the Spay/Neu ter and Emer gency Funds pro grams. To date, the Ani mal Cen ter has con trib uted more than $ 44,000 to these im por tant pro grams. h This single mom was temporarily unable to work due to a broken neck. Then Prissy, the family dog, suffered a broken leg. MKFA provided assistance with Prissy s veterinary bills. Aileen Decker Gift M ontana na tive Aileen Decker felt strongly about the im por tance of the new Mon tana Wild life Re - habilitation Cen ter. She also be lieved in put ting her time, tal ents and re sources to good use for ani mals and peo ple. In search ing for a way to ensure a bet ter fu ture for them af ter her death, Aileen cele brat ing her 95th birth day. Aileen chose to bequeath $20,000 to MKFA for the new wild life cen ter build ing cam paign and other gen eral operations. The gift was given in mem ory of her be - loved dog J.B.. Aileen died in 1997 at the age of 96, but her gen er ous gift will make a dif fer ence for Mon tana - its wild life and its peo ple - for gen era tions to come. h Don t Forget to Take Advantage of the Montana Income Tax Credit Before the End of the Millennium. John Rothfus Memorial Established L ouisa Roth fus re cently gave $45,000 to the Foun da tion as a fit ting trib ute to her brother John s great love of ani mals. John J. Roth fus, who died in 1993, had as his loyal friends the smallest moun tain boomer (Co lum bian ground squir rel) with which he some times shared his lunches, to his large boxer dog, Mor gan, who died of a bro ken heart shortly af ter his mas ter s pass ing. The money is marked for the new Mon tana Wild life Re ha - bili ta tion and Edu ca tion Cen - ter proj ect at Spring Meadow Lake in He lena. This gen er - ous gift is especially significant because it comes as we near the com ple tion of the ini tial phase of the Cen ter s build ing campaign. In giving the gift, Louisa was inspired by her entire family s life-long love of all God s creatures, great and small. The John Rothfus memorial gift will be rec og nized at the new wildlife rehabilitation center. h Page 3

4 Fall Spring 2000 Domestic Animals Benefit From MKFA Programs These graphs in di cate (above) the number of ani mals that were spayed or neu tered each year and (right) the number of ani mals that re ceived vet eri nary treatment each year MKFA Logo Pins For Sale H elena graphic artist Len Eckel cre ated our Foun da tion logo, in which both wild and do mes tic animals are clev erly in cor po rated into a unique and grace ful tri an gu lar shape. Through a grant from Moun tain West Bank, MKFA has fash ioned a sil ver la pel pin of our logo (ap proximately 1" in height). All pro ceeds will bene fit the Foun da tion s pro grams. The pin is $35 and may be pur chased through the Foun da tion. You may mail your check to MKFA at PO Box 389, He lena, MT or put your pur chase on Mas ter Card/Visa by call ing us at (406) Buy more than one - they make great gifts. h T een age vol un teer Chase Hotchkiss (at left, with ani mal shel ter staff per son Mar ilyn Hays) helped de velop a com puter da ta base that elec tronically rec ords vi tal in for ma tion for each ani mal received at the Montana Fish, Wild life and Parks wild animal shelter on Cus ter Ave nue in He lena. He became in volved with the shel ter through the Sum mer Youth Em ploy ment pro gram, Fam ily Out reach and Gene Hick man, a vol un teer with Mon tana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Chase hopes to help the wild animal shelter again next sum mer. h Page 4

