Ohio House Rabbit Rescue

Ohio House Rabbit Rescue (OHRR) intends to open and operate a house rabbit rescue and adoption facility in Central Ohio by 2012.

Our Mission

Ohio House Rabbit Rescue was formed to achieve the following goals:

• Build and operate a facility in Central Ohio that will provide a quality environment for rescued house rabbits and offer a robust adoption program
• Provide educational resources and programming about house rabbits and their care.

Our Organization

Each year hundreds of pet rabbits around Ohio are surrendered to animal shelters, which have no space for them – or they are just released into the wild. OHRR seeks a better alternative.

Ohio House Rabbit Rescue (OHRR) is an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of house rabbits and to the education of current and potential pet parents and the general public. OHRR is incorporated in Ohio and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization..

OHRR supports and works together with Central Ohio groups who rescue and seek adoptions for rabbits. The Columbus House Rabbit Society has a fostering and adoption program and the Capital Area Humane Society accepts surrendered rabbits up to the space available. OHRR's Center will add the capacity to save hundreds of rabbits per year and will work with these groups to increase the number of rabbit adoptions.

In addition to assisting individual rabbits, OHRR will form a network of all rabbit rescue organizations in Ohio so the groups can build on other organization's best practices and successes.

OHRR's major goal is to build and maintain a facility to house and serve as an adoption center for rescued rabbits. Educational programs and services for rabbits will also be available at the Center

OHRR will be funded through donations, memberships, grants, and partnerships with businesses and organizations. OHRR does not receive government funds.

Our Timeline

The organization was initiated by Beverly May in late summer 2009. A Planning Team was recruited and OHRR was incorporated and received 501(c)(3) status. As of December 2010, the group has accomplished the following:

• Incorporated in the State of Ohio
• Received 501(c)(3) status
• Developed mission, purpose statements, and appropriate marketing materials
• Created an organization website and Facebook page
• Worked with Blostein/Overly Architects to craft a conceptual design for the Center
• Held a successful Luv Some Bunny fundraiser in February 2010 and a major garage sale in August 2010
• Made initial contacts with numerous foundations to look for appropriate funding opportunities
• Planned future fundraisers for February, May, and July 2011
• Began planning for a multi-state event, Midwest BunFest, which is scheduled for September 2011

Looking to the Future

During 2011, OHRR will

1. Develop a comprehensive business plan which will provide details on the construction of and on-going support for the Center,
2. Initiate a capital campaign to support the building of the Center
3. Explore and hopefully acquire a site for the Center
4. Begin limited education and outreach programs

We hope to begin the initial stages of construction in 2012 and explore the potential for expanding OHRR into other parts of Ohio for rescue, adoption, and education by 2014.

The Planning Team

The OHRR Planning Team is a dedicated group of volunteers with diverse talents who provide the organization with a leadership and logistical infrastructure that positions OHRR to successfully complete its mission. The Planning Team members and brief intros to their backgrounds follow.

Beverly May, Founding Director and Planning Team Chair, is currently the treasurer and CFO of a very successful non-profit educational organization, the Teaching & Learning Collaborative, a position she has held for 6 years. She had the initial vision for our rabbit rescue group because she has parented rabbits for 20 years and has seen the need for a focus on the rescue of rabbits in addition to cats and dogs.

Heather Dean, Director of OHRR, has extensive experience in media relations and development with a degree in Communications from Otterbein College. She worked on-the-air in radio for eight years and for the past four years did fundraising and development at United Cerebral Palsy of Central Ohio. Heather is a long time rabbit parent and has fostered special-needs bunnies. As head of Community Outreach for the Columbus House Rabbit Society, she manages the "Make Mine Chocolate!" annual campaign. Heather also oversees adoptions and bondings for the Columbus House Rabbit Society. Heather has volunteered at the Capital Area Humane Society since 2004 with a focus on rabbit socialization.

Barbara Armitage, Co-Chair of the Communications Team, is a retired educator with a master's degree in human resources management. She has a strong commitment to animal rights and welfare issues and has been the parent of several rescued animals.

