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[3]By Selena Steele-Clough [4]
BELLEVILLE – Music, food and laughter are all it took to bring the community together on Sunday afternoon to help a local animal-rescue operation stay open.
Fixed Fur Life [5], a charitable organization that has helped over 20,000 stray animals in the past 13 years, was running into financial difficulty at the end of 2016. Darlene Quinsey [6], who founded Fixed Fur Life in 2004, had said that she would have to shut down the rescue operation unless significant financial help was received.
Angela Wiggins, one of the organizers of Sunday’s event, with the help of several other people and a budget of only $100, arranged a fundraiser for Fixed Fur Life in just three weeks.
“Within an hour we had a free venue, a free band and free food with donations pouring in,” said Wiggins.
In a single day the community had found out about the event and the reaction was incredible, she said.
On Sunday, over 200 people packed into Vic’s Place [7] on Bridge Street in downtown Belleville to eat, drink and enjoy live music. Participants paid $5 to get in, and there were raffles and an auction to raise more money.
Wiggins told QNet News at the event that the goal of the event was to raise $10,000. Contacted Monday, she reported that a total of $8,500 was raised.
All the money goes straight to Fixed Fur Life and the direct care of the animals it helps.
Quinsey said she was thrilled about the turnout, adding that she saw many people there who had had their pets neutered through her organization in the past.
Because Fixed Fur Life depends heavily on volunteers, it relies a great deal on donations to keep it afloat, she said.
“It costs at least $10,000 per month to provide the services for these animals.”
Music was a big part of the fundraiser. Local musicians Robyn Scott [8] and Karen Smith were among those who performed.
“Both of us just want to sing – it doesn’t matter where,” Scott said. “It’s what we love to do. And to help out the community like this is always such a great feeling.”
Sarah Fanjor, a Belleville resident who attended the event, said it is important for everyone to look after animals and each other.
“A community should not be satisfied with seeing stray cats and dogs on the streets. We need to teach our children that it’s not right,” she said.
Shannon Alexander of Belleville was also at Vic’s Place. “It’s amazing to see that so many businesses donated so much to this event today,” she said.
Anyone who was unable to make it to the event and still wants to donate can visit the Fixed Fur Life website [5].