Patti Leonard was the first of nine RSM US LLP (RSM) employees given an opportunity to “pursue their passions” as a result of the firm’s Pursue Your Passion (90-90-9) program. Through Pursue Your Passion, RSM is supporting personal and professional aspirations by providing nine employees with $90,000 ($10,000 each) and nine paid days off to fulfill their dreams. Patti’s dream? Establish the Sparky Foundation to help provide medical care for animals in need, and to rescue and re-home animals in high-risk shelters.
I can’t believe that I actually have my very own 501©3 animal rescue! When I sent in my submission for Pursue Your Passion, it was so different from others before me that I never thought it would go anywhere. The fact that my dream is now a reality blows my mind!
I received my IRS letter with my 501©3 approval March 16, 2017. I sat in my driveway and cried! So many years spent devoting my time to animals and various rescue organizations, and now I would finally be working for ME! Sparky Foundation would be MY rescue organization!
In May, we started the building to house the animals – a place specifically for their care. It’s still a work-in-progress, but we have the walls up, flooring installed, door hung and a ramp installed for special needs dogs. My awesome husband recently had the duct work done so we can run heating and air to the building and built a HUGE new dog house for my birthday! Now that it’s cooled off we’re able to continue work on the building, which we hope to have finished before the end of the year. We have two 10’x10’x6’ outdoor dog lots with houses and a half-acre fenced in yard.
Sparky Foundation works with a variety of shelters, rescues and vet hospitals in different areas in our region. We will drive up to two hours each way to save a dog. That’s what distinguishes us from most other rescues. We don’t take owner surrenders or animals from Craigslist or other social media sites. We take the “underdog cases” – the dogs that need us most.
Our first intake was Libby, a four-pound hairless Chinese crested/Yorkie mix from a backyard breeder. She was infested with fleas, and had toenails so long they curled up. She also had skin issues, was not spayed and had a hernia. Harley, a female pit bull mix, is a one-year-old pup who’d been chained to a bush with a cord and a shoe string as a collar. She was surrounded by trash. Cash, a full-blooded, boxer who went unclaimed at a nearby shelter, can sit, shake, and is house-trained. We saved him 12 hours before he was to be put to sleep. Bailey, a 10-week-old pup, was suffering from road rash and a broken femur after being hit by a car. Bella, a white shepherd seized by animal control due to neglect and possible cruelty, had been chained to a tree with no food or water and was missing a back foot. She was malnourished and full of infection. Darcy, a dachshund, was removed from a neglect situation. George and Lola were unclaimed strays. They’re all now being cared for through Sparky Foundation.
Working in rescue, you always have some cases that stand out – ones you’ll never forget. For me, one of those is Molly, a senior female boxer with the cutest little under-bite. Molly was found in a rundown part of town, malnourished and with her stomach hanging nearly to the ground, full of puppies. She’s about eight-years-old, which is about 50 in human years – too old to be having babies. She was picked up by animal control and taken to the shelter on a Wednesday evening. The shelter coordinator contacted me Thursday morning. Because of her age and size, she was a high-risk pregnancy, and the shelter isn’t a good place for a mama give birth! I arranged to leave work Friday at noon to pick her up. I was working on a proposal that day, though, and was running late, so I let the shelter know I would be there at 3 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., I got a call saying Molly was in labor and had already given birth to one puppy. By the time I finished work at 1:30 p.m. and made the hour-and-a-half drive to the shelter in the pouring rain, she had five babies. We waited another three hours for her to deliver the rest of the puppies but with the storm and construction on the shelter going on, she was too stressed. We decided she needed to be in a quiet place, so we loaded her and her babies into my car, and made the trip home in a downpour. It took two hours. Within minutes of getting her settled, she had the last two puppies. We had a total of seven – six girls and one boy. Unfortunately, three didn’t survive, but today we have four fat and sassy little eight-week-old girls. All four will be going to their new homes soon. Mama Molly will be with us a few more weeks, until she’s spayed – then she, too, will have a new home! She’s a chunky girl, wiggles from happiness all the time, is crate-trained, house-trained, and sits on command. She’s a sweet, loving dog.
To date, we’ve taken in nine cases – 13 dogs. We’ve had eight adoptions, placed two in foster care and have three attending an adoption event this weekend. Owning a rescue is more work than volunteering for one. There are days I ask myself what I was thinking. Then, something will happen: the first time a dog who never knew love licks me, when one that has no idea what a toy is finally starts playing with one or best of all – when a dog goes from being tied to a tree, neglected and abused –even had to have her leg amputated – finds her forever family. THIS is why I do what I do. Thank you, RSM, for making my dream come true! I am forever grateful that through your help I am able to save the lives of the hopeless, the neglected and the lost.
