We have news to share that is almost as big as Dobbin himself. Announcing…..
The Dobbin Fund
Tomten Farm and Sanctuary has been gifted a $100,000 senior equid investment account (a specialized account that generates interest which will be available to help senior equids for years to come). Can you believe that? What a dream come true!! This gift can forever impact lives in need.
But, in order to access the interest from it and the gifts that go along with it, we will need all of you.
We hope you can find the time to read this and are inspired by the kindness it holds. We would appreciate nothing more than to have you by our side as we take this next step toward tomorrow and the many days to follow.
Inspired by our much loved Belgian draft, Dobbin R. Bergerlind, and with the generous support of The DEKM Fund, we are creating a very special program for senior equids (horses, ponies, donkeys and mules)... the unwanted, unaffordable and unadoptable equids who have nowhere to go. The lost seniors who wish for nothing more than a home to call their own. We are calling it "The Dobbin Fund" after our beautiful draft who found a safe, soft landing at Tomten Farm and Sanctuary and touched so many hearts. Perhaps even yours.
Necessitated by the current need in the New England equine community and fueled by the many older lives we have welcomed, this program has the potential to allow us to make a bigger difference to needy senior equids than ever before.
The truth is, senior horses (and ponies, donkeys and mules) experience tremendous need (far greater than their younger counterparts). That's because they are incredibly expensive to support and there are few rescues who can welcome them because they are almost impossible to rehome. If that were not enough of a challenge, prices for horse care (feed, bedding and vet care) have soared exponentially in this area and one of our veterinarians has noted that many owners/guardians are aging out of their ability to adequately care for their aged equids. Such a sad situation all around. Here in the North Country of New Hampshire, there is also a scary and unprecedented shortage of large animal veterinarians. Combined, it all translates into more need than ever before. We know that together, with this generous gift, we can be more, do more and give more to those seniors in need of a soft landing.
With you by our side, we can welcome some of these lives to Tomten. Yes, it will be one equid at a time but for those lives it will be everything. We fully understand that some may come to us for their final gift, a kind goodbye in the arms of people who care. Some may be with us for just a season, a time to experience the peace and comfort they need. Others could be with us a year or more, lives like Dobbin who wasn't expected to make it through the winter and had three beautiful years of dreams come true thanks to people like you. But all will benefit from the end-of-life care they deserve--warm beds, a loving embrace, appropriate food and top-quality veterinary care.
Just who is eligible? Any horse over 25 who finds themselves in real need. Breed, color, soundness and health are irrelevant. Welcomes will be determined by space and fund availability. And this is where you can help us make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It is a beyond generous gesture to be gifted $100,000 for a senior horse investment account (a specialized account that generates interest which will be available to help senior equids for years to come). You read that right--up to $100,000 to create "The Dobbin Fund." It is our chance to be sure his legacy lives on in the lives we welcome and that we can do our part to provide peace, protection and possibility.
But the future amount that becomes available depends on you. Before we can access the growth of this fund, we must gain 100 new Sustainable Partners of just $10 or more. That means if just 100 people (who are not already monthly recurring donors) sign up to give a recurring monthly gift, we will not only have access to the interest on the fund whenever there is a senior in need, but the fund amount itself will actually end up being more than it started with and continue growing. 10% of every new monthly donation will also go into the fund and little by little, together we can watch this fund and its interest grow for a greater difference than ever before.
When built up enough, the interest can be accessed as a welcome match for each senior equid we accept in the future. In this way, everyone's gifts will make a continued difference to lives in need in perpetuity. How beautiful is that?
If you are wondering where the other 90% of the monthly recurring gifts will go, responsibly, we must put them toward our daily operating budget. That is what allows us to be here for those we welcome and support the general day-to-day expenses of their care after the initial equine welcome funds are utilized. That is critically important and we want to be sure we can go above-and-beyond to make their dreams come true for as long as they remain with us. Sustainable, responsible rescue is absolutely paramount.
But, that's not all. There is more great news. Are you ready?
Because it will take some time to acquire 100 new Sustainable Partners, grow the fund and for the interest to collect, in addition to the above gift of generosity, these same DEKM Fund will also be offering a $10,000 match for the first ten seniors we welcome. WOW! Please note, this will not be all at once and acceptance will be directly determined by space, time and of course, day-to-day funding and staffing.
Because seniors are so expensive and require a much larger initial fund than their younger counterparts, The DEKM Fund is hoping this means it will be easier to fundraise for the intake goals of the first year and emergency care for every life we welcome. Should an animal pass, the remaining initial funds will be gifted as follows: to either a horse whose first-year care needs have gone beyond their allotted funds OR to welcome another life in need and therefore reduce the fundraising amount for that equine OR to assist an owner who cannot afford to provide their senior horse the kind passing they deserve.
Most of you know that this is the first ever opportunity of this kind that we have ever been offered and I am sure you agree, it is an incredible way to celebrate our 10th year Anniversary and take a giant step toward the future of Tomten Farm and Sanctuary.
Together with you, we can make an enormous impact: 100 new Sustainable Partners, a $100,000 endowment and ten $10,000 matches for the first ten senior equids we welcome in our second decade. Amazing!! We hope you will join us as we take this momentous step in this magical journey. Signing on to be a NEW Sustainable Partner of just $10 or more is as easy as clicking the button below. (Please note, this is only available to anyone who is not currently a recurring donor.)
Already a Sustainable Partner but wish to help? Or, prefer to make a one-time gift toward the $10,000 match and the next equid to come? It is as easy as clicking the button below.
Thank you for loving Dobbin and all the senior equids we have welcomed on this journey. May together with you and The DEKM Fund, may we make a larger impact than we have ever dreamed of.
With appreciation from the Tomten Board, the Tomten Rescues and the many senior equids we hope to welcome.
