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Heaven Can Wait overwhelmed by community response

Less than 24 hours after the GoFundMe page for Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation launched, the campaign has far exceeded its goal. As of 2:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon, $58,835 has been raised online.
Kim Hessel in front of Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation’s kennels on Oct. 13. The Foothills area animal rescue foundation has encountered financial troubles in
Kim Hessel in front of Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation’s kennels on Oct. 13. The Foothills area animal rescue foundation has encountered financial troubles in recent months and is in danger of closing its operations.

Less than 24 hours after the GoFundMe page for Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation launched, the campaign has far exceeded its goal.

As of 2:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon, $58,835 has been raised online.

Chauntelle MacLeod, campaign organizer, raised the initial fundraising goal from $30,000 to $50,00, to $70,000. The GoFundMe account looks to exceed $60,000 before the weekend, and the goal continues to increase as more donations come in.

Heaven Can Wait founder Kim Hessel said she’s incredibly grateful and blown away by the community’s support.

“What I really love is even though we’ve had some beautiful big donations, I love the fact there’s a whole bunch of small ones that are making up something big,” said Hessel. “It’s so amazing. It’s just so big.”

Since Heaven Can Wait announced its dire financial situation Oct. 12, when Hessel posted to Facebook the rescue centre would have to close its doors by Christmas due to crippling debt, more than 500 people have donated to the online fundraising campaign and several more have visited the veterinary clinics in High River and Nanton to make payments on behalf of the foundation.

Hessel said she’s grateful for every penny. The $60,000 raised so far will allow her the flexibility to cut expenses and keep her doors open long enough to figure out long-term solutions, she said.

“Those fixes are going to take one to two years, so the fact we’re getting such good interest now and so many great ideas for fundraising and for events that could become annual, that’s great,” said Hessel. “There are options out there now, and this is giving us the breathing room to get bills paid off and be conservative and put those big plans into play.”

To read more about Heaven Can Wait’s situation, check out the Western Wheel story published Oct. 13: https://www.westernwheel.com/article/Heaven-Can-Wait-looking-to-community-to-keep-doors-open-20161013.

For more information or to donate to the fundraising campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/support-heaven-can-wait-2u2xpc3g.

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