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Dear Fellow Animal Advocates/Network Participants:

As many of you have already heard through the postcard mailing recently sent out by the Michigan Humane Society, we are organizing an historically unprecedented, major event at the State Capitol in Lansing to raise awareness about the vitally important services provided in Michigan by: private sheltering humane societies; non-sheltering non-profits engaged in animal welfare work (such as spay/neuter and adoption); purebred and stray rescue groups; feral cat assistance groups; and public animal control shelters.

This "ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES RECOGNITION DAY & RALLY" will take place on Tuesday, September 28, 2004, from 10A to 3:30P on the East/South/North grounds of the State Capitol.

The MHS is providing buses at various geographic locations around our state (inc. the UP) in order to make it easier for as many people as possible to participate. It is CRUCIAL that we have hundreds of people attend so we can send a clear message to our state legislators and others that we exist and are a force to be reckoned with. Special T-shirts are being produced that we can wear so we will stand out visually as the day unfolds. Banners will be made to point out the locations within the crowd where specific organizations are located. Items can be brought to distribute about your work.

Between approximately Noon and 1:30P, there will be a ceremony on the main (East) Capitol steps, at which time

verbal recognition will be given to the various humane organizations, animal control depts., and others in attendance. We will call the attention of our state legislators and their staff, the media, and the general public to the crucial work we all do to help animals and people throughout our state. This is very stressful work which often goes unnoticed and unappreciated by the public, and especially by local elected officials who provide little (or no) financial support to public animal control shelters in their jurisdictions. Nor do private animal welfare organizations receive any funding from the State or local governments. This will be an opportunity to be a support group for one another, to recognize for ourselves and point out to others how tirelessly and dedicatedly we work to protect animals and promote their welfare, and how this has both tangible and intangible benefits for people and society as a whole.

We will put aside any philosophical differences that may exist among these different humane groups and animal control agencies in order to focus on our common goals and the need to make elected officials and the public more aware of who we are and how much we do.

The MHS's Mobile Adoption Vehicle will be on the Capitol grounds with pets available for adoption provided by the Capital Area Humane Society.

During the ceremony on the steps the MHS will: present a "Legislator of the Year" Award; recognize and allow all of us to publicly give thanks to all the State Reps. and Senators who voted against the bill to make Mourning Doves game birds; introduce the three Senators who will each be sponsoring bills for the MHS this fall and early next year (more on that below); and hear from a variety of speakers from various organizations around Michigan.

The three bills mentioned above have the potential to revolutionize how animal care services are funded in our state; thereby improving and increasing those services. One bill will create a "Voluntary State Income Tax Check-off" so MI taxpayers can designate a portion of their state tax refund, or provide additional dollars with their return, to go to a new "Companion Animal Welfare Fund", from which dollars will be disbursed to both public and private animal care services organizations who help increase pet sterilizations and/or help improve enforcement of state anti-cruelty laws. A second bill would create a "Pets Are Wonderful" specialty license plate, the proceeds of which would also go into the same Fund from which dollars would be disbursed for S/N and better anti-cruelty law enforcement. The third bill would create a "Pet Products Subsidy Act" that would allow retailers to charge from 2 to 10 cents more (depending on the product) for any items sold that are used for companion animals. The millions raised by this new law would also go into the same Fund, from which dollars would be disbursed to: humane organizations (sheltering and non-sheltering); animal control shelters; and the Companion Animal & Equine Species Program in the MI Dept. of Agriculture (so they can finally have the funds needed to actually enforce---and even expand, laws governing the operation of pet shops, horse facilities, and shelters). There are many more details we will provide about these important bills at the Capitol event, and as work on them gets underway this Fall.

The MHS has secured "partner organizations" who will be helping coordinate generating attendance as well as bus locations, so you may be hearing from one in your area.

We will also be joined during the Noon ceremony by representatives from the MI Dept. of Agriculture, the MI Veterinary Medical Assn., the Animal Law Section of the State Bar Assn., and others who will speak or be recognized.

IT IS IMPERATIVE that we have huge attendance for this event, so I am personally asking each and every one of you to not only attend, but to use our Network Alert system and other means to spread the word about this to as many people as possible. Let's make this an event that Lansing will never forget; as well as one that can be repeated in years to come. By giving you all this much advance notice and providing bus transport, there is no reason you cannot plan ahead and take the day off to be with everyone.

Feel free to contact me, or have others do so, if you have any questions. To sign up for bus transport or ask questions of the MHS staff who are coordinating this event, please phone: 866-M-HUMANE.

Thanks so much! Looking forward to seeing ALL of you on September 28th.....