$159,096!! Woot, Woot and Thank YOU!

It took a long time to count up all those squillions, and I am beyond thrilled to announce that this awesome, big-hearted, cat-loving community of ours raised a remarkable $159,096 for the homeless cats and kittens this year! We still might have a little more trickling in, so it could rise a wee bit more. The whole event raised $300,155 and it makes me very proud that over half of that came from the IBKC Community!

 We received over a thousand donations from all corners of the world. These donations came from 11 different country and 46 states.  We saw many familiar names in our lengthy list of donors and many new ones, too.

I have to tell you, I was a little nervous going into it this year. Our goal was pretty big and we only had 17 days to meet it, which is half the normal length of our fundraiser.  I asked a tremendous amount of  you, scheduled some really huge matches for us to meet, and you got us there!  And then some!  I honestly don't know why I wasted a single second worrying -  you all never disappoint. I should know this by now.

Thank you for every single penny, dollar and squillion you gave. With this huge sum we brought in, we are providing the Humane Society with the resources to fund many wonderful programs and projects. I am so happy for the cats and kittens that will benefit from this. I'm happy for the shelter staff and volunteers who will put these funds to action and because of their devotion and hard work, will be able to witness many positive changes happen for the kittens and cats.  I am happy for us knowing we played a part in all of it.

Thank you for caring and giving so much. $159,096 is huge and I am mighty proud of our community.  Your kindness and generosity is inspiring!  I know there are many organizations out there doing incredible work for cats and kittens - we appreciate the fact that you selected ours to support. Thank you for believing in us and the mission of the shelter.

 And thank you to everyone for tolerating this long two weeks of me asking for support.  I know it's got to get a bit exhausting at times seeing all of those pleas in your Facebook and Twitter feeds,  and in my blog posts, too. I tried to provide some entertainment in the mix,  but still, there were times when I know I saturated your feed with maybe too many requests for donations - especially when we were getting close to meeting a match. Thank you for understanding and not "unfollowing" us during this time.

I would like to take a moment to thank some very special folks who contributed in big ways to the success of our fundraiser.  

Craig: Thank you for tolerating the madness once again.  I know I get distracted by this annual event and let many things in life slide during this stretch. Thank you for not complaining and always being supportive. Thank you for listening to me talk about it all the dang time. Thank you, too, for making the beautiful painting of Charlene for our auction.

Marguerite: Thank for always being available and so willing to help. I appreciate the many photos, stories and stats you shared with me. You made my work easier, and all you contributed to this fundraiser helped bring in many donations.

Team Members Shana and Sarah:
Thanks for working hard and bring in lots!  You both raised your goals and exceeding them, too! Way to go!

Opal, Ellis and Lola:
Thank you for working hard to raise money for the kitties. Seeing such young people giving so much is inspiring to many. Keep it up, kiddos. You're special and we love you and your big hearts.


All our human, feline, and canine friends who walked the walk: Craig, Shana, Jim, Blixa, Sarah,  Bob, Allie, Lynn, Alex,  Ruth, Stephenee, Kathleen, Hannah, Lisa, and Wylla.

Christy of Libertine Tacoma and Mackenzie of Pepper Pot Polish:
Thank you for generously donating a portion of your sales of your awesome products to support the kitties!


Our auction winners: Thank you for your generous winning bids!

Lynn and Alex, Rosemary, Gerard,  Beth and Michael, Lisa and Stuart: Thank you for offering up wonderful matches and inspiring folks to give!

Mary H: Thank you for offering up the kitty bed match and stitching up all the beds for the shelter cats!

iPop; Thank you for donating the magnet sets for us to give away!

Awesome Anonymous Donors and Anonymous Lover of Kittens: Thank you for the many huge matches. I will do the rest of my thanking of you in private, because I respect your wish to remain anonymous, but I will say publicly, that you are truly awesome and we wouldn't have met our crazy goal if not for your generous matches.

And last, but certainly not least, dear Cynthia:
We appreciate you and your huge heart so much. The way you give is beautiful, generous and inspiring in so many ways. Thank you for the many matches you offered. Without your support, we would have fallen far, far, far from our goal. You're our patron saint, and we love you.

It is impossible to adequately thank all of you because what you've given is so  huge. Please know that I appreciate you more than I could ever express.  This community is amazing and unlike any other.  You are good, good people and I hope your hearts feel as full as mine does right now.

Now, let's take a look at the numbers:

We had days designated to fund some of our favorite programs and projects. These are the amounts we raised for each:
Foster Program - $15,455
Senior Cats - $15,545
Special Needs Cats - $14,121
Barn Cats and Backyard Buddies - $17,942
Kitty Meals-On-Wheels and Pet Food Bank - $14,103
Ring Worm Room - $15,679

Here's how we raised that huge amount: 

Team IBKC Firstgiving donations:
Laurie -  $148,930
Sarah -  $2,300
Shana -  $1,670

Auctions: $6206
Paypal Donations: $25

For a total of $159,096


And here are our totals over the years: 

2009 = $23,000
2010 = $48,000
2011 = $66,000
2012 = $87,000
2013 = $117,190
2014 = $131,890
2015 = $159,096

For a very grand total of
$632,176

And our prize winners: 
Signed copy of the IBKC Book -  Lori Miller of VT
IBKC POSTERS -  Emily-Mary Brown and Cheryl Krum
Magnet Sets -
Lise Hedegaard
Mari Gadberry
Amy Vreeland
Michael Unser

To our winners, please email us and let us know where we should ship your prizes!

That's it for today, friends. I'll be back tomorrow with more adorable Hollis Girls and we'll see what happens when we set them loose to breakdown the set!