10/12/2020
Dear Friends and Supporters:
It has been a while since we've updated on our progress, so we've got a lot to share! First, please be assured that we all wanted to be further along in our progression than we are, but despite being a small all-volunteer team of busy professionals, our determination to open our doors has not waivered even with many obstacles thrown our way.
Our location is donated space & we have no paid staff, so expenses have been absolutely minimal during our closure. Board members have stepped up to pay most expenses (electric, water, insurance, etc.) to ensure as much remains in our bank account as possible. Our current bank balance is $33,110.51, which includes proceeds from last year's yard sale & few smaller money-making efforts.
The building donated for our use previously contained storage units, which were disassembled, removed & sold. Plumbing, flooring, air conditioning, & electricity will all need to be added to that space in order meet the basic standards to safely accommodate puppies. Quotes have been obtained for these projects totaling about $28,000 (with huge discounts given).
We drafted & agreed on a blueprint of how we wanted the space to look, and a builder provided us with a "list of materials" so we could determine what the basic buildout would cost... about another $15,000 in materials to include lumber, insulation, sheetrock, doors, sinks, water heater, & more.
Late last year, we were lucky enough to be selected for the Lowe's Heroes program, which provided us with about $12,000 worth of building materials either free or at-cost. The program usually provides volunteer labor too, but COVID pretty much did away with the labor teams & also interfered with a 2nd delivery of materials, which we were finally able to get delivered last weekend.
With donated building materials finally in hand, the smaller section of the building (left section in the building photo) that was previously used as admin space is now ready to be renovated to accommodate our admin, retail & kitten adoption areas.
Modifications in that space are expected to be way more minimal compared to the puppy area (right section in the building photo), so that is why, after recently seeing a plea from Puurrrfect Paws Rescue looking for rental space to feature adoptable kitties & sell PPR memorabilia, we decided to offer the kitty space to them temporarily. Doing so helps them save funds faster to open their longtime dream of a cat café. They will take over utilities, paint & oversee renovations of that space so we can focus on the bigger project of financing & renovating the puppy & veterinary areas.
Please comment or message us if you can help with any of the following:
· Donate an item or service for an upcoming online auction fundraiser
· Graphic design that can bring our building layout to life
· Construction: changing out light fixtures, installing doors, plumbing, electricity, sheetrock, painting, etc.
· Grant writing
· Suggestions for other COVID-friendly fundraising options
Our biggest challenge will continue to be funds. Not only do we need to ensure that grants or donations cover all of the building projects so as not to deplete our bank account, we also need a minimum of $45,000 in the bank, which equates to 6 months of anticipated monthly expenses, in order to confidently move forward with hiring a Director & opening our doors to serve this community (& beyond!) once again. We encourage you to donate what you can when you can towards these efforts at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=LPTB26TNDCQMA or by mail to Precious Friends, 20 Barker St., Clarksville, TN 37040.
We have included a chronological collection of photos to help share our progress thus far. We appreciate your patience, well wishes, good vibes, & ongoing support!
Precious Friends Board of Directors
