Couple boosts Humane Society

POTSDAM — Dr. G. Michael Maresca and his wife, Barbara N., have donated $60,000 to the Potsdam Humane Society and plan to double that amount if the community can match their gift within 60 days.

The $180,000 total they hope to raise would be enough to wrap up the Humane Society's $1 million "Labor of Love" capital campaign.

"We wanted to bring the campaign to a close, and we said, 'How can we get it complete?'" said Dr. Maresca, who is chief of staff at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. "Here's a way to do it. Our gift alone won't complete it, so I think the community is going to step up."

The Marescas decided to make the donation partially as a Valentine's Day gift, and also in memory of a family pet that recently died, Mrs. Maresca said.

"I admire the work the shelter has done, and we have a lot of animals from the shelter. They do such a great job placing their animals. I check almost every day to see their adoptable animals," Mrs. Maresca said. "I hope people make a donation to the shelter as a Valentine's Day gift, instead of buying a box of chocolates."

The Humane Society is calling the latest fundraising push to raise $60,000 in 60 days the Maresca "All Heart" Challenge. If the goal is reached, the Marescas will cap off the capital campaign with a final $60,000 donation in April.

Since the Marescas announced their gift, T&R Wines and Liquors of Potsdam donated an additional $1,000 to the capital campaign, leaving just $59,000 to go, Humane Society President Bonnie S. Boyd said.

"My feet are still not on the ground on this. I'm very excited, because we're so close to our goal," she said. "If enough people in the community just give five or ten dollars here and there, we can get to $60,000."

The "Labor of Love" capital campaign, which kicked off in 2006, received a big boost last summer when the society received $501,940 in funding for the project through the federal stimulus package. About $70,000 of that total was a grant and the rest will be disbursed as a low-interest loan.

"This is very important because our current shelter is truly falling apart," shelter director Anne E. Smith said. "I'm not sure that the roof is going to make it another year."

The animal shelter hopes to break ground this spring on a 3,825-square-foot addition, which would include extra room for staff and animals as well as quarantine and bathing areas, a surgical suite and a kitten nursery.

There also would be a nursing room, a manager's office, a multipurpose room for board meetings and other events and a lobby.

The Humane Society also plans to renovate extensively its original 2,058-square-foot building.

The shelter will add a 20-space parking lot and create trails in the wooded area near its facility so volunteers can walk dogs.

Dr. Maresca, a radiologist who provides services at hospitals throughout New York and Pennsylvania, said he also hopes to add a radiology unit to the new medical wing.

"It's going to make the shelter better for the community. I want to put radiography in it that pets and veterinarians from around the county can utilize. We really need this," he said.

To contribute, mark checks "Maresca Challenge" and mail them to the shelter at 17 Madrid Ave., Potsdam, N.Y. 13676 or donate online via PayPal at www.potsdamhumane

society.org.