Adrian Township, MI – It was a date six years in the making for the Lenawee Humane Society, as they broke ground at the site of their future shelter adjacent to the ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital campus Adrian Township.
Executive Director of the Humane Society, Marcie Cornell, talked to WLEN News after the groundbreaking. She said that the organization has long outgrown their building on Beecher Street in Adrian…which they have been in since the early 1980’s.
Finding land was a big hurtle for the Humane Society, who began this project back in 2018. The land near the hospital, that was donated to the Humane Society by ProMedica, came about by chance. Cornell told WLEN News about the game-changing conversation with President of the Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital Dr. Julie Yaroch…
The location of the new animal shelter will lend itself to a stronger relationship between the Humane Society and the Hospital, with plans to expand programs around patient mental health. When opened, the new Lenawee Humane Society building and grounds will be the first shelter in the country to be located on a health care campus.
When the move happens, Cornell (pictured, right) said that there have not been discussions about what to do with the building at the current location. Cornell anticipates construction to actually begin in May of 2025…with the new shelter completed by the end of 2026.
The new facility will include indoor/outdoor kennels, an expanded veterinary clinic, and an improved intake area.
The Lenawee Humane Society has launched their $6.5 million “Campaign for Hope.” As of Wednesday, they are 64% ($4.1 million) into their fundraising goal.
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