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Alliston & District Humane Society Gets a Boost: $75,000 Donated from Horsepower Haven Auto Show

October 12, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Alliston & District Humane Society (ADHS) relies on donations to keep their operation running and save all sorts of dogs, cats, rabbits and other small animals.

This year has been especially difficult as they have seen a dramatic rise in the number of surrendered and abandoned pets around the region.

They received a sizable donation on Thursday, Oct. 5, that will help them continue their valuable work.

Tim Schmidt and Christine Wheeler, owners of Horsepower Haven in King City, opened their private collection of automobiles and other assorted toys and curiosities to the public and charged an admission to see the collection. They raised $75,000 in a single day and made a donation to the Humane Society.

The idea of having a charitable event was started with Christine’s motorcycle club – The Babes, Women’s Riding Club. The women in the group wanted to do something for a good cause, and Christine approached Tim about opening up his collection for public viewing to raise money.

Tim has an outstanding collection of his cars housed on his property just outside of King City.

“Horsepower Haven is our home,” Tim explained. “I collect cars. This is our private collection. I used to do big car shows on the property. I open the doors and when you get to the gate there is a line-up of cars there, the girls will be there collecting money. We had over 3,000 people turn out.”

Tim said he had done charitable car shows in the past but wasn’t impressed by where the money was going. He realized a considerable amount of the money they were donating to some organizations was going to administrative costs rather than real research or helping the charity complete its real work.

He, Christine, and The Babes appreciated that the Humane Society donation directly benefits the animals in its care.

“Me and the girls are a women’s riding club, and we wanted to do something for the community,” Christine explained. “Tim is my husband and I brought him into it. We chose the Alliston & District Humane Society because they are a no-kill shelter and everyone here is a volunteer. We raised money through the ticket sales and lot of people made donations. Over four years, we’ve raised $190,000.”

On Thursday, Oct. 5, ADHS held a special event to thank Tim and Christine and The Babes Women’s Riding Club for their efforts and the donation, which will go a long way in helping the shelter with the costs of housing and feeding the animals as well as their large annual veterinary expenses.

“Horsepower Haven is a property in King City which has five buildings that are world-class, full of vintage and high-end cars and memorabilia,” said Jane Clarke, president of the Alliston & District Humane Society. “We were originally approached by the Babes, in 2018, and they talked to us and decided they wanted to help with fundraising. The work that’s involved to run this show for a day is overwhelming and they raised $75,000 in one day. We are a small, local, independent shelter. It makes a lot of difference to us at this time of year, which will determine if we are going to end up in the black or the red at the end of the year. This has been a terrible year for us – I’ve never seen so many animals abandoned or surrendered in terrible shape. I did some calculations, and we are spending over $800 a day on veterinarian services. This is a huge input for us in helping to save these animals as most are coming in, in terrible shape.”

The ADHS presented the group with some personal gifts and offered their thanks for the effort that will help the Humane Society continue its valuable work in the region.

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