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Mission
The mission of Castaways Animal Shelter and Sanctuary is to serve as an advocate
for animals by:
1) Providing care, a safe haven and adoption services for
lost and abandoned animals with a goal of zero euthanasia;
2) Educating the
public on the humane treatment of animals and responsible pet ownership; and
3) Helping to provide affordable spay/neuter services.
History
Castaways Animal Shelter and Sanctuary was started in early 2004 by a group of Chanute residents who were concerned about the welfare of animals in our community. The vision was to build a no-kill animal sanctuary in the Chanute area and to provide no- or low-cost spay and neuter services. The short-term goals were to educate the public about the need for a shelter and to help facilitate pet adoptions while also raising funds toward the shelter.
The formation of the founding group was headed by Dr. Verdon and Judy Parham. They graciously provided their home for the first group meetings. In addition, Dr. Parham attended a national conference that helped guide the start-up of Castaways and Judy tirelessly worked on finances, events and the newsletter. This is all while caring for the many animals left at their doorstep once the community found out about Castaways.
From the beginning, Castaways wanted to do things the right way. The board of directors was formalized with job descriptions, by-laws were written with the assistance of legal counsel who also did the paperwork for Castaways to become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and a mission statement was written and goals formulated. Board members Kevin and Tracey Harshberger led the charge in designing a logo for Castaways.
In addition, Castaways included the Chanute Animal Control Officer in initial discussions so as to better understand city policies and to reach out to help understand ways the two entities might work together.
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