Anderson Humane has a creative holiday gift idea for humans who love their fur babies.
The South Elgin-based animal shelter is selling keepsake ornaments with the image of the purchaser’s pet lasered onto a piece of finished wood that can be hung or displayed.
“It’s a great way to celebrate your animals or to memorialize animals you’ve lost,” said Kimberly Gifford, Anderson’s director of special events. “They are absolutely beautiful. The detail in it is lovely.”
They can be ordered through the shelter’s website, ahconnects.org, for $25 each through Dec. 13.
All of the proceeds will go to shelter thanks to employee Janet Mendell and her husband, Jon, who are making the ornaments for free and donating all the materials.
“It’s very touching and an unusual opportunity when someone comes to you and says, ‘I have this talent and I’m willing to give it to support you,’” Gifford said. “It was such a blessing for us.”
Janet Mendell was talking with co-workers at Anderson when she came up with the idea of the ornaments. She started working with Gifford on developing a fundraiser.
“We are just creators in general. I’m the idea person. (Jon) goes and makes it great,” Janet said. “(He) can create anything we ask for.”
Janet Mendell worked in health care for 27 years before deciding to make a career change and fulfill her long-held dream to work with animals. She started at Anderson Humane in August. Jon works in IT and has been doing woodworking since he was a child.
“This man can literally build you a house,” Janet Mendell said.
The couple lives in Aurora and is starting a new business, Urban Shire Enterprises, which offers custom woodworking, furniture, laser printing and some 3D printing. “If you can dream it, we will do our best to make it a reality,” Jon said.
The ornament process starts with a photo and a laser printer, which is sent to the couple online as part of the order.
The better the picture, the better the ornament will turn out, Janet said. Jon edits the photo to make sure the image is sharp, prints it out on a laser and then transfers it to the wood.
“We tried to simplify it as much as possible the first year,” she said.
Six or seven images can be done at one time, with each taking an hour and a half to print. They’ve made about 120 so far and the goal is to sell 400, thereby raising $10,000 for the shelter.
“But we would love to exceed (that number),” Janet Mendell said. “We’re thrilled with the response thus far, and we hope to keep going along and growing. … My goal is to raise as much money as we can, knowing it’s going to save more (animals’) lives. The more lives we save, the better.”
The ornaments have been wildly popular so far, Gifford said. “They are a lot of fun, and they come out looking beautiful,” she said.
Anderson Humane cares for more than 4,000 domestic animals a year. The nonprofit also took over Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn a few years ago, where they’re able to save another 3,500 animals a year, including hawks, owls and small mammals.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
