|
This August, DoveLewis will celebrate its 35th birthday, but we’re celebrating all year long! We are proud of the unique role DoveLewis has played in this community since 1973, and we are thankful for the support we receive. Our community keeps DoveLewis alive.
To make our birthday extra special, we’ve set our sights on another ambitious goal: we aim to raise $350,000 over 35 weeks to celebrate 35 years. We call it Dove35. All Dove35 donations will go to our building fund. The drive is already underway. It will culminate in August with a big birthday party celebrating our donors, volunteers, staff, and some of the people who breathed life into DoveLewis.
Please join us in marking this exciting chapter in our history. Your Dove35 donation will help ensure that we are here for the next 35 years and beyond.
Log on to Dove35.com to get involved!
About the Building
Since 1973, DoveLewis has offered the best emergency and critical care medicine for animals in the region. We had been in our old northwest Portland facility since 1981. This hospital covered only 5,200 square feet. As the number of pets in Portland grows, we see a steady 9% to 10% annual surge in the number of patients who come through our doors. DoveLewis treated more than 16,000 patients this year.
 Our old northwest hospital was overcrowded; a new space was long overdue. Our vision for the future is to continue providing the finest emergency and critical care possible 24/7, 365 days a year, as well as to continue our top-quality programs that support the human-animal bond. The new building includes:
- A 12,000 square foot hospital
- 10,000 square feet for classrooms, community programs and offices
- A serenity garden and private comfort room
- A large waiting area with a children's play area
- Separate ER & ICU treatment areas
- Separate canine and feline wards
If you would like more information about Dove35, please e-mail Abby Crouch, in our donor relations department.
DoveLewis’ Unconventional but Necessary Capital Campaign
How are we able to move in to a new building before we have raised all the money to pay for it? The answer is simple. DoveLewis and our patients could not afford to wait. Building a new hospital was recommended in the mid–1990’s, but we didn’t have the resources to start planning a capital campaign until two years ago. That’s when we made an important discovery. In order for DoveLewis to stay open during the years it would take to raise the typical 80% before breaking ground, we would have had to downsize our operations to somehow slow our growth. We’re in the middle of a five year period where we expect our patient numbers to grow by 30%! Our current facility simply couldn’t have handled that.
We chose a second option: structure a level headed yet aggressive donor campaign, maintain the balance with responsible debt that includes payments to make us debt free in three years, and keep DoveLewis running, growing, and serving the community which has supported it for the past 34 years. Our donors understand and believe in our plan. It was a good decision to go with this option. Construction costs have gone through the roof! Experts predict that if we would have waited, the project’s price tag would have been 30% higher!
Donations, not medical fees, will pay for the new DoveLewis. The total cost for the new facility was about $8 million. We need to raise about $5M more to pay it off.
Please note: NONE of the money collected for the treatment of any animal in the hospital will pay for building the new hospital.
How can you help?
Log on to Dove35.com to read our "35 Ways to Love Dove!" they're just a few suggestions, but they're sure to get you thinking!
- Make a donation to the building project
- Match your donation through your employer’s match program
- Hang posters advertising our events
- Host a fundraiser or informational dinner about DoveLewis for your friends and family
- Use one of our promotional packets to give a presentation to your friends or coworkers
- Talk about the project to your friends
- Bring your friends for a tour of our hospital
- Throw a party at your house to raise awareness and money for the project
- Encourage your friends, co–workers, family to get involved–this building will serve the community, we rely on YOU to help build it
Please contact Abby Crouch for more specifics or to donate.
DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital is a non-profit organization. That means no one owns it, and no one makes money from the care of your animal. All of the fees go back into the hospital to maintain state of the art equipment, to buy more bandages, and to make sure we hire and retain the best staff possible.
You may have heard of our community programs. They, like the new hospital, also survive 100% on donations. Our Pet Loss Support, Animal Assisted Therapy & Education, Canine Blood Bank, and Stray Animal and Wildlife programs are all around today because of generous donors. DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospitalalso relies on 500 volunteers to make our programs and events succeed.
New Hospital Wish List Needs:
- 2-Fax Machines
- 10-computers (min 768 RAM, 20G hard drive)
Please contact Abby Crouch at 971.255.5918
or Abby Crouch for more specifics or to donate.
Placing an attractive donation jar at the cash register of your place of business is a terrific method for making your customers aware of DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, our campaign for a new hospital and involving them in supporting our vital programs and services. Jars are currently available by contacting Candice Coleman at (503) 535-3384.
|