Pat Barron, Co-Chair of the Development Team, has served for 18 years as the Director of a non-profit organization, the Teaching & Learning Collaborative and its predecessor organization, the Science & Mathematics Network. Both organizations focused on science and mathematics professional development. She has overseen statewide programs including K-3 IMPACT, a statewide professional development project in mathematics for K-3 teachers, and has experience in grant writing and corporate development.

Robert Shapter, Co-Chair of the Development Team, served for 25 years as an editor for the Columbus Dispatch. He has volunteered with educational literacy groups and has a long-term commitment to animal rescue and adoption..

Megan Metzger, Co-Chair of the Rabbit Care Team, has 16 years of experience as a rabbit parent. She volunteers for the Columbus House Rabbit Society and Make Mine Chocolate, and she also fosters rabbits when needed. She is experienced with caring for rabbits with disabilities and medical issues.

Kim Banks, Co-Chair of the Rabbit Care Team, is currently a naturalist with Preservation Parks in Delaware, Ohio. She has parented and fostered rabbits for over seven years. She is also a volunteer for the Columbus House Rabbit Society serving as the "rabbit presenter" at club meetings and adoption events.

Wendy Weagle is majoring in zoology and pre-veterinary medicine at the Ohio State University. She is employed as a veterinary assistant by a local rabbit-friendly veterinarian and is a long-time rabbit parent. Wendy also volunteers for the Columbus House Rabbit Society and the Capital Area Humane Society.

Mary Rose Molinaro has 8 years of experience as the bunny mom of Mufasa, Bunya, and Cleo. "M.R." is a member of the Columbus House Rabbit Society, for whom she has also served as a foster parent. By day she recruits undergraduates for the OSU Crop Science, Landscape Horticulture, Turfgrass Science and Professional Golf Management programs. In addition to her experience as a PR and Marketing executive, she is a professional voice-over talent, a writer, calligrapher, and the lead singer in a 17-piece Big Band.

Mary Beth Parisi has more than 15 years of experience developing technical and operational improvements for large corporations, state/national governments and institutions of higher education. Her special expertise is in the areas of strategic & tactical planning, organizational design, systems integration and project management. She recently returned from working in Baghdad, Iraq for the United States Department of Defense. Mary Beth is a member of the Columbus House Rabbit Society and has been a foster volunteer for the Capital Area Humane Society's rabbit rescue program. She currently shares her home with 4 house rabbits and one cat (all rescue animals) and is an active participant in several on-line rabbit rescue interest groups.

John Dean currently serves as the Assistant Manager of Human Resources for a state agency. He and his wife Heather (also on the planning team) have been bunny parents for nearly seven years. In this time, he has been responsible for the care of chronically ill rabbits. He is originally from the Dayton, Ohio area and came to Columbus for college. He is a graduate of Otterbein University and Capital University Law School. He is a licensed attorney and assists the group with legal issues.

Amy Shears has been a bunny mom for 7 years to Chase and Little Bunny. Amy is also a mom to two cats, George and Angiamelina. She is a volunteer at the Capital Area Humane Society. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Management and currently works in the workers compensation field.

Allison Coleman is a volunteer at the Capital Area Humane Society and a member of the Columbus House Rabbit Society. She is fairly new to the bun world after being introduced to it by a little white rabbit hopping down her neighborhood street. The little guy inspired her to become more involved with helping homeless animals. You can find her during the day at The Ohio State University working at The Office of Student Life. She also earned her BSBA in accounting from OSU and enjoys being a Buckeye!

Dana Donnelly has many years of volunteer and fundraising experience with a focus on animal rescue and animal welfare. Dana is currently working on establishing a House Rabbit Society chapter in northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. She also does a lot of work surrounding an ongoing donation drive of supplies for rabbit sanctuaries around the world. They distribute "care packages" of supplies and toys, etc. to whoever needs them. Dana works closely with local 4-H advisors for fundraising and other activities to educate about proper care for all animals. Dana is excellent in problem solving by unconventional means. She is a research hound and loves to dig for helpful information. Dana is also comfortable networking and is not afraid to ask for things "we" need; whether it be monetary, service oriented or material. Dana will do whatever it takes to help animals or people in need.