5 Focus on Animals High lights con tin ued from page 2 Ad vi sory Coun cil and Board con tin ued from page Adopt- A- Species pro gram is in tro duced in He lena ele men tary schools by the Foun da tion. Chil dren study Mon tana wild life and habi tat and en joy pro grams spon sored by the Foun da tion, US For est Serv ice, and Mon tana FWP. Foun da tion re ceives a $66,968 grant from the Mon tana Com merce De part ment s Tour ism In fra - struc ture In vest ment Pro gram (TIIP) and $40,000 from Lee Foun da tion/in de pendent Re cord for new wild life cen ter capi tal cam paign First An nual Card board Cup Re gatta is held at Spring Meadow Lake in He lena in co op era tion with Mon tana FWP and USDA For est Serv ice. Pro ceeds bene fit new wild life cen ter capi tal cam paign. Jack Hanna of tele vi sion s Jack Han na s Ani mal Ad ven tures is the ce leb rity guest at MKFA s sec - ond fund rais ing ban quet for the new wild life cen - ter. A per ma nent en dow ment for MKFA is es tab lished with Mon tana Com mu nity Foun da tion. MKFA grants funds to Lewis and Clark Hu mane So ci ety for build ing con struc tion and reno va tion. Sup port for the new wild life cen ter in cludes ma jor gifts from Bur ling ton North ern Santa Fe Foun da - tion, Cin na bar Foun da tion, Fan wood Foun da tion, Liz Claiborne- Art Or ten berg Foun da tion, Moun - tain West Bank, Na tional For est Foun da tion, Nor - west Bank, Phil lip Mor ris Com pa nies, Plum Creek Foun da tion and Turner Foun da tion MKFA Ad vi sory Coun cil mem ber, Mikal Kell ner, re ceives Mon tana FWP Am bas sa dor for Wild life Award. MKFA awards grants to Flya way Foun da tion s bird re ha bili ta tion pro gram and to the Lewis and Clark Pub lic Li brary for chil dren s wild life books. Cabot- Wellington Foun da tion awards $45,000 to the Mon tana Wild life Re ha bili ta tion and Edu ca tion Cen ter capital cam paign. Foun da tion re ceives ma - jor gifts from Aileen Decker Es tate and Mar tha Hawk ins Trust for MKFA pro grams In stal la tion of sewer line com pleted at site of new wild life cen ter. The Center s capi tal cam - paign nears com ple tion for phase one con struc tion. MKFA as sists Lewis and Clark Hu mane So ci ety in hous ing 53 abused dogs and awards grants to help with vet eri nary and other ex penses. The Tre acy Com pany pledges $25,000 to Mon tana Wild life Re ha bili ta tion and Edu ca tion Cen ter capi - tal cam paign and Lou isa Roth fus con trib utes $45,000 to the capi tal cam paign in mem ory of her brother, John J. Roth fus. re ceived the 1989 Ameri can Vet eri nary Medi cal As so cia tion Hu mane Award for dem on strat ing ex cep tional com pas sion for the wel fare of ani mals. Advisory Board Pau line Al len is well known in the He lena area as a com mu nity sup - porter and phi lan thro pist. Arla Barke meyer, DVM, is ac tive in MKFA s Emer gency Funds and Spay- Neuter Pro grams. The Ani mal Cen ter, with which she is as so ci - ated, gen er ously sup ports these pro grams. Bruce Bel lin, MD, serves on MKFA s Emer gency Funds Com mit tee. Judy Fen ton is a former busi ness owner and serves as MKFA s Spay/Neu ter Pro gram Co or di na - tor. Judy is past Presi dent of Fed - er ated Hu mane So cie ties of Mon tana. Lee Flasnickis a real es tate bro - ker and serves on MKFA s Pro - jects Com mit tee. Bev Gibson is a former ex ecu tive with the Mon tana As so cia tion of Coun ties and serves on MKFA s Spe cial Events Com mit tee. Jef frey Her ber t is Wa ter fowl Co - or di na tor for the Mon tana De - part ment of Fish, Wild life and Parks and serves on MKFA s Habi tat Com mit tee. Stu Kell ner is an at tor ney who serves as a le gal con sult ant to MKFA. Rogers Lit tle is an at tor ney who serves as a le gal con sult ant to MKFA. Jim Pose witz is Ex ecu tive Di rec tor of the Cin na bar Foun da tion and serves on MKFA s Habi tat Com mit tee. Carla Wambach is an ele men tary teacher who re ceived the 1992 state and na tional Presi den tial Awards for ex cel lence in sci ence teach ing. Carla serves on MKFA s Edu ca tion and Adopt- A- Species Pro gram com - mit tees. She is a char ter mem ber of the Mon tana En vi ron men tal Edu - ca tion As so cia tion and is on the Edi to rial Board of WOW (Wild life Out door World) Maga zine. Lynda Willm s is a bank ad min is tra tor for Moun tain West Bank and serves on MKFA s Me dia & Spe cial Events Com mit tee. Dawn Wrigg is a CPA with Junkermier, Clark, Cam pan ella & Ste vens and serves on MKFA s Habi tat Com mit tee. Vince Yan none is former Con ser va tion Edu ca tion Co or di na tor for the Mon tana De part ment of Fish, Wild life and Parks and cur rently serves as a con sult ant to a number of wild life or gani za tions. Contract Services Mar ilyn Evans, Ex ecu tive As so ci ate. Mar ilyn pro vides grant writ ing and ad min is tra tive serv ices for Foun da tion fund rais ing ac tivi ties and spe cial proj ects. Page 5

6 Save Taxes While Helping Montana s Domestic and Wild Animals T he Mi kal Kell ner Foun da tion for Ani mals has es - tab lished an en dow ment fund with the Mon tana Com mu nity Foun da tion. Our immediate goal is to raise $250,000 for our en dow ment. The earn ings from the fund will bene fit do mes tic and wild ani mals in per pe tu - ity. At this time, our endowment fund is worth $25,000. You can reduce your Montana income taxes by con - trib ut ing to MKFA s en dow ment fund and tak ing ad - vantage of a tax credit. The credit equals 50% of quali fy ing con tri bu tions, up to $10,000 per do nor per year. Contributions by individuals and busi nesses may qualify for the credit. This credit is sched uled to ex pire on De - cem ber 31, A fed eral chari ta ble con tri bu tion de duc - tion is also avail able. Tax law can be com plex and we recommend you con sult with your tax ad vi sor to see how you or your busi ness can bene fit from this credit while help ing Mon tana s chari ta ble en dow ments grow. For de tails on how to give to the Mi kal Kell ner Foun - da tion for Ani mals En dow ment Fund, please con tact MKFA at (406) or the Mon tana Com mu nity Foun da tion at (406) Thank you for leav ing a leg acy for ani mals. h Limited Edition Print Depicts Indian Stories A t the be gin ning of the wild life cen ter build ing cam paign, art ist Bob Mor gan do nated an origi - nal oil paint ing And We Are All Friends to bene fit the Wildlife Cen - ter fund. Lim - ited edi tion prints are avail - able for $150 each. The beau - tiful scene de - picts a Native American elder sur rounded by wild life from the In dian Napi leg - ends. Your print may be per son al ized by the art ist with a re - marque of a wild ani mal of your choice for an ex tra fifty dol lars. For $6.00 ship ping and han dling, we will mail your print to you or, if a gift, to the per son you des ig nate. For in for ma tion call (406) The Foun da tion ac cepts Mas ter Card/Visa. An other ter ri fic gift idea! h Bulk Rate U.S. Post age Paid He lena, Mon tana Per mit # Fo cus on Animals Mi kal Kell ner Foun da tion for Animals P.O. Box 389 Helena, Montana Telephone: (406) mkfa@mt.net MKFA Advisory Council Kelly Kuntz, Chairman Newsletter Committee Marilyn Evans Judy Browning Dianne Nickman Cindy Utterback Fo cus on Ani mals is a pub li ca - tion of the Mi kal Kell ner Foun da - tion for Ani mals. It is pub lished for the bene fit of people who care about wild and domestic ani mals.