The Chippewa Valley Post provides news of area nonprofit organizations in order to increase public awareness of their missions and activities, and to provide information that otherwise might not be made available.
Our “6 of Substance” series is part of this effort. It will present answers from nonprofit organizations, in their own words, to six questions we asked about who they are and what they do. The responses will be edited only for length, grammar and style concerns.
This series will be updated regularly to introduce Chippewa Valley residents to the many nonprofit organizations and people working to serve the needs of our area. If you have a favorite nonprofit organization that you’d like to see featured here, please let us know at cvpostwi@gmail.com.
Eau Claire County Humane Association n
Who do you serve?
ECCHA primarily serves Eau Claire County, although we are here for the entire Chippewa Valley as needed. The shelter is a great resource for anyone looking to adopt, volunteer, foster, sponsor, donate, or to answer pet questions.
How long have you been established in the Chippewa Valley?
The ECCHA was established in 1968.
What are the major issues you will be facing over the next 18 months?
Pet overpopulation is a yearly struggle for all animal shelters. Come spring, animals will be coming to our door daily. In 2016, there were numerous days where we accepted over 10 animals in a day. The largest number of animals taken in on one day was 25 pets. ECCHA hopes to encourage more pet owners to spay/neuter their pets and encourage people to “Adopt, Don’t Shop.”
ECCHA is looking at how our building flows and how best we can serve the pets in our care. ECCHA will begin looking at how we can improve what we are doing with what we have and look at where we want to be in the future. These conversations may involve looking at expansion or a new building.
Aside from financial support, how can the Chippewa Valley Community support you?
Many ways…
*Adopt, Don’t Shop. ECCHA has many pets up for adoption so we are sure to find a match for you and your family. Applications can be submitted online without specifically naming a pet but describing what you are looking for in a pet (small, non-shedding dog; family friendly rabbit) is helpful. ECCHA will hold approved applications for six months and call you if a pet matching the description comes in.
*Volunteer: We cannot do what we do on a daily basis without the help of volunteers. Volunteers assist with daily cleaning and care, events, grant writing, poster distribution, cat care at PetSmart, delivering pet food, hosting groups, filing, and much more. Applications are available online at www.eccha.org.
*Foster: Foster families are needed for a variety of reasons for a variety of animals. Foster families choose what kinds of pets they could have in their homes on a short term basis from our youngest pets that cannot be adopted until eight weeks of age to pets that just do not do well in a shelter setting. Our foster coordinator will work with you to match pets with your wishes and lifestyle.
*Sponsor: People help our pets looking for homes by sponsoring a pet. These donors pay for the pets’ adoption fees or medical needs. These sponsorships help pets get adopted sooner.
*Donate: In addition to monetary donations, ECCHA also accepts items off our wish list. Every Wednesday, ECCHA posts on our Facebook page our most needed items. We also accept gently used items such as towels, toys, open bags of food, medications, or any pet related items. Your Fresh Step cat litter paw points can be donated to ECCHA online.
*Recycle: Drop off your aluminum cans at the shelter, 3900 Old Town Hall Rd. in Eau Claire, for recycling; 100% goes back to the shelter. ECCHA accepts used ink cartridges, small electronics, and cell phones, which are mailed to a company that pays us money in return.
Who are some of the key people in your organization?
Everyone involved with ECCHA from staff to volunteers to the Board of Directors is a key player to our mission.
What is the most important thing about your organization that people should know, but don’t?
ECCHA is a temporary home for all pets, not only cats and dogs. We have provided a temporary home and found forever homes for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, rats, mice, gerbils, fish, reptiles, turtles, birds, ducks, chickens, geese, horses, goats, pot bellied pigs, a Holstein calf, tarantula, and more.
— by Karen Rabideaux, Assistant Director/Volunteer Coordinator
If you would like more information about the Eau Claire County Humane Association, go to www.eccha.org.
To download a copy of the “6 of Substance” questionnaire, click here.