Hi All,
 
1st off please let me apologise again for those that thought I was saying if
you cage your ferts you are a bad ferret parent.  I NEVER MEANT THAT I
SWEAR!  I am truly sorry to have caused such a stir.
 
I wanted to chime in with Dayna about those $1 donations.  I think I can
safely say that every single rescue operator, or whatever term you want to
use, dearly loves to receive ANY donation big or small.  We sure do.  All
those $1 or more donations add up and enable us to give these sweet rescued
babies whatever they may need.  Be it the shot for the vacc.  reaction at $1
or the $250 Adrenal surgery.  It all adds up and we are deeply grateful for
anything you send.  When I get donations in the mail once in awhile it
absolutely makes my day.  I look at the check last as I prefer to look at
the letter or picture or anything else in the envelope 1st.  What matters to
me is that for whatever reason you were moved to help us to save another
life.
 
You see for reasons we at FANG have yet to figure out we have not had a
single donation from within our own state.  We have more out of state
members than we do in state.  We are trying to do all we can to spread the
word about us and to let people know how badly those donations are needed.
I am disabled and live off disablity and food stamps.  I wish it were
different and I could work to bring in more money to FANG but it isn't and
never will be.  I often wonder if I am the right person to be doing this.
Then I stop and realize that at this point I seem to be the ONLY one willing
to do this.  So I guess that makes me it no matter what my circumstances
are.  I pray a lot now and I never did that before in my life.  I figure I
had better cover all my bases in order to help the beloved fuzzys:-) What I
always seem to pray for now is the strength and the ability to make a
difference in ferrets lives.  I pray all the time that I will have the funds
to help those really in need.
 
Our only income is what we get when we adopt out the babies eventually but
often that doesn't work.  As in Rockadoodle's case we spent $260 to get her
well and up to date on her vacc. and received $75 when we adopted her out.
Now we have Larry and Stryker and they will have surgeries running about
$400 together.  These sweet boys and their brother are older and it may be
very difficult to find them a home.  Plus they need to stay together.  And
they all need vacc.'s as they have NEVER had any.  If I can't find homes
they will stay with me as permanent shelter kids and then their food and
etc... must be provided for daily by FANG.  If I find them homes I would be
very lucky to receive $125 in adoption fees and more probably less than that
due to their age.  Our only other income is the $20 membership fee in state
and the $10 membership fee out of state.  Those come in once a year.  If I
have any extra money from a rebate check of mine or some such thing I always
seem to spend it on ferret food or meds or something ferret related:-) I
don't mind tho as I would rather it go to help them than to stuff a
hamburger in my face or some such wasteful expenditure.
 
I am not whining here I just want you to see why even $1 makes my eyes well
up with happy tears and makes me ever so grateful.  I have received
donations of $3 or less before and they have gotten just as big a THANK YOU
from me and my kids as a $100 donation gets.  It is YOU out there all over
the US and elsewhere that make FANG possible.  I feel ashamed that most of
our own residents in this state seem to just not give us a thought.  But I
keep working on them and trying to make a difference here nontheless.  I
still give out ferret info.  to anyone asking and still will do anything to
help a fuzzy even when no money is involved whatsoever, which is most often.
YOU and ONLY YOU have made this possible.  I am grateful for each day I can
keep this going and I truly hope it will be forever that it continues.  It
is my life now.  My life is absolutely 100% ferrets and nothing else.  To
the tune that I would gladly go without anything if my ferrets were in need
of something and often have.
 
So I thank each and every one of you that has helped me and FANG in some
way.  Whether it has been money sent, or wonderful words of encouragement
sent.  I treasure all of it.  So never think your help is too small or
unimportant to us, it isn't.  I also thank you all that have helped any
shelter ever.  We are all in this together and that is why I asked you all
to help Dayna when she was in dire need.  WE have to stick together or we
won't make it.  Plain and simple.  So THANK YOU EACH AND EVERY ONE!!!!  TNT!
 
       Kelleen Andrews  &  Her FANG GANG!!!!
[Posted in FML issue 1596]