Give Them Love

The campaign for the CMHS animal care & adoption center

Our Campaign

At CMHS, we’ve long dreamed of a new facility—a place built with both comfort and compassion in mind, a shelter that meets the needs of our community and our animals for years to come. That dream is finally coming to life with our “Give Them Love” Capital Campaign. We are excited to share that after a long journey filled with collaboration and determination, we have made significant progress toward reaching our multi-million dollar goal.

Our new property, spread over 17.5 acres of beautiful, open space, offers incredible potential. Surrounded by nature, it will provide a peaceful environment for our animals, staff, and visitors. The layout will allow for a spacious facility with dedicated areas for adoptions, medical care, and community outreach, plus abundant outdoor space for play areas, training zones, and dog walking trails. This setting, designed to be a “fear-free” environment, will create a calming atmosphere where animals and people can connect.

With the property secured, we are now collaborating with local firm, SOA, as well as Animal Arts, an architecture firm renowned for designing humane and innovative animal care facilities. Their vision for our new building includes modern, energy-efficient features like HVAC systems tailored for disease control, ample daylight, and sound-proofed areas to minimize stress for our animals. Our engineers are conducting a topographic survey and finalizing plans for construction. Together, these teams will bring our dream to life with a facility designed to provide high-quality care for animals and a welcoming, enriching space for the community.

The “Give Them Love” campaign has raised over $5 million, thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters. While we are making great progress, we still have work to do before we can break ground on this exciting new chapter. Every contribution—big or small—brings us closer to creating a state-of-the-art shelter and community campus that will make a lasting impact for generations. With your support, we can build more than just a shelter; we can create a home, a haven, and a fresh start for thousands of pets and people across mid-Missouri.

Our Need

The need for a new facility

Our shelter has deteriorated over time and can no longer meet the demands of our growing community. The aging infrastructure creates daily challenges that directly impact the health and well-being of the animals in our care. Some of our biggest challenges are:

Inadequate Animal Housing:

Current enclosures are improperly sized, difficult to sanitize, and lack sufficient airflow and filtration.
A dog in chain link kennel

Health and Safety Concerns:

Structural failures, rusted enclosures, and inadequate isolation spaces put animals at risk.
Deteriorating laundry plumbing

Increased Stress Levels:

Poorly designed spaces expose animals to excessive noise and odors, leading to heightened anxiety and discomfort.
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Our Current Facility

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    Our Vision

    Building a Better Future for Animals and People

    Our new facility is designed to provide a healthier, more efficient, and welcoming space for both animals and the people who care for them.
    Enhanced Animal Spaces
    • Increased capacity to help more animals in need.
    • Modern cleaning, lighting, and HVAC systems for a safer, healthier environment.
    • Properly designed isolation areas, a dedicated adoption space, and a specialized canine parvovirus suite.
    • A fully equipped veterinary suite to enhance our partnership with the MU College of Veterinary Medicine's Shelter Medicine Program.
    • Enrichment and behavior rooms to support the emotional and mental well-being of our animals.
    Improved Spaces for People
    • A dedicated retail area to support shelter programs.
    • Separate entrances for stray intake, owner surrenders, adoptions, and veterinary services, improving organization and reducing stress.
    • A conference room for educational programs, training sessions, behavior classes, and community outreach.
    • Comfortable and functional staff and volunteer areas, including a break room, lockers, and accessible restroom facilities.
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      Veterinary surgical center
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      New cat condo area
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      Indoor/outdoor kennel space
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      Specialized medical housing area
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      Meet and greet area
      Example images of the new shelter have been provided to us by our architects, Animal Arts.

      Ways to Give

      There are so many ways to make a lasting impact on the lives of animals in our community. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to a brighter future for animals in need. Thank you for your support!

      Naming Opportunities

      Leave a lasting legacy by securing a naming opportunity within the CMHS Animal Care and Adoption Center. Contact us to learn more.

      Matching Gifts

      Many employers match donations to 501(c)(3) nonprofits. If your company offers a matching program, simply request a matching gift form and send it to us—we’ll handle the rest!

      Schedule a Personal Visit

      We would be honored to connect with you—whether in person or remotely—to discuss your philanthropic interests, estate plans, and the legacy you wish to leave in our community.

      Our Progress

      Information about how much we've raised so far. Maybe something about how the final cost isn't for sure as there are so many factors to consider when building this type of facility. Then something encouraging anyone to chip in!
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      FAQ

      Our current building, constructed in 1976, has served us well but is no longer adequate for the needs of our growing community. Structural issues, outdated ventilation, lack of isolation spaces for contagious diseases, and deteriorating kennels have made it challenging to provide the best care for our animals. A new facility will ensure we can continue our lifesaving work for decades to come.
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      Let's Connect!

      Our Associate Director and Campaign Manager, Michelle Casey, would love the opportunity to meet with you one-on-one to answer any questions and see how we can work together to bring this campaign to the finish line! You can send her an email or give her a call at 573.443.7387 ex. 201.