Spring 2015 - Bianca's Furry Friends Still Needs Money

Spring is in the air, and fans of Howard Stern, Beth Stern and the North Shore Animal League ("NSAL") must be waiting with bated breath for the start of construction on the Bianca's Furry Friends project.  After all, Beth told folks after the Billy Joel concert in May 2014 that "because of his huge donation, we are on target to break ground next spring!"  An NSAL executive also mentioned this time frame in another article about the project in 2014.

Sadly, as of this date, there has been no announcement of when said ground breaking will begin, so fans are left to wonder when that special day will arrive.

The Goal

For those who are not aware of the project, here is some background.  In July 2012, Bianca, the pet bulldog and frequent photo companion of Beth Stern, passed away. 

Beth is a spokesperson for the NSAL and in May 2013, she announced that the NSAL would need to raise $7 million to build an addition to its existing facility called "Bianca's Furry Friends" (the addition to be named in honor of the Sterns' dead bulldog) - this project was described as:

"a 14,000-square-foot second floor to our existing Adoption Headquarters that will feature a cage-free environment for up to 200 cats and kittens.  ...

But there’s more! Bianca’s Furry Friends will also include an advanced Wellness Center; a 24-hour-care feline Nursery exclusively for pregnant and nursing mama cats and their newborn litters; a Surgical Center; and more."

NSAL Already has a Cage-Free Environment - the Cat Habitat

Beth often mentions the cage-free benefit of Bianca's Furry Friends, which is certainly a noble concept.

However, it is odd that Beth does not mention that the NSAL already has a cage-free environment for cats which is called the "Cat Habitat" and it has been in existence for years.  The NSAL describes this paradise as a place where:

  "All of the surfaces are covered in cat-friendly materials so our feline inhabitants are able to roam freely, play, and socialize with their cat friends 24 hours a day.  Located across the street from our Adoption Center, the Cat Habitat gives cats a chance to stretch their legs, sharpen their claws and mingle with their friends. This open-space living is especially helpful to, and appreciated by, cats that have been in our care more than 30 days."

Fun fact:  some of the photos of the cats available for adoption on the Cat Habitat site are by Ellen Dunn, who is Howard's sister.

$7 Million Needed

As mentioned above, the estimated cost for the kitty addition is $7 million for a 14,000 square foot facility - this is no chump change undertaking and it works out to $500 per square foot.  That's quite an expensive addition, although the total cost is less than the rumored $8-10 million that Beth and Howard Stern spent to remodel their mansion in Florida. 

While building costs vary among different regions of the country, it is interesting that another animal shelter on Long Island (Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton) is constructing a new 10,000 square foot building that will only cost an estimated $2.5 million ($250 per square foot).  One has to wonder why the NSAL addition costs so much more per square foot, especially when a good amount of the addition may be an open space kitty play area.

Fund Raising

Although the Sterns spent many millions of dollars to acquire and reportedly remodel their Palm Beach estate, Beth and Howard are looking to the public to fund the cost of Bianca's Furry Friends, and Beth has been active in making appearances to mention the need for peasants to open their wallets to help fund this project.

Here's a look at some of the fundraising highlights since the lofty dream of Bianca's Furry Friends was initially announced:

1.  Kitty Tea Party - July 2013.  In July 2013, there was a kitty tea party to get the ball rolling with donations for Bianca's Furry Friends.  No mention has been made of how much money was raised although it provided Beth with an opportunity to pose for some photos and post a picture of herself online.

Thank u @1800flowers for the cute flower arrangements at my kitty tea party/adoption event yesterday @AnimalLeague pic.twitter.com/hyly6yCRXO
— Beth Ostrosky (@BethStern) July 25, 2013

2.  NSAL Gala 2013.  The NSAL has an annual gala, and in 2013, proceeds from the gala were to  benefit Bianca's Furry Friends.

Shortly after the 2013 gala, the NSAL claimed $1 million had been raised to date to fund Bianca's Furry Friends, with $610,000 of the proceeds from the 2013 gala:

"Nearly $1 million had been raised to date for Bianca's furry Friends, with $610,000 raised from the Gala alone - a fact that moved Beth Stern to tears as she thanked everyone who had come out to support the project.  "Bianca’s Furry Friends is going to be an amazing addition to Animal League America’s campus," she said. "It will serve as a role model for other humane organizations, and that is a beautiful legacy for our precious Bianca.""

However, based on the NSAL's annual report, it appears that the estimate of the amount raised from the gala was the gross amount - there were over $130,000 of direct expenses from the gala:

Perhaps large event costs such as this are one reason why the NSAL has a fairly poor rating among animal charities on the Charitynavigator.org site - as of this date, it is ranked in the bottom 10% of the 460 animal charities on that site.

3.  NSAL 2014 Calendar.  The Sterns collaborated on another calendar to raise money for Bianca's Furry Friends - Beth again posed for pictures with animals and Howard broke out his expensive camera to show off his photography prowess by taking pictures for the calendar.  

