Rescue One nears $3M in capital campaign

Springfield-based nonprofit Rescue One has plans to relocate to Republic as it nears groundbreaking for a future multimillion-dollar headquarters.

The organization, which unites foster dogs and cats with permanent owners and provides medical services for rescues, launched the public phase of a capital campaign in July that it quietly started in 2024.

Rebekah Redwing, Rescue One’s development director, said the nonprofit is nearing 70% of its $4 million goal to construct the roughly 13,000-square-foot facility at 3155 E. Sawyer Road, which is near Amazon’s fulfillment center. The building also will have room to expand in the future, she said.

“We were able to secure $2.5 million during the quiet phase,” Redwing said via email. “Since going public two weeks ago, we have raised over $200,000, which is incredible.”

Stephanie Shelton-Mcguire, executive director, said reaching 75% of the goal would allow officials to break ground for the facility.

“As soon as we get to 75%, we’re going to start the bidding process with our contractor and get it going,” she said.

Branco Enterprises Inc. is general contractor for the project designed by nForm Architecture LLC.

Its future headquarters will include dog boarding kennels for short-term stays, community cat rooms, outdoor play yards, a multipurpose education room for obedience training programs and adoption events, as well as space for offices, a food pantry and supply storage, according to officials. Additionally, roughly 4,000 square feet of the building will be dedicated to a veterinary clinic along with an isolation and recovery ward for rescue animals.

Naming opportunities for various elements of the project, including an agility play yard, exam room and supply warehouse, are available, according to officials. Shelton-Mcguire said donors have included Kristine White, who donated $1 million for building naming rights in honor of her Rescue One alum, Stanley, and a $500,000 matching grant committed by Ryan and Brandi O’Reilly.

Founded in 2013, Rescue One’s mission is “not only to rescue animals in need, but to also educate the public on responsible pet ownership and help provide low cost spay/neuter for those in need of assistance,” according to its website. Officials say the organization, which has 19 employees and over 420 volunteers, has rescued roughly 18,000 animals over its history.

Rescue One in 2024 reported nearly $1.5 million in revenue and net assets of roughly $1.4 million, according to its most recent 990 form on file with the IRS.

Location pivot
The planned move to Republic is a pivot for the organization, which in 2021 purchased a 4-acre property for its future headquarters at 3859 W. Nichols St., according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

However, Redwing said the organization sold the property and purchased over 3 acres on Sawyer Road, declining to disclose the sale and purchase prices.

“Over the years after purchasing our previous property, we ran into many obstacles with the land that would end up costing more money than we felt comfortable with for that location,” Redwing said. 

Shelton-Mcguire said the Springfield site needed a sewer extension, which was going to be very costly.

“Running the sewer extension and the site work was going to be almost $800,000,” she said. “So, that was not reasonable to do.”

However, the site in Republic has all utilities connected, Shelton-Mcguire said.

“We’ve done all the due diligence to make sure there’s no surprises,” she said. “It’s ready to go as soon as we are.”

Current activity
After previously operating out of leased spaces in Springfield at East Bennett Street and South Stewart Avenue, Rescue One consolidated operations into a 5,000-square-foot facility at 2000 S. Stewart Ave. in September 2024, according to past SBJ reporting.

“The move has been great,” Redwing said. “It is a much larger space then we were used to, but we have outgrown it.”

Shelton-Mcguire said the nonprofit’s lease with C. Arch Bay Co. is up in October, but officials plan to soon ask to extend it for another year.

“We told them when we were moving in that our building project was kind of the determining factor of our lease,” she said.

Space in the current facility is limited for surgeries, Shelton-Mcguire said, adding the current waiting list for animal spay and neuter services is over 200 clients long.

“In the future, we can be potentially having three surgeries going on at once, rather than one,” she said of the planned new headquarters.

Redwing said Rescue One has been busy with fundraisers in recent months, with its 12th annual 5K run, dubbed The Fast and the Furriest, raising $31,000. The organization’s annual golf tournament, held in June at Rivercut Golf Course, did even better, bringing in $46,000.

“Our Party 4 Paws gala is Oct. 8, and we hope to raise $225,000 this year to go towards operating expenses and our capital campaign,” Redwing said.

Noting she’s been with Rescue One almost since its beginning, Redwing said the new headquarters is a dream project for the organization that appears only a few months away from breaking ground. She estimated once construction starts, the facility should be completed within 10-11 months.

“We are so excited for what this new facility will mean – not only for Rescue One, but for the thousands of animals and families we will be able to serve for years to come,” she said. “We can’t wait to see the lives that will be changed because of the generosity of this community.”