CVAS

CHAMBERSBURG, June 4, 2010 – Long-term supporters of Cumberland Valley Animal

Shelter have made a challenge to the community to encourage fundraising efforts that will result in the successful relocation of the shelter to Kenny Gardens, adjacent to Letterkenny Army Depot.

Michael and Patricia Hurt have offered a donation of $50,000 to the “Rallying to Relocate” Capital Campaign if the community will raise an additional $100,000, to give a combined total of $150,000 toward the shelter’s relocation efforts. This offer arrives after a previous, generous donation they have already given.

Nearly three years ago, considering increased commercial development, the location of CSX’s intermodal operations (contiguous to the animal shelter property), and the population growth of Franklin County, CVAS official decided to build a new, modern animal shelter on a much more suitable site that would meet growing, future needs of the community.

With opportunities developed through Chambersburg Area Development Corporation and the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and in cooperation with the Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority and Chambersburg Area School District, 11 acres of land at Kenny Gardens was secured for the location of the new shelter. Significant construction has progressed, thanks to contributions from many Chambersburg businesses. However, due to the recent recession and postponement of some significant pledges, more funds are urgently needed to progress.

“Mike and Pat Hurt have been so generous to CVAS,” said Nancy Gardner, CVAS board president. “This challenge will fundamentally bolster our fundraising efforts and I just know that a generous community will respond to this challenge. When we undertook this overwhelming relocation project, we began with a motto that said ‘failure is not an option.’ Clearly, Mike and Pat agree. Their challenge can boost sheltering efforts well into our future.”

Mike Hurt is chairman of Boston-based ALTRA Holdings, Inc., and the owner of T. B. Woods, one of Franklin County’s oldest and largest employers. “TB Wood’s has generously contributed to many past Capital Campaigns to support the community and is currently completing a pledge to the ongoing CVAS Capital Campaign,” Mike said. “All of us at TB Wood’s care about our community and fully support the new shelter project.

“After Pat and I visited the construction site of the new shelter a few days ago, we decided that we wanted to do all that we could to energize some additional donations and pledges during this prime construction season,” Mike continued. “We felt that a two-for-one challenge would be the best way to leverage our contribution. So, we will donate $50,000 to the building fund if the shelter will raise an addition $100,000 to help make the CVAS relocation happen. I hope Pat’s and my initiative will challenge other members of our community and local employers to find ways to support this effort.”

Pat Hurt served for several years on the CVAS board. “I know the hard work they do just to serve the animals that enter their care every day,” Pat said. “Their operations need to be remembered by support of their regular fundraising activities, but this relocation project is very different. Mike and I recognized that it needed an extra effort. That’s why we decided to use a challenge to hopefully re-energize community fundraising to complete this necessary relocation.”

Tax deductible donations can be sent to “Rallying to Relocate” at CVAS, 2325 Country Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202. For more information and a history of the project, log onto www.cvas-pets.org.

The windows are going in! We want to get started on the interior of the building (Phase III) and you can help us do it by donating today....

This is my fifth year as the Executive Director of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and I’m still amazed by the triumphs and challenges we face daily. As a team of staff and volunteers, we have:

Although I can look back and say, yes, we’ve accomplished a lot, I still believe we have a long way to go. We will work to reach further into the community to start more programs that help our youth through the love of animals. We will work to find more ways to reduce the number of abandoned and unwanted pets. We will fight to protect animals through legislative efforts. We will work to change the image of shelters from cold, sad places that provoke the feelings of guilt, where unwanted pets are left behind to an image of hope and inspiration; a place to find a furry friend.

Making it through a tough winter at CVAS reminds me how desperately we need a new shelter. Our shelter has served us well over the last 30 years, but we have come to the crossroads; we have to take a new course. It’s no secret that the shelter needs to move and build a new facility. Two years ago we found out that the once neighboring farmland was being developed into a bustling intermodal rail yard and, by the way, it’s only 40 feet from the animal shelter! On top of it all, the shelter staff and board recognized that the current building is deteriorating at a rapid pace despite all of our maintenance efforts. The epoxy flooring in the dog kennels is already in need of replacing, the heating/cooling ventilation system is in need of a total overhaul, and we have found a pipe leaking behind a concrete wall. Also, we have discovered cracks and sinking spots, that weren’t there two years ago, in the block floors and walls which is likely the result from the rail yard blasting the land next door to make it level for tracks.

