tOn May 1st our Rustic Hollow caregivers waited tables for tips at the Waverly Pizza Ranch, raising money for their furbabies. From L front: Faith Crabtree, Emily Heath, Dannielle VanBrocklin ( red shirt)  Liz Wegner (kneeling) and Brandy Hudson and Brianne DeVries.
Back row: Keisha Stough, Shelli Cagley, Nick Cagley, Brody DeVries (volunteer) and Gina DeVries. Missing from picture but present at the Pizza Ranch: Jordan Haught.

    Rustic Hollow’s Variation on
  The Polar Ice Bucket Challenge
  Our caregivers need your help!!!!!​

Our Rustic Hollow team are excited about helping raise funds for their kitties that they care for everyday. Some of our team have volunteered to have an ice cold water bucket dumped over their heads IN January (outside) – (in Iowa) to help promote our Rustic Hollow felines and our mission to help special needs cats.
Our team has agreed to the challenge but are asking you to match their ages in a donation to Rustic Hollow. The challenge is to see which team member can get the most matches in $$$ to their age (and the most $$$). That caregiver will receive a $50 bonus for their charitable act of a real cold shower in January. So, who’s ready to donate?
Please choose one caregiver or two (or more) and match their ages in $$$. Or match All 9 of them ($250.00) and be sure to MARK each one that you are donating $$$ match to.
Join the fun! Donate now and we will have videos and photos for proof posted on Facebook and in the next newsletter. So please specify which age (caregiver) you are matching. Please help with this fund raiser our Rustic Hollow team members want to do.
Here are the names and photos and ages you need to match: Just send this letter back with the name checked so they get credit for your donation. We have a terrific team at R. Hollow and they are up for the challenge to have an ice water bucket dumped over their heads. So, let’s reward them with lots of donations to match their ages….. We are excited!!!
Please check which ones you are matching their ages in $$$ and return with your donation.
Name Age $$ Match

____ Nick Cagley 15 _______
____ Liz Wegner 33 _______
____ Gina DeVries 49 _______
____ Brandy Hudson 30 _______
____ Shelli Cagley 45 _______
____ Dannielle VanBrocklin 32 _______
____ Brody DeVries(volunteer) 13 _______
____ Faith Crabtree 17 _______
____ Kyler Hackman 16 _______
____ Angie Minnaert 58
Total Ages: 308.00 --- $308.00 to match them all!
Please donate generously and help make this a ‘fun’ ‘fun’draiser!!!

Carmen and Wanda and the Rustic Hollow team! Thank You So Much from our team members!
This was going to be our January fund raiser, but the polar vortex got in the way so our staff will be doing this in February and posting photos on Facebook and in the next newsletter.
​JOIN THE FUN!!! 

C & W’s Rustic Hollow Shelter, Inc
P.O. Box 67, Nashua, IA 50658-0067
cwshelter@wildblue.net


A Very Happy Valentine’s Day Wish from all of us a C & W
      We have a ‘Fun’ ‘Fun’draiser for you this February

Dear friends… All of the furkids, staff, Board of Directors & volunteers at Rustic Hollow wish you a great New Year in 2018 and a Happy Valentine’s Day too. Marigold, Cricket, Deuce & Olivia, Gracie Mae and ALL the R.H. furs have a purrfectly pawsitively fun fundraiser so you can help them raise some $$$ for our Valentine Treats (and Carmen says our vet work too..ugh)…. but here are some ways you can share the love with others and with some of us very special furs at Rustic Hollow.
Our Valentine Tree
Remember a special pet or person on our ‘Valentines Tree.’ It is bare and waiting for you to fill it with hearts. On each heart we will place the name of the person or pet you wish to honor or remember and your name will also be on the heart.
Honor your pet or a person in your life for only $10 per honoree.
Your gift will help fill our tree with hearts and help with medical care for many felines at Rustic Hollow.
For $20 (each) we will not only place a heart on our Valentine Tree, we will send a Valentine to the person you are honoring. So be sure to have mailing addresses for any valentines you would like sent out. And the name’s of the pet(s) or persons you are honoring.
Send as many as you wish for just $10 per person or pet... We want to fill our tree(s) this Valentine’s Day. LAST year it took THREE Trees to get all of your Valentine honorees on. Let’s do that again. You can send your donation and honoree requests to PO Box 67, Nashua, IA 50658-0067.

Check out our Rustic Hollow Shelter-a Special Needs Animal Sanctuary FACEBOOK page for daily updates and photos of the feline residents at Rustic Hollow. You will find our fund raisers posted and you will meet many of our caregivers, who take the time to post photos of their kitties and keep you updated as well.