While it is unclear how much money they raised for the NSAL with this project, at least Howard's photography "skills" did not land him on the Photoshop Disasters website again, as was the case with his masterful work on the 2012 NSAL calendar.

4.  Billy Joel Concert - May 2014.  Billy Joel generously donated his share of the proceeds from his show at Madison Square Garden to Bianca's Furry Friends and Beth glossed him as "Saint Billy" for this kind gesture.  Beth also went up on stage with a dog to show her thanks to the piano man.  The amount of the proceeds generated by this concert have not been publicly disclosed although after the concert, an NSAL executive indicated that the project was more than halfway funded.

5.  Lewyt Luncheon - June 14.  The NSAL has a luncheon each summer and the net proceeds from the June 2014 luncheon were to benefit Bianca's Furry Friends.  The individual tickets for said luncheon were $200 each, with sponsorship opportunities ranging from $2,500 to $15,000.  One will have to wait to see how much this 2014 event raised.

The NSAL did not disclose the tally from the 2013 luncheon, but in 2012, the NSAL received about $60,000, net of expenses, from the luncheon.

6.  Gold Coast Affair - July 2014.   This summer affair in the Hamptons sounds a bit pretentious, as it is described as follows:  an "affair, held on July 18, brought together East End animal lovers at Prime Restaurant in Huntington for tasty cocktails, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and sushi while being treated to a luxury yacht and auto show."   Beth posed for a number of photos at this grand event as well.

7.  Yoda the Miracle Cat Book.  Author Beth worked with contributor K.A. Alistir and illustrator Devin Crane to create the fictional tale of Yoda - The Story of a Cat and His Kittens, and her share of the proceeds (i.e. not any proceeds retained by publisher Simon & Schuster, K.A. Alistir or Devin Crane) was to be donated to the NSAL for Bianca's Furry Friends.

As of this date, one site estimates Amazon sales of the hard cover version of the book at less than 3,100 plus another 180 or so of the Kindle edition - hopefully Beth was able to sell more copies through other retailers, as this level of sales isn't exactly going to close the gap to get the kitty wing funded.

That said, the book provided many opportunities for Beth to promote herself the book and the NSAL, such as:

  * Numerous book signings, including one at the Bookends bookstore

  * An appearance at something called the AOL Build speaker series

  * An appearance on Extra!

  * An appearance on Fox and Friends

  * An appearance on Access Hollywood

  * An appearance on the Today show

8.  Rachael Ray Donates $500K.  During Beth's promotional book tour, the Sterns' friend Rachael Ray ponied up a large gift of $500,000 to the NSAL to help fund the project.  

During Rachael's appearance on the Stern show, Howard again pulled his "bad with math" schtick and asked "is that like a half million dollars?" at around the 2:15 mark of the audio clip:  https://soundcloud.com/howardstern/rachelray-biancasfurryfriends 

9.  NSAL Gala 2014. Once again proceeds from the annual NSAL gala were earmarked for Bianca's Furry Friends - the amount raised from this gala has not been mentioned. The event allowed supporters to sponsor the event at levels ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 - Beth was listed as a sponsor, but surprisingly it was at the minimum level.

10.  NSAL 2015 Calendar.  Even though the Sterns did not create another amazing calendar for 2015, proceeds from the NSAL's calendar for this year will also benefit Bianca's Furry Friends.

11.  Mingle 4 Mutts - January 2015.  Beth attended some New York City matchmaking event early this year and proceeds from this evening were donated to Bianca's Furry Friends.  The cost to attend was $225 and Beth posed for some pictures again at this event.

See some awesome moments from Mingle 4 Mutts https://t.co/2pNdzgyHiM @BjornandCo @AnimalLeague @BethStern #Mingle4Mutts #singlesball #party
— Marina (@MarinaNysocials) February 9, 2015

In the video mentioned above, Beth takes to the podium to talk about Bianca's Furry Friends again - (starts at around the 7:30 mark) - at the 9:16 mark, Beth mentions that they now need $8 million (wasn't it $7 million throughout 2014?) and claims that they are "three quarters of the way there", so hopefully Bianca's Furry Friends will get built in the near future.  If all else fails, Beth and Howard may need to create a 2016 calendar or Beth may need to pen another kitty book, perhaps featuring one or more of the endless stream of foster kittens or a magical cure of her sick cat Apple.

PSA - Make Sure to Ask the NSAL About Pet's History When Adopting

Even while Bianca's Furry Friends remains a pipe dream, hopefully people who choose to adopt animals from the NSAL have better luck than one woman who is currently suing the NSAL for failing to disclose that an animal had an aggressive history and had been returned to the NSAL on more than one occasion.  Apparently the woman, Alice Tighe, was bitten in the face by the dog she adopted from the NSAL - the NSAL did not inform her that the dog was returned twice, one time after the family babysitter threatened to quit because she did not like the dog and another time after the dog bit the 12 year old daughter of his second not so 'forever family' in the face.  The woman did not ask the NSAL about the dog's history as she thought she had no reason to inquire about it.

The case is apparently scheduled to go to trial at the end of April 2015.