Indeed this shelter has served its purpose, but can no longer keep up with a growing organization that continues to implement new programs to benefit the animals and people of our community. I can not forget to mention that the number of homeless animals continues to rise in our area as the economy struggles to rebound.

Through no fault of their own, homeless dogs and cats keep finding their way to CVAS and we do our very best to help them and find them forever homes. A new shelter would benefit these poor souls immensely. The design for the new shelter will allow CVAS to care for twice as many homeless pets as our current facility. In addition, the building is designed to create a setting of rehabilitation and decrease stress levels of the animals. The high quality ventilation system will keep the air free of respiratory viruses, while the doggie den and kitty cubby material choices will provide easy-clean surfaces and promote animal comfort all in one.

For those of you who love animals and the joy they bring to our lives, those of you who understand the plight of homeless pets, for those of you who intimately know the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter’s dedicated staff and volunteers, who see that the current shelter is not holding up well, who see and feel the need for this organization to move and improve – thank you for your support, your donations, and your compassion for the animals who have no voice but ours….

Make your pledge today to relocate CVAS. We need $2.83 million to complete the transition. Your contribution, not matter the amount, will launch the animal shelter into a new phase; the final phase of construction. This project has been motivated by the community, for our community, and will only be accomplished through community support. You can make a difference now, not only in the lives of so many homeless animals from our area, but this project will affect so many people – from children, to the elderly, to the person who finds a litter of kittens under her front porch. Just fill out the attached pledge form, write a check, or go the web-site with credit card in hand. The need is urgent and the time is now. We may never have this opportunity again!

The windows are going up!! Help us get the rest of the shelter up and donate today.....

We invite you to arrange a visit to our new site on Letterkenny Road West, not far from the chapel, and see the outstanding progress in construction. All who have supported us in bringing the project to reality will share in our excitement and determination to bring our homeless dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, and various other creatures who walk, crawl, or fly to this beautiful new setting where their transition to a new home can begin. Each day we move closer to the dream.

Never lose faith that we will succeed. Every time we visit the site, every time we look at the drawings of the new shelter, we know with certainty that this is the right time, the right move.

There is still hard work to be done in the year ahead; we have confidence in the promise that was made to us by community leaders more than two years ago- that our relocation would have their full support. The amazing transition at Kenny Gardens is just the beginning of a marvelous example of a community working together to create a lasting testimony to our love of our fellow creatures. CVAS is much more than an animal shelter. We are a complete community resource dedicated to public safety, education, and the protection of animals.

The day of our Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will be a proud day for us, for you, and for all of Franklin County. As you go among your friends and co-workers at the beginning of this new year, please spread the word that our Rallying To Relocate Campaign is worthy of their support. With our will to achieve our goal, and your generous support, this year will see an amazing community effort come to fruition.

Help us make 2010 a great year! Visit us often to see progress at Rallying to Relocate on www.cvas-pets.org. As always, heartfelt thanks for your support.

Nancy Gardner

CVAS Board President

We're hoping that the new year will bring enough funds for us to finish our new shelter and get the homeless animals into a place where they can recuperate and find their new, forever homes.

The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter broke ground in its first phase of construction for a new state-of-the-art animal shelter in early September at the Kenny Gardens site, donated by the Chambersburg Area School District.

CHAMBERSBURG – A former board member recently contributed $100,000 toward the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter’s “Rallying to Relocate” Capital Campaign, a donation that has bolstered spirits at the shelter.

While the donor has asked to remain anonymous at this point, CVAS board president, Nancy Gardner, says the gift demonstrates forward momentum in the relocation project.

“This continues the generosity that we’ve already seen from other individuals and companies in the community,” said Gardner. “Our plans have always been to move forward with this project to get CVAS to its new spot and this really reassures us that we will see the community support we need.”

Since July 2007, community leaders and organizations have stepped up to help relocate CVAS to an 11-acre tract of land previously known as Kenny Gardens, donated by the Chambersburg Area School District.

