Muskegon animal shelter breaks fundraising record

MUSKEGON CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A Muskegon animal shelter recently broke its fundraising record in just three hours thanks to a one-of-a-kind stream over social media.

Muskegon’s Big Lake Humane Society raised $18,200 on Wednesday night through a Facebook livestream that captured the attention and hearts of people nationwide.

“It’s gonna keep the lights on,” Velvet Lyght, the shelter’s manager, said.

Lyght said the shelter is supposed to have 20 dog kennels and space for 55 cats, but they are over capacity with 42 dogs and 70 cats in their care. There’s also a waitlist for new animals.

The building, which the shelter has occupied since 1980, is aging. The plumbing is starting to fail and their kennels need to be epoxied and resealed, a project estimated to cost $40,000.

“We get no government funding,” she said. “We have no government contracts. Fundraisers like this can make the change that keeps us going.”

Lyght teamed up with Kris Rotonda, a social media influencer from Florida who runs Jordan’s Way . It’s a campaign in which Rotonda travels to 300 shelters each year and goes live on social media for three-hour fundraisers.

“I would say my three-hour telethons are a mix between a Jerry Lewis telethon and a Nickelodeon episode,” Rotonda said.

Rotonda started the movement in honor of his late shelter dog Jordan, whom he adopted in 2009. He wanted to make a difference for other shelter animals as well. He said he is also inspired by his two young daughters.

The influencer visits 20 to 25 shelters a month, often two of them a day.

“It’s important because a lot of people don’t even know there are shelters in their local communities,” he said. “To see the money and see where it goes… I could see just from walking in there they needed the help. They’re so overpopulated.”

“The why is right in front of me,” he said. “These dogs need us. The people are drowning. The community just needs to step up.”

Since Rotonda started the campaign four years ago, he said $10 million has been raised for shelters and rescues. He does it by getting creative.

“I get people on teams,” Rotonda said. “I get people in kennels. They have to raise a certain amount of money in a certain amount of time, and I’ll have them under pressure where if they don’t raise $500 in the first 10 minutes, the team captain has to eat a tarantula. We actually have these disgusting bugs.”

As donations came pouring in, dogs got more and more hamburgers. Volunteers ran through a dog agility course. They would also get locked inside the kennel until they reached a fundraising goal.

Between 40 and 45 volunteers and community members took part alongside 18 staff, Lyght said. The fundraising record is life-changing for their dozens of dogs and cats in need.

“It’s gonna keep food in the bellies of all these animals here,” she said. “It’s gonna get them the vaccines they need, the spays and neuters they need.”

Lyght said the money would also help provide medical care for the animals. She added that 25% of the money raised during Wednesday night’s event goes to Jordan’s Way for their fundraising services. The shelter’s fundraising campaign continues through Wednesday, in which 100% of the donations go right to the shelter.

If you’d like to donate, you can visit the shelter’s website . You can also Venmo @BigLakeHumane or use Paypal at BigLakeHumane@gmail.com.

While the shelter is thrilled about the recent success, the best way to help these dogs and cats in need is by giving them a home.

“If you’re looking for a friend or even just want to foster temporarily and make an impact that way, this is a really great way for people to make that huge, positive impact,” Lyght said.

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