Mary Burleson
Contributing Writer
A new, local non-profit is seeking to ease the financial burden that dog owners can face during emergency situations. The idea for Lily’s Love was inspired by the loss of creator Nicole Christensen’s pitbull and beagle mix, Lily, back in December. “She was my dream puppy, the only surviving puppy born out of a litter of four,” remembers Christenson. Lily was only 15 months old when she passed from a sudden heart attack. “She didn’t even have time to get to a vet, she was gone instantly.” Realizing that the closest emergency veterinarians are in East Lansing, Christensen wanted to reach out to others in the community who might need help with paying for emergency medical care for their dogs. “This made me realize with such uncertain times and people hurting financially, our fur babies are suffering and it’s not fair.”
The mission of Lily’s Love is to take donations of new or clean, gently used clothing and household items. They then resell them in their online store and use 100% of the profits for community members who are in need of help paying for emergency care for their dogs. While they aren’t able to cover full medical bills, Lily’s Love helps with as much as they can. “We do not hold you to repayment of the funds donated but always appreciate it if you can give a future donation so we can keep helping others as we helped you!” All assistance is given directly to the veterinarian and anyone who is a resident of Eaton County qualifies. While this is only for emergency cases, Christensen is also happy to connect others with resources for assistance with vaccines, spaying and neutering through the Capitol Area Humane Society. In the future, Christensen dreams of having a storefront in the community, where donations can be dropped off and stored. She also wants to help bring emergency vet care to the county.
For more information about this non-profit, or to make a monetary donation, visit lilyslove.org. You can also follow their page on Facebook entitled “Lily’s Love.” Donations of clean and gently used household items can be made at 317 E. Shaw St. in Charlotte. There will also be a large sale at this address on July 1 and 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The community is encouraged to come out to support this new non-profit and share their stories of fur baby love.