“We are so incredibly thankful for the support we have already seen, as well as this most recent donation," said Kirsten Hubbard, CVAS capital campaign manager. “This individual obviously has a strong understanding of the needs facing the shelter and a simple thank you just doesn’t feel adequate to truly express our gratitude."

The $100,000 contribution is in addition to other generous pledges made by Johnson Controls, T.B. Woods Company, Colony House Furniture and Orrstown Bank.

In addition, a host of other companies and groups have helped through in-kind contributions and support, including: the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, Chambersburg Area Development Corporation, Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority, Brechbill and Helman Construction Company, Greene Township, Martin and Martin, Dennis E. Black Engineering, SGS Architects Engineers, Regan-Matonak & Associate, RHL Engineering, Guilford Township, Hamilton Township, Charles E. Brake Co., R&D Contractors, David H. Martin Excavating, Valley Quarries, Fayetteville Contractors, Coldsmith Construction, Tele-Plus, Waste Management, IESI, Cumberland Landfill, Chamberlin and Wingert Sanitary Services, Byers & Runyon Surveying, Cumberland Valley Tree Service, Baer Sign Company, Chris Shatzer Photography, and local artist Anne Finucane.

“We're going to get there,” Gardner concluded. “We are all really encouraged by the financial and in-kind donations that have been made to date in support of our Rallying to Relocate Capital Campaign.”

Since our debris removal in January, board members and volunteers have worked tirelessly to clean up the site at Kenny Gardens in preparation for our continued forward momentum with our relocation project. A remarkable amount of progress has been made with hand tools on various weekends this spring as you can see from these before and after shots.....

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED US TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO MAKING KENNY GARDENS READY FOR THE NEW CVAS.

On January 20 and 21, six local contractors, three landfill operators, and many community leaders have assembled and are working together to stage the next episode in the much-anticipated relocation project for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter. This represents a huge undertaking demonstrating the support offered by the community’s largest governmental and business entities and community leaders.

Since July of 2007, when community leaders representing the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and the Chambersburg Area Development Corporation asked the shelter to accept their offer to help relocate them to a safer and more serene location, a great number of area businesses and individuals have been instrumental in the progress that has been made to date.

Ken Plummer, who took the lead on the relocation project; David Sciamanna, who did considerable work on behalf of both the Chamber and Chambersburg Area School District and Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority (LIDA) to effect the transfer of 11.2 acres of land at Kenny Gardens; and Brechbill & Helman Construction Company, who have

donated the pre-construction services for a new shelter designed by Ken, were all at the forefront and leading enthusiasts of the project.

Chambersburg Area School District donated the land that will be an outstanding setting for an animal shelter and for the community that will use the property in many beneficial ways.

Martin & Martin, Dennis E. Black Engineering, Baer Sign Company, and Chris Shatzer Photography have all eagerly donated their professional services. Significant “in-kind” donations of preconstruction services were given by SGS Architects Engineers, Regan-Matonak & Associates, and RHL Engineering. Well-known local artist Anne Finucane donated the original artist’s rendering of the proposed new shelter.

Greene, Guilford, and Hamilton Townships have been very supportive of our efforts.

Chambersburg Area Development Corporation underwrote the cost of asbestos abatement in the old buildings at Kenny Gardens. Johnson Controls and T. B. Woods Company have already made generous pledges to the campaign.

Charles E. Brake Co., R&D Contractors, David H Martin Excavating, Valley Quarries, Fayetteville Contractors, and Coldsmith Construction are working together to clear 650 tons of debris from the Kenny Gardens site, which represented 29 military housing units, and truck it to landfills donated by Waste Management, IESI, and Cumberland Landfill.

Honorary Chairs of the Campaign for Rapid Relocation Ken and Sherri Plummer said, “We believe it’s critical to the project for the community to know that everyone is behind this. As we gather people together to meet this need, we can make life better for the next generation of homeless pets in our community.”

CVAS Board of Directors president Nancy Gardner points to the latest gesture of generosity within this joint venture of local governments, local caring contractors and a dedicated and involved community coming together as a “shining example of this on-going community commitment.

“We are so particularly appreciative that we live within a community that shares our values and concerns,” Gardner said.

Please feel free to check back on updates of our progress and as always, thank you for your concern for homeless pets!

CVAS is confident that with the help of the community, our dreams of relocation to Kenny Gardens can become a reality.