Kootenai Humane Society to host live virtual event Sept. 10

Friends of the Kootenai Humane Society will be able to enjoy some entertainment and support their local animal shelter from the comfort of their own homes Sept. 10 during the KHS virtual telethon.

The goal: $50,000.

"This is for the animals today to get us through the end of the year because all of our fundraising events have canceled," KHS director of development Vicky Nelson said Friday.

The live telethon will go from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature celebrities, prizes and lots of furry friends. Guests include three well-known animal lovers: Hayden Mayor Steve Griffitts, Scotty Steele of Rock 94.5 FM and Mark Peterson of KXLY.

This is the first time KHS will hold a telethon, and Nelson said they're extremely excited to bring this new event to the community.

"I am so thrilled to be able to do this," Nelson said. "It's going to be a lot of fun and very entertaining."

Viewers will see animals for adoption and hear the stories of animals that have found their forever homes.

"All the performances will be done by animals, and we'll have a pre-recorded video of the shelter and all the animals and they'll be able to see the inside of the shelter," Nelson said. "There's going to be dozens of people periodically throughout the evening."

The shelter has been closed to the public except by appointment through the pandemic, so this will be a closed event with safety measures in place.

"We’re going to avoid a crowd," Nelson said. "We're going to have a large area so we'll be socially distanced. There will be plenty of room for guest speakers."

Those who tune in and donate throughout the event will have opportunities to win prizes. Those lucky donors whose dollars take the donation total past milestones such as $10,000 and $20,000 will be winners, and a grand prize awaits the donor who pushes the amount past the $50,000 goal.

"Even if it’s only $5 and you get us over the $50,000 mark, you’re going to win a winter sleigh ride at Stillwater Ranch in Sagle," Nelson said.

This special prize for six people includes dinner at the Stillwater lodge, beverages and a magical evening in North Idaho. Normally, this is a big auction item at KHS’ annual Tails at Twilight fundraiser, which was canceled because of the pandemic.

The person who donates the most money during the telethon will receive a nifty Volkswagen bus-shaped cooler from Homestyles Lighting in Dalton Gardens. Nelson said it will be stuffed with all sorts of treats and goodies for animals and their humans.

"It's going to be so fun," she said.

While the telethon will support daily work of the shelter — which includes medical attention, food, water, utilities and overall care of the animals and facility — the capital campaign for the new shelter is still underway.

"We're at 68% of the goal. That's about it," Nelson said. "It's tough when you do a capital campaign but you still need to raise money to keep the place running."

Telethon viewers will be able to donate through Facebook, YouTube, by texting the number on the screen or by calling or even stopping by KHS.

"If you want to call in and actually talk to somebody, we will have people siting there answering a cellphone to take information," Nelson said.

Info: www.kootenaihumane.org