At HEA, our tagline – “Every.Single.One.” – isn’t just a slogan; we stand by those words through the thick and thin. Last month our team sprung into action to lend a helping hand to a local animal shelter in grave need. Animal House, a Green Bay animal shelter, encountered extreme damage to their building when a water pipe broke and flooded the facility. Fortunately, the owners of the shelter, the Smiths, were notified in time of the accident and were able to rescue the animals before loss of life occurred. However, the defunct building would be inactive for months while repairs are taking place. The morning after the flooding at Animal House, we received a phone call regarding the displaced dogs and cats from the owners. The Smiths were caring for 20 cats and 15 dogs at the time. As I began to hear the details of the events, I knew our current inventory would not be capable of supporting such numbers, but as I looked up from the desk, I could see our motto displayed across the wall “Every.Single.One.” A rush of motivation struck my core as I told the Smiths to hang tight while I made a few calls. Thankfully our network of dedicated volunteers runs deep at HEA, the true backbone of our organization. Fifteen passionate volunteers stepped up to the plate to foster a variety of dogs and cats. Secondly, we managed to restructure our Marion animal sanctuary facility to accommodate the remaining ten animals. Later, around mid afternoon, we reached back out to Animal House with the great news and coordinated a pickup of the animals that evening. The Smiths could rest easy now as they knew their furry friends were in great hands. In total, HEA and our volunteers cared for the animals for over a month, while even finding four Animal House dogs their forever home. “Every.Single.One.” - It isn’t just a slogan – it’s what we stand for.
Art Vandelay, Executive Director
Grandpa Gets a Furry Friend
Compassion is at the core of Happily Ever After’s culture. We not only show compassion for animals but extend the emotion towards the community as well. A few months, I got an idea after visiting my Grandpa at his assisted care facility outside of Green Bay. After years of visiting him and getting to know the other seniors at his complex, many occupants expressed that they do not receive many visitors and felt lonely sometimes. As I left the complex, my heart broke a bit for these lonesome seniors. The following morning I headed into HEA and causally discussed my interactions about the residents to my staff. As the conversation flowed, a volunteer fostered an excellent idea to help boost the seniors’ spirits. She proposed that once a month, HEA would show compassion to the residents by bringing in cats and dogs for the seniors to interact with. The whole staff agreed that this was an excellent community program we could easily facilitate.
Starting on May 1, 2019, HEA would bring five kittens and five puppies to Oak Ridge Living. On our first visit, the residents were overjoyed with the arrival of their new friends. The residents' founded relationships with the animals brought smiles to their faces. They could now look forward to a happy Saturday each month to play with our furry friends. No longer would the lonesomeness of the seniors be as prominent, as they knew, their little buddies are always right around the corner.