Some of us have been taking time during the pandemic to reconnect with old friends. I was so excited when my path recently crossed again with a friend from years ago over two causes we both love: charity and animal rescue.
Lori Hansen has always done amazing charitable work. She impressively started her own foundation, Soul Sisters, to support local nonprofits. This month, Lori is using her skills and her foundation to raise money and awareness for a local nonprofit in Batavia, Illinois called Starfish Animal Rescue.
Their name is based on my favorite short story, “The Starfish Story,” the moral of which is a guiding principle of my life. You can read the story on the rescue’s left sidebar at the bottom. Starfish Animal Rescue has saved close to 6,000 animals since its establishment in 2006.
Lori graciously shared her time with DogTime for an interview about Soul Sisters’s event this month to raise funds for Starfish Animal Rescue. Here’s what she had to say.
What Is ‘Soul Sisters’?
AMANDA: Tell us about Soul Sisters — it’s fascinating and impressive how you support so many important missions.
LORI: Soul Sisters Give is a network of like-minded local women (and men) committed to making a difference for area causes and not-for-profits that are doing amazing things without the headlines.
We recognize that the big-name charities get all of the attention and the lion’s share of support. But there are dozens of amazing groups and smallish charities who are making a difference in our area without big budgets.
Soul Sisters comes together throughout the year in support of these unsung and often overlooked groups. Four times each year, we highlight a local charity and invite our circles of friends and colleagues to come together at a pop-up event to address that group’s wishlist.
It’s a positive, joyful, and highly satisfying experience to see the impact simple gestures of kindness can yield.
The common thread among Soul Sisters is a passion for helping the unsung groups in our midst who really make a difference in peoples’ lives, without fanfare and headlines.
AMANDA: I love that you specifically seek to help smaller rescues. I think that’s so unique and so important! What was your inspiration to get started?
LORI: Thank you! I actually started Soul Sisters Give in memory of my sister-in-law, Linda, who passed away from breast cancer in 2018. She was one of my best friends — truly my other soul sister!
‘Starfish Animal Rescue’ — A Local Rescue Making A Big Difference
AMANDA: Tell us about Starfish Animal Rescue. How did their mission become your organization’s fundraising focus for May? Why did you choose to partner with them?
LORI: Starfish Animal Rescue is a perfect example of a local not-for-profit doing amazing things on a lean budget — right up our alley! Melinda Kintz, the former Executive Director of Batavia United Way and a Soul Sister, fosters puppies with Starfish, and she knew that their mission would be a match for us.
Their work rescuing at-risk and vulnerable puppies and dogs and finding joyful homes for them is the kind of life-affirming effort we are always looking for. Who wouldn’t want to help those little pups and dogs in need?!
AMANDA: Wonderful! Do you have pets of your own? If so, can you tell us about them?
LORI: In a perfect example of cosmic symmetry, we are the proud owners of two rescue dogs, so this event really made a connection with me. Levi is an Australian Cattle Dog, found wandering in St. Louis five years ago; he is the smartest dog we have ever owned!
Millie is also an Australian Cattle Dog with some Dingo mixed in. She was a wandering, southern puppy, as well, and is the most energetic and eager critter you will ever meet.
We feel so grateful and fortunate to be blessed with these two amazing animals that saying yes to Starfish Animal Rescue was a very easy thing to do!
Fun Fundraising In The Pandemic
AMANDA: It’s so neat you’re doing an outdoor event during this “bridge” pandemic time. How did you put together this event? How did you choose where/when/what?
LORI: The pandemic closures have made it very difficult to stage charity “events” in a typical fashion.
Soul Sisters is fortunate to have a relationship with John Hamel, the owner of Pal Joey’s and Bar Evolution. Last fall, John helped us create a “contactless drive-thru event” at Bar Evolution that allowed people to drop off wish list items and donations and receive take-away hors d’oeuvres in return.