Go to : https://www.facebook.com/groups/cwshelter/

You will meet a lot of really cool cats! Check out our January 2019 "Ice Bucket Challenge" that our caregivers are daring enough to do to raise money for their kitties.
​

 On 6-10-17, Wanda and I and Connie Phillis and Anne Myles went to Waterloo for the Cedar Valley Roller Derby last home game of the season. The Brawlers and their Junior team, the Mad Catters, are all animal lovers and particularly cat lovers. Part of the team visited R. Hollow in May and spent a long afternoon loving on the cats. We were the organization chosen for their last home game fund raiser and we truly appreciate the invite and the wonderful donations we received from their raffle and from the spectators who enjoyed the night. The Brawlers won big on their last home game against a Wisconsin team. And the Mad Catters debuted during half time. It was a 'fun' "Fun"draiser for Rustic Hollow. Pictured below from Left: Volunteer Connie Phillis, Anne Myles, supporter and volunteer who joined us for the evening, and Wanda Orric, the "W" in C& W's Rustic Hollow Shelter.

Our Kat Barn flooded in September 2016 when a deluge of rain proved too much for our tiny creek that runs through the property. Never in the history of this acreage had we ever had any flooding into one of our buildings. But we had wanted to update the Kat Barn for some time. This just gave us the incentive to get it done sooner.
A room in the upper level of Bradley's House was built to  house the displaced Kat Barn cats. Then the hard work began. Staff worked hard to tear out the wood and linoleum flooring and get the area cleaned. This spring the old concrete floor was resurfaced and the work on ceiling and walls began. Here are some photos of a work in progress. Yes, the cats are back in their home and love helping the crew. 

Pictured middle photo above: 'Dave' and Angie Minnaert working on the Kat Barn ceiling with some kitty helpers. Also helping with the ceiling work is Russell (Rusty) VanBrocklin pictured below getting some love from a Kat Barn kitty. Liz Wegner, Left and Volunteer Connie Phillis admiring the floor and work in progress.

This post is from 2016. We so appreciate our staff who come out in all kinds of weather to be take care of their furry charges....
​Wow! It's December 28th, 2016 and our first real snow storm. We had one in November but it all melted away very quicky. All 8 inches of it. And that is unusual for snow to melt in Iowa once it blankets the earth. Since then we  have had rain, rain, mud, warm weather in the 60's & 70's a couple times. All very unusual for Iowa in the winter too. Our first lasting snow (I think) came Christmas Eve afternoon. Not much, but enough to make it a 'white Christmas' in Iowa which always puts everyone in the Christmas spirit. 
Today their prediction for a big snow came. Not sue how much we will end up with but it is still snowing steadily and blowing. It's nice to be inside today. 
I want to thank the staff who braved the morning weather and came in to care for the furs. And we even had company today!!! They drove down from Minnesota and thanks to one of our staff members they got the grand tour. They will be heading into Illinois and back to their state, New York. I imagine they probably think this 'winter storm' is nothing since they are from New York. Just a little snow.....
Some of the staff is still here in the mid afternoon. I am grateful to them for being here for the furs.
​

It is December 25, 2015 and after a month of rain, mud, water in our basement, and more rain...On December 24th, we got snow. Not a lot, but we are having a 'White Christmas at C & W. Today is a good time to reflect on the past year, and also a good time to get some Christmas photos of the furs (which I will be doing later today). Check out the Facebook albums posted on December 25, 2015 on our Rustic Hollow Shelter Facebook page.
​Wanda and I so appreciate the staff who come in on Christmas and all holidays to care for the felines needs and daily care and cleaning. We appreciate our staff very much. We gathered on the 22nd to celebrate November and December birthdays at a potluck in Bradley's House. We try to have birthday potlucks several times a year, another way to honor our staff and show our appreciation for their tireless and hard work. We also have volunteers who came to our party as well. We have a good team now and that is very important to Wanda and I.

​ Well, a first happened at Rustic Hollow just before Christmas, December 22nd, 2015. A wedding was held at Rustic Hollow.. not the FIRST wedding, as one was held in the upper room in Bradley's House in 2013. But the FIRST 'kitty' wedding was held. Let me telly ou the story of Woody & Alice.
Alice was rescued by a kind man in Virginia. She was found near death with maggots in both eyes. While Alice was at the veterinary hospital, a home was being looked for. Alice was going to be totally blind and her rescuers and Sharon's Critter Action Team' (S.C.A.t) went to work. They asked if Rustic Hollow would take little Alice, who was only 12 weeks old. We agreed. And we started our search for the purrfect companion for little Alice. Since we have no other kittens at C & W, we called a rescue friend Vicky at Whispurring Hope Rescue in Dubuque Iowa. We said we wanted a 12 week old kitten who was very mellow and laid back.  Well, she could not have chosen a  more perfect kitten than little Woody, who also had a rough start in life. They came to Rustic Hollow just a week apart. Woody waited for his little lady friend and right away, Alice established herself as 'the boss' and Woody said, "OK." And their relationship blossomed in just a couple of days. When Alice said "You need a bath," Woody would just lay down and let her give him a complete bath. A special room was built for them in The Kat Barn and moving day was exciting for them. They had many toys to play with and much to explore. 
Now, back to the wedding..... Their friends in Virginia decided that these two were such a special couple, they should be married. One of the S.C.A.T. volunteers made Woody a top hat, a veil for Alice, and a tiny satin pillow with two rings. And an engagement Amazon wedding registry went out. The newly engaged couple received many gifts for themselves and for their pals too. What better time to have a wedding......at Christmastime.
So here are the photos from that special day.. For two very special Rustic Hollow furs.