Buzz Sutherland to headline Power of Pawsitivity benefit for Humane Society of Southeast Missouri

Comedian Buzz Sutherland returns to this year’s Power of Pawsitivity benefit for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

“Last year, we all had a really good time and (Sutherland) shares that passion for helping pets that need us,” director Tracy Poston said.

Poston said this fundraiser comes at a crucial time for the organization, now deep into a capital campaign to build a new facility.

Approximately 80% of the $700,000 operating budget comes from donations, so in addition to that fundraising effort, the capital campaign also needs dollars.

“We’re asking people to dig deep this year,” Poston said. “We are not where we need to be. We know we’re going to get there, but this is the time we really need members of our community to step up and help us meet our goals.”

Poston said the capital campaign is at just over 40% of the total needed, “and we need to be over 70% by June.”

The new building is vital, Poston said.

“At this point, it’s not something we want to do. It is a necessity. The building is falling apart around us. We need to have a building the community can be proud of.”

The organization has served Southeast Missouri for more than 40 years, Poston said, and specifically in the last 10 years, “we’ve really grown a lot as an organization.”

The facility set a goal five years ago to work toward no-kill status.

“A lot of people make the assumption that no-kill means we don’t euthanize at all, and that is not a correct interpretation,” Poston said. “The standard definition among animal professionals is, that means we can save 90% of the animals we intake. We want to be able to meet that standard. We also believe quality of life is important. We want to make sure anything healthy and adoptable can find that home.”

The facility has reached that threshold with dogs, and is working toward reaching no-kill status for cats, Poston said.

“The new building will be key to maintaining that status,” she said. “We want to make sure the community is part of that.”

In recent years particularly, the Humane Society has taken a proactive approach, encouraging people to spay and neuter their pets to curb overpopulation, believing euthanasia is not the answer.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri’s voucher program has meant thousands and thousands of dollars have gone toward helping residents address the pet overpopulation issue, Poston said.

In addition to a new building that will better serve the facility’s needs, Poston said, she wants to see services expanded into areas where the Humane Society can’t operate due to budget constraints.

“We want to help people with some of their pet issues, and not just be here for homeless pets,” Poston said.

All of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri’s fundraising efforts are put back into serving the pet population, Poston said. “It’s really important for people to come out and have a good time this weekend, and donate to ensure we can stay open and continue to serve the community.”

A few tickets are still available for the Power of Pawsitivity event this weekend. Doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Jackson Civic Center, 381 E. Deerwood Drive in Jackson. Tickets are $50 each and may be purchased online through the Facebook event page (search Power of Pawsitivity).

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