[VIDEO]: Big news for the Weyburn Humane Society

A major announcement was made Thursday evening at the Weyburn Humane Society.

A $225,000 lump-sum contribution was presented from the estate of Violet Delrose Moore, who was one of the founding members of the WHS, and from whose estate $70,000 has been donated in installments since her passing in 2010, totaling more than $300,000.

Moore's niece Danna Kopec and her husband Jim Kopec were there for the announcement and unveiling of the new campaign, which will allow individuals to purchase a brick for $100, as well as other sponsorship opportunities for outfitting the new building.

Danna said her aunt Delrose's love of animals was a huge part of who she was, and this project would make her proud.

"She was always partial to her dogs, that was a very important part of her life," shared Kopec. "From the time I was just a little girl, I don't remember a time ever seeing Aunt Delrose pull into the driveway or go to her place without two little dogs coming behind her, at least two of them. And they always had special names, like one of them was Taos, and we used to think, 'Where did you come up with these names?' A lot of times they did a lot of traveling down in the South of Mexico, and she used to bring back a lot of these different names from the states when she would go through. But it was always the animals, her animals, and especially the dogs, she was very, very partial to. Those were her true companions, really."

Moore was actually one of the founding members of the Weyburn Humane Society.

"This went back for years, when things were small, and her care was to always make sure that the animals weren't left out in the cold, they always had some shelter and got fed. That was very important to her," she explained.

"This donation on her behalf is absolutely perfect, and it she would be so proud to know that it's going towards something where they're going to be able to house more and do a good job and have healthcare and have lots of room for them." 

In hopes of the Moore endowment, the WHS board has launched a 'Brick by Brick' drive to encourage more community members to contribute to their new shelter building. 

"It's going to a good cause. This is awesome, and to get into its own area where there's lots of room, it's long overdue. It's time, and hopefully, others will step up and buy a brick," Kopec encouraged. "Put something in the building that is needed. Make sure there are good wash areas for them, that they have bathtubs, and they've got the proper care that they need. That's important, so let's hope that everybody will do that. Because she was very special to me and I want to see her feelings be put into action. That's a good thing."

Board president Randy Bakaluk said they have ordered their building shell, and are hoping to have it on the land at 1810 East Avenue by spring of 2024.

"For the last month or so, we've been in dealings with the company to get this the shell itself, we've put the deposit down on it and we're actually planning on hopefully putting that shell up in the spring, fingers crossed," said Bakaluk. "It's a pole building. It took me a while to realize what a pole building was, but they'll put up the outer shell basically what it is, and then we'll start to have the interior all done and have cement poured and everything like that too. But we're hoping at least the shell will be up starting in the spring."

He said keeping a lid on the news, after this contribution was made on August 18th, was difficult.

The bricks will sell for $100 and the WHS' website will have everything needed to contribute within the coming weeks.

"The campaign will be composed of three components. The first will be a sponsorship. You can sponsor a different area or an item in the shelter for different amounts, such as the kennels, the lobby, and the cat play rooms. Your name will be permanently placed on the lobby wall. The second is a buy a brick. You can purchase a brick for $100 and your name will be permanently placed on the wall. Thirdly, you can be a monthly supporter. You can pledge a monthly donation towards the operation of the build. So there's not a set amount for it. It's what you can afford. And every penny will count toward operations." 

"This new building will significantly impact the lives of many animals as well as the many people who share the similar love of animals Delrose did. And those who cherish the benefits of an animal companion. We will be having more information coming out in the next little while for more specifics."

The board will also attend as many trade shows and events as possible to make it easy for members of the public to help out with the final push for financing the new shelter.

In all, Bakaluk estimates the new facility will cost around $1.3 million. Hear his explanation below of the brick campaign.

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