Sparky Foundation can be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesparkyfoundation
Please like our page and follow us! If you’re interested in contributing to our care fund, contributions can be made via paypal by using the send money friends and family option to sparkyfoundationnc@gmail.com
I received my IRS letter with my 501©3 approval March 16, 2017. I sat in my driveway and cried! So many years spent devoting my time to animals and various rescue organizations, and now I would finally be working for ME! Sparky Foundation would be MY rescue organization!
In May, we started the building to house the animals – a place specifically for their care. It’s still a work-in-progress, but we have the walls up, flooring installed, door hung and a ramp installed for special needs dogs. My awesome husband recently had the duct work done so we can run heating and air to the building and built a HUGE new dog house for my birthday! Now that it’s cooled off we’re able to continue work on the building, which we hope to have finished before the end of the year. We have two 10’x10’x6’ outdoor dog lots with houses and a half-acre fenced in yard.
Sparky Foundation works with a variety of shelters, rescues and vet hospitals in different areas in our region. We will drive up to two hours each way to save a dog. That’s what distinguishes us from most other rescues. We don’t take owner surrenders or animals from Craigslist or other social media sites. We take the “underdog cases” – the dogs that need us most.
Our first intake was Libby, a four-pound hairless Chinese crested/Yorkie mix from a backyard breeder. She was infested with fleas, and had toenails so long they curled up. She also had skin issues, was not spayed and had a hernia. Harley, a female pit bull mix, is a one-year-old pup who’d been chained to a bush with a cord and a shoe string as a collar. She was surrounded by trash. Cash, a full-blooded, boxer who went unclaimed at a nearby shelter, can sit, shake, and is house-trained. We saved him 12 hours before he was to be put to sleep. Bailey, a 10-week-old pup, was suffering from road rash and a broken femur after being hit by a car. Bella, a white shepherd seized by animal control due to neglect and possible cruelty, had been chained to a tree with no food or water and was missing a back foot. She was malnourished and full of infection. Darcy, a dachshund, was removed from a neglect situation. George and Lola were unclaimed strays. They’re all now being cared for through Sparky Foundation.
Working in rescue, you always have some cases that stand out – ones you’ll never forget. For me, one of those is Molly, a senior female boxer with the cutest little under-bite. Molly was found in a rundown part of town, malnourished and with her stomach hanging nearly to the ground, full of puppies. She’s about eight-years-old, which is about 50 in human years – too old to be having babies. She was picked up by animal control and taken to the shelter on a Wednesday evening. The shelter coordinator contacted me Thursday morning. Because of her age and size, she was a high-risk pregnancy, and the shelter isn’t a good place for a mama give birth! I arranged to leave work Friday at noon to pick her up. I was working on a proposal that day, though, and was running late, so I let the shelter know I would be there at 3 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., I got a call saying Molly was in labor and had already given birth to one puppy. By the time I finished work at 1:30 p.m. and made the hour-and-a-half drive to the shelter in the pouring rain, she had five babies. We waited another three hours for her to deliver the rest of the puppies but with the storm and construction on the shelter going on, she was too stressed. We decided she needed to be in a quiet place, so we loaded her and her babies into my car, and made the trip home in a downpour. It took two hours. Within minutes of getting her settled, she had the last two puppies. We had a total of seven – six girls and one boy. Unfortunately, three didn’t survive, but today we have four fat and sassy little eight-week-old girls. All four will be going to their new homes soon. Mama Molly will be with us a few more weeks, until she’s spayed – then she, too, will have a new home! She’s a chunky girl, wiggles from happiness all the time, is crate-trained, house-trained, and sits on command. She’s a sweet, loving dog.
To date, we’ve taken in nine cases – 13 dogs. We’ve had eight adoptions, placed two in foster care and have three attending an adoption event this weekend. Owning a rescue is more work than volunteering for one. There are days I ask myself what I was thinking. Then, something will happen: the first time a dog who never knew love licks me, when one that has no idea what a toy is finally starts playing with one or best of all – when a dog goes from being tied to a tree, neglected and abused –even had to have her leg amputated – finds her forever family. THIS is why I do what I do. Thank you, RSM, for making my dream come true! I am forever grateful that through your help I am able to save the lives of the hopeless, the neglected and the lost.
Sparky Foundation can be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesparkyfoundation
Please like our page and follow us! If you’re interested in contributing to our care fund, contributions can be made via paypal by using the send money friends and family option to sparkyfoundationnc@gmail.com
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