More Thanks and Our Grand Total

 Good morning, friends!

I still kind of can't believe we did it.  When I charted out the 12 days of the FUNdraiser, decided on times for the matches, programs, projects, and auctions,  and looked at it all on paper, it did feel like an impossible task. We had to bring in an average of $8,333 a day to hit that goal --- which is a tremendous amount.   

BUT you wanted to see this through as badly as I did, and you stayed close, gave what and how you could, and made sure we hit that big goal, then pushed beyond.  I'll never be able to adequately thank you for all the love and support you show.  Just know that your generosity and compassion for cats and kittens in inspiring -- you move me quite deeply and trigger more happy tears than I can count. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you are a very special group of humans.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being who you are. 

As it stands right now with auctions, print sales, and other donations I've collected,  we've raised a remarkable  $117, 048 for homeless cats and kittens!  There's still a little more trickling in, so I expect that will a rise a little bit before we totally wrap things up. That mighty total is going to help support senior cats, special needs cats, adult cats, neonates, foster kittens, and the feral and free-roaming population, too! It's going to help ALL cats, and it's going to fund some important programs and projects, as well!  

I'm so happy for this and I can't wait to see the good things that will happen because of your generous gifts!

I haven't had the chance to sort out all of the beans yet, but once I do, I'll let you know how much we raised for each program.    

In all of our years of fundraising, guess how much we've raised?  

Get ready, it's pretty awesome.  

$749,224!!   

We still have a little more trickling in, so my fingers are crossed that once it's all in, we will hit $750,000. Wouldn't that just be incredible?   Not that what we've done isn't amazing already -- but rolling past that milestone would really be something else   

I have lots of people to thank, and my brain is a little fuzzy because I'm still catching up on lost sleep, so I hope I con't forget anyone!  

HERE WE GO: 

  

First, thank you everyone who gave, shared our story, and stuck around through all of this. SO yes, thank you to everyone in this whole, giant, cat-loving community of ours.  

Thank you to the HS staff and volunteers who gave generously -- it seems there was a record number of you this year. You all give so much time and energy to the HS every day. Going beyond and above that by giving in this way, illustrates the depths of your devotion to this organization. and the animals. 

Thank you, dear Craig.  Thank you for listening to me talk about the fundraiser  all the dang time, thank you for being extra-patient when I got tired and cranky, and thank you for not complaining when the house kind of fell to pieces or on those nights when we had cheese and crackers for supper because I didn't make it to the store that day. Thank you, too, for the beautiful art you created for the fundraiser.  

Thank you to Charlene and Wylla for being so understanding when breakfast wasn't served on time and playtime was cut short. Thanks for the hugs and purrs,  even when I wasn't being the best mama. 

Thank you Shelby and Helen for all the support from within the walls of the Humane Society. 

Thank you to all of our auction winners who bid so generously to win the rights to name the kittens, and other prizes, too. And thank you for doing such a great job picking out names for our the babies! 

Thank you to Marguerite, for the adorable knit cat hat you created (and for the other Marguerite who modeled it for us). 

Thank you to Katherine and Susan for the beautiful quilt you lovingly made for us. 

Thank you to Opal, Ellis, and Lola for raising so much money for the kitties. You three young, generous souls are remarkable! 

Thank you to Christy and Mackenzie who supported us by giving a portion of their sales from their businesses  to our fundraiser!  I love you both, dear friends, and I appreciate you so much! 

Thank you to all who walked the walk with us -- I'll tell you more about those folks when I share the story of the walk tomorrow!  

Thank you Awesome Anonymous Donor.  Awesome is an understatement. You are awesome times a squillion, and then some.  We never would have even gotten close to our goal without your generous support. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  

AND Cynthia.  What would we do with out you, dear Cynthia. You've been with us since our first year of fundraising, and we would not be just a hair under $750 squillion if you didn't have so much love for our cats and kittens. Thank you all of your generous gifts, which have inspired so many others to give. You are special and we love you so much. We're so grateful you're a part of this community.

Thank you SO MUCH beautiful community. 

You are special, special people. 

(((((((( ONE BIG GIANT GROUP HUG )))))))))

Stay tuned --- I'll be starting a couple more auctions that I couldn't squeeze in last week  - we've got our teeny magazines from the set and one other item, too.