WARSAW — The Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County is reaching out to catch the attention of long-term donors and others thinking about it.

In a news release, AWL said it is proud to honor and express heartfelt gratitude to its long-term donors, whose unwavering commitment continues to save and enrich the lives of countless animals in our community.

For decades, the generosity of our donors has empowered AWL to rescue, shelter, rehabilitate, and rehome thousands of animals in need. From emergency medical care to daily nourishment, enrichment programs, and adoption services, every life-changing moment at AWL is made possible by your support.

"Long-term donors are the backbone of our mission," said Executive Director Tonya Blanchard."Their compassion and consistency allow us to not only care for animals today but also plan for a better, more humane tomorrow.”

Recent milestones include the generous Kosciusko County resident who bequeathed his estate to the Animal Welfare League. This allowed us to pay off our mortgage and make a few needed improvements to our campus.

However, we still have ongoing needs and expenses.

Shelter Expenses:

• 2023-$746,605.00
  2024-$828,382.00

Government funding:

• Warsaw, $100,000
• Kosciusko County, $180,000

AWL relies on donations and fundraising for the balance of our expenses and the 2024 Payroll expense was $470,783.

AWL operates 365 days a year, caring for between 200-320 animals daily. To maintain
appropriate care standards, this requires 6 to 8 staff members on duty daily, resulting in an
annual payroll expense of $470,783

AWL continues to rely on these contributions to help ensure that every animal — whether abandoned, abused, or simply in need of a second chance — finds hope, healing, and a loving home.

Your ongoing support makes a lasting difference. Together, we are not just saving lives — we are building a compassionate community for animals and the people who love them.
With gratitude,

The post AWL of Kosciusko County seeks long-term donors for lifesaving impact appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Warsaw hosted its annual Blessing of the Animals that included one rescued Friday from a hoarding situation in Cromwell Friday.

Representatives from Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County attended the church service Sunday and spoke about the rescue of ten dogs, which was reported on Saturday by News Now Warsaw.

John Lantz, president of the board of directors for AWL, talked during the service about the importance of a community's role in caring for animals in the community.

Helping out a needy animal, he said, can be a life-changing event.

Members of the congregation were invited to bring their pets to Sunday's service for an individual blessing.

One of those animals that received some extra attention was Bobby, a young Chihuahua that had been rescued from a home in Cromwell Friday. He had lost all of its fur due to malnutrition and was one of 12 removed from a house that was condemned.

Sunday's pet blessing wrapped up a unique weekend for the church that included a  dog show on Saturday.

Carol Bianchini, the parish administrator, said the church spotlights different entities in the community each month and that it had raised more than $800 this month to support AWL as of Sunday.

[caption id="attachment_83946" align="aligncenter" width="692"] A dog named Kiki attended Sunday's Pet Blessing service at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Warsaw and remained well behaved. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_83947" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Michael Basden, a former longtime rector with St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Warsaw, blesses Calloway, a dog owned by Mallory Petro (R). Assisting in the blessing is Isaiah Villarreal, at left. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW – The folks at Animal Welfare League are taking two more steps forward this week.

First off, the animal shelter on U.S. 30 near Pierceton, finished moving cats into the new Cat House, a separate building to the north of the office.

The move was required to put more distance between the cats and dogs after the nonprofit realized the floor plan for the facility that opened three years ago was flawed.

The Cat House opened in November, but not all cats were shifted over until this week. Only a handful of cats are still lodged in the main office building.

The building features numerous large windows that provide plenty of natural light inside while also allowing arriving visitors to see some of the cats that are available.

Interior improvements inside The Cat House are continuing.

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That’s been one of the issues confronted by Executive Director Tonya Blanchard and AWL Board President John Lantz who both stepped into their roles within a month of each other in 2021.

Another project: AWL hopes to have a newly established website up and running this week after going weeks without one during the transition.

The new website, awlwarsaw.com, will provide a better platform to accept donations, attract volunteers and boost animal adoptions, Lantz said.

The site will also enlighten the public on how to work with the office in handling stray animals and other issues, Lantz said.

On Wednesday, Lantz sat down with News Now Warsaw for the public affair show, In The Know.

After retiring from a career in business, Lantz became involved with and eventually became board president for a pet food pantry program in Fort Wayne where the all-volunteer operation provided 100,000 pounds of pet food for those in need in his final year with the group.

He and his wife moved to Warsaw two years ago and he soon became involved with AWL.

Blanchard had 13 years of experience with the shelter and stepped aside from a family business to lead Animal Welfare League.

After a series of changes in leadership in recent years, Lantz said they have a new sense of stability. The organization has also added newer, younger people to the board.

Lantz said that’s intentional.

“When I was with the pet food pantry, we worked with Youth Leaders of Northeast Indiana and brought in board members through them and other professional organizations,” Lantz said. “I’m all about that, getting youth on board.”

Lantz spent much of his time in 2022 reaching out to communities in hopes of making a connection and generating more financial support for AWL, and he plans to continue that this year.

AWL also issued its first-ever annual report, which is available to the public.

As he talks with groups, he always reminds them that AWL is not a county department.

The concern is that if people believe AWL is a county department, they are less likely to donation.

"I think a lot of people still think that," Lantz said.

Much of their funding comes from the county, Warsaw and North Webster.

Chief among concerns this year is the need to reduce the $465,000 mortgage that remains on the new facility, he said.

“That limits our spending and our payroll and the kind of care that we can offer these pets.  We’re going to do a big push this year to get that whittled down," he said. 

Tough time for animal shelters

Lantz agrees with others who believe the animal shelter industry is currently in a crisis fueled greatly by an increase in animal intakes, a lack of funding and struggles to staff operations.

He said he thinks circumstances are more difficult now than during the pandemic.

He said they’ve not seen that many cases of people returning pets after adopting them during the pandemic – although he hears about that elsewhere.

Regardless, in 2022, the shelter took in 367 animals – a 28 percent increase from a year earlier, he said.

In November alone, they saw a huge spike with 161 animals being taken in.

"That's huge," Lantz said. "And we never euthanize for space, and we work hard with our volunteers and our foster homes to take care of these pets."

Indeed, Animal Welfare League was one of five facilities in the country awarded with Touchstone Award for maintaining a remarkably low euthanasia rate.

In 2021, 38 animals were euthanized, which is 2.3 percent of all intakes at the facility, Lantz said.

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