ABOUT ALIVE RESCUE
BRIEF HISTORY
ALIVE Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in March 2008 as a rescue and safe haven for animals. From March 2008 through November of 2012, we ran operations solely through the use of our foster homes.
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In November of 2011, we signed a lease for a building (“The Little Barn”) in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago. For nearly one and a half years, we rehabbed and re-designed the original structure, preparing it to become our first adoption center. On May 5th, 2013, we opened The Little Barn, celebrating this accomplishment with dozens of our donors, volunteers, and the animals we rescued. In June of 2019 we closed The Little Barn and opened our new Adoption Center ("AC") in Chicago's West Loop. We remained at the AC through the pandemic and closed those doors in January of 2022. On October 5, 2020, we broke ground on The Big Barn, a new location that will help us save more homeless pets.
MISSION
ALIVE Rescue is an animal rescue that protects the lives and the welfare of animals. We believe every animal has the right to a well-balanced, socialized and fulfilled life. We take on the responsibility to save, rehabilitate and place abandoned, abused and stray animals.
We provide medical, behavioral and physical support for animals despite their age, health and/or breed. ALIVE Rescue promotes sustainable living and caregiving within our communities by building awareness, appreciation and respect for all animals and the environment.
CORE VALUES
We believe that our responsibility is first to the animals that are in local, open-access shelters with a high probability of being euthanized. We primarily take in animals from shelters with high euthanasia rates in Chicago and the surrounding area.
We follow through on our commitment that every animal deserves a full life by choosing to take in animals that other adoption organizations may overlook, including seniors, unpopular breeds and pets with special needs.
ALIVE RESCUE'S PURPOSE
Every year, over two million homeless pets are euthanized in the United States.
Why? Simply because they didn't have a home. According to data from Best Friends Animal Society, over 28,000 animals entered Chicago's shelters every year.
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What do we think the main causes are?
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"Backyard breeders"
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Lack of spay/neuter resources
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Lack of compassion for animals and animal welfare
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The cost of animal care
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Unnecessary euthanization
An initiative where we bring dogs to nursing homes and hospice facilities to spread joy to the residents.
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A program focused on providing care and support for our senior animals.
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A program focused solely on saving rabbits.
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Financial support to prevent individuals from relinquishing their animals due to behavioral issues.
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A support fund dedicated to paying for our severe medical cases due to neglect and/or abuse.
OUR PROGRAMS
CHICAGO COMMUNITY PET COALITION
A partnership with One Tail at a Time that supplies pet care services (spay and neuter, vaccines, etc.) to underserved communities in Chicago.
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CHICAGO RESCUE INTERVENTION & SUPPORT (CRISP)
A coalition of multiple Chicagoland animal rescues working together to keep animals with their families.
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Support and care for our dogs that prefer to be the only dog in a home.
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A community outreach program focusing on lowering parvovirus outbreaks in targeted neighborhoods.
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An outreach program designed to support people living with anxiety and depression through building connections and relationships with rescue animals.
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CURRENT INITIATIVES & GOALS
The Big Barn will be ALIVE Rescue's second brick-and-mortar location. The 4,800 square foot shelter and sanctuary will be in Salem Lakes, Wisconsin, on a 70-acre lot.
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TRANSPARENCY
We are working to improve our transparency around what we do and why we do it, as well as share information about the success and failures of each program.
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PIVOT TO VIRTUAL EVENTS
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ALIVE Rescue (and many other orgs) must adapt to survive. Going virtual is a challenge, but one we are ready for!
CREATING NEW MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT TEAMS
As ALIVE Rescue grows, so does our need for new teams and new team members, which is why we are developing marketing and development teams for the organization.
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TECHNOLOGY
We are working hard to implement new technology to make our jobs easier. This way we can better focus on what's important - savings more innocent lives.
STATS & FIGURES
The year-over-year decline in number of animals saved from 2018 to 2019 is due to the closing of The Little Barn (and moving to the Adoption Center). That aside, ALIVE Rescue's focus is on quality, not quantity.