It was so popular and fun, we realized it was an approach we could use this spring. John offered the parking lot (and menu) of Pal Joey’s to stage this event for Starfish Animal Rescue, and our amazing Soul Sisters Give volunteers are doing the rest!
We have worked closely with Starfish to identify items on their wish list for people to donate, and we are staging a virtual silent auction to raise money as well.
Let’s be real: there is no way to replicate the excitement that comes from an in-person cocktail party fundraiser. But the energy around this pop-up approach has really surprised us, and it makes it really easy for people to participate.
You can join in a distanced party with food and activities, or you can make a significant difference in the puppies’ lives without even getting out of your car!
AMANDA: Those are such good points and such great ideas! It’s really neat you have a silent auction. What’s involved with that? How did you choose whom to partner with for gifts?
LORI: The secret to creating an impactful silent auction is really simple: ask, ask, ask!
Our Soul Sisters have a great network of friends, colleagues, peers, and like-minded souls and are not afraid to email, text, and call them for help. Each of the items in our auction is a direct result of a conversation with someone about the Starfish Animal Rescue, and a direct request for something that might lead to a donation.
Melinda Kintz has led the effort in a big way, leveraging her contact list with a joyful unabashed willingness to ask.
People can go to Soulsistersgive.com for a link to the auction, and because it’s a virtual silent auction, you can bid anytime!
AMANDA: That’s fantastic! I saw a lot of cool stuff is in the auction — great items for a great cause!
So Many Ways To Help The ‘Starfish Animal Rescue’ Pups
AMANDA: How can people help through this event?
LORI: There are several ways you can help those Starfish Animal Rescue pups we all love so much. We have something for everyone!
- Shop and drop: Stop by and drop off your donation(s) from the Starfish Animal Rescue Wish List! You can drive through and drop off your donations or hang out with us and meet some puppies!
- Make a bid on a Silent Auction item: Great items you can use for gifts or for yourself! Even a Celebrity Chef to cook for you and your friends in your home, complete with clean up! Check out the auction items and bid here!
- Order Pal Joey’s Take, Make and Bake pizza kits: Pizzas are to be picked up at our event between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm! Dough, sauce, cheese and 2 toppings for $10. Makes a 12 to 14 inch pizza. Pre-order here and it will be ready for you when you arrive at the Pal Joey’s event on May 22nd!
AMANDA: Awesome! It looks like there are so many easy — and delicious — ways to support Starfish Animal Rescue! Is there anything else you’d like to share?
LORI: Soul Sisters come together to help charities that DON’T get the black-tie big donors’ checks. Our approach is to “be local, live local, and give local.” Our events, and the donations we receive, make a huge difference in the lives of people right here in our own neighborhoods.
You don’t have to have a lot of money to help. Heck you don’t even have to get dressed up!
Just come to Pal Joey‘s on May 22nd. You can go to soulsistersgive.com and follow the links to help there.
You can really make a difference with the smallest of gestures and have a lot of fun doing it!
AMANDA: Just like the “Starfish Story”!
LORI: Definitely!
Keep Up With ‘Starfish Animal Rescue’ & ‘Soul Sisters’
Starfish Animal Rescue may be a local organization, and you might live too far away to participate in some of the fundraising activities Soul Sisters has planned. If that’s the case, you can still consider making a donation to this fantastic rescue group. Here’s Starfish Animal Rescue’s mission statement:
The mission of Starfish Animal Rescue is to rescue animals from high-kill shelters; provide transportation of these animals to secure, no-kill establishments; to promote and facilitate responsible pet ownership; and to intervene in cases of animal cruelty. We commit to eliminating euthanasia of companion animals in North America one shelter at a time.
To learn more about Starfish Animal Rescue, including how to adopt, foster, or donate, please visit their website or Facebook page.
To learn more about Soul Sisters, please visit their website or Facebook page.
Will you help Soul Sisters with a donation for Starfish Animal Rescue? What other local rescues and fundraisers should people support this month? Let us know in the comments below!
