Episode 007: The MiAWF Fur Ball – Helping Animals Through Community In this episode of Discussing Dogs in the D, Christine sits down with Michelle Mullen, co-founder of the Michigan Animal Welfare Foundation (MiAWF), to talk about how one grassroots idea grew into a powerful force for helping animals across Michigan. What started as a simple suggestion to align with a charitable cause turned into a twenty-year mission to support local animal welfare organizations. Michelle shares how she and her co-founder built MiAWF into a volunteer-powered nonprofit that raises funds for shelters, rescues, and animal advocates doing the hard work on the front lines. The conversation dives into Michelle’s deep love for rescue animals—including the seven special-needs dogs she currently shares her home with—and the personal experiences that shaped her passion for animal advocacy. They also talk about one of MiAWF’s biggest annual events: The Fur Ball, a glamorous fundraising gala that brings together animal lovers from across the community to celebrate, connect, and raise critical funds for animals in need. From heartfelt rescue stories to the incredible impact of community support, this episode highlights how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference for animals. In This Episode • How the Michigan Animal Welfare Foundation began • What it means to run a fully volunteer-powered nonprofit • The impact MiAWF has had on local animal welfare groups • Michelle’s life with seven rescue dogs and her passion for special-needs animals • The story of Rigby, her beloved senior dog currently battling lymphoma • Behind the scenes of the MiAWF Fur Ball fundraising gala • How community events can transform animal rescue efforts
Michigan Animal Welfare Foundation:
https://www.miawf.org/
Purchase tickets/Become a Sponsor for the Fur Ball:
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2026furball/page/4010780/
Michelle and Aleta's Bowling Page:
https://yourbowlingcoach.com/
007 MiAWF Fur Ball Event
00:00:00 Speaker: Hey friends, welcome to discussing dogs in the D podcast where Detroit's dog lovers come together. Hi, I'm Christine, and whether you're a rescue volunteer, a pet parent, a shelter supporter, or just someone who can't pass a dog on the street without saying hi, you're in the right place. Let's talk about all things dogs and how they change our lives and how we can possibly change theirs.
00:00:22 Speaker: Welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being on discussing dogs in the podcast. I appreciate you being here. So for listeners that are not viewing this on YouTube, I'm sitting down with Michelle. Is it Mullen? Mullen. Mullen. And you are the founder of you, said MiAWF. I just love that. Okay, so Michigan Animal Welfare Foundation. Okay, so to start off, I would like because I do want to talk about the event you have coming up, but I want you to tell me, for those that don't know, tell me about your organization. Tell me how many years you've been in it, how, you know, I saw on your website the amount of money that you guys have raised. So tell me all the things about you. So we are a grassroots fundraising organization. we founded, twenty years ago, in fact, and twenty years, This year? Years ago? Yes. That's incredible. So what we do is we put on, two premiere fundraising events. Okay. And all of the money goes to help local animal welfare groups that are doing the hard work, you know, to help animals in need in our community. Gotcha. so, you know, we're all volunteer. nobody gets paid in our in our 501 c 3 we actually incorporated the five hundred one C three, though we've been fundraising for twenty years back in twenty sixteen. we're just trying to help the animals who we have to be a voice for them. Okay. So what made. Okay. Is it four total that are co-founders or. No. No. So there's two of us. So. Two. Right. So Aleta Sill and I, we have the pro shop here at Country Lanes. Okay. and it is here that we founded MiAWF This is our mailing address. Our office, let's say. And, we decided to use our platform now that we're giving back bowling, coaching, pro shop. All the services that we were blessed to have growing up and on tour. Now we're bringing that knowledge back to people, and then we decided to align with a cause so that we again, could use our platform, our community, and together, raise money and do something and make a difference because, the need is just insane out there. So you guys decided, let's do something. We need to do something with ourselves, and it's going to be for the animals. And so you founded this organization, and you're. And what you do is fundraise. Yeah. And I actually had somebody came to me and said, you know, why don't you like, align with a cause of some sort? And I says, okay, um, sure. I could do that. That's a good idea. I had no idea. Then the passion within me for animals, I gotcha, I had no idea. And when I soul searched like, what? What what would it be? How? That's what it was. And now it's like it's it's like a it's just opened up this floodgate of passion. So it's a passion. But do you have dogs? Cats? What? Tell me about seven rescues. You have you? Wow. Okay. How many do you have currently? Seven. You have seven in your home right now. Okay. So tell me about your animals that you have. Oh, they're the best. They're little monsters. Don't get me wrong. We tend to take special needs dogs. Older dogs. Um, you know, just. They need our help, so I can't help it. I mean, I wish we everybody could do it. if more people did it, maybe some wouldn't have to have so many. You know, I don't know, but. I can't help it if I have the means, and I'm blessed with the means to do it, and I just I love them. I just want them to take care of. So you have. Well, currently seven, but you probably have had many, many dogs over the years. So. So Seven's about the limit at one time. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. But do you have a dog or cat or animal in your past? That was like a game changer. Soul. Dog. Soul. Soul. Animal. That was like this. This. This pet changed my life. I've had a couple little Bobby Michael. He was a very sweet, special spirit. He wasn't had special needs, but there was just something special about him. But I also, uh, had a dog. Connor and Connor became a diabetic, and Connor became blind. Oh, wow. And, he was very special needs. And, you know, you don't realize when a dog can't see and he couldn't hear, he lost that, too. He was getting, like, kind of crazy. And I had to get CBD. I did everything I could for him. Obviously my schedule was kind of on demand for him, but it's it's interesting because if you just close your eyes and you cover your ears for five minutes and your senses aren't there, you realize, wow, he's like that all the time. Right. So, you know, there's that. But I will tell you, one of them is with me right now. And I every day I count that he's still with with us. Rigby. he is like part of me. And he's fourteen ish. He's got lymphoma. He's doing amazing. But lymphoma is tough. Yeah, but he's he's not. I don't want to say it out loud because he just had a vet check and he's doing well. Okay. But, I count every day. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Because he's one more day. One more moment with him. Yeah. Yeah. So your love of animals transferred to this organization. You created this organization twenty years ago, and you have. But is it four board members now or how? So right now we have one, two, three, four, four of us right now four board members. Yep. And two of you are are big into bowling. Yeah. So Alida and I have the shop here, and we are the co-founders. I'm the president. we just it's just another thing we do to. Because, you know, you asked me about the animals at home. Like, I think about them, and I want them to be well, and I give them a good life. But I look at them and I just immediately think of all of them who don't have it. And that's this. That's why we do this. They're homeless. They're in the shelter there, you know. And then there are organizations that are helping with that, that you want to support my heroes every, every day, every day to amazed by what they do. You how much money to date have you raised for these organizations. So again, all grassroots. We have two fundraising events. We actually didn't start the second fundraising event, the Fur Ball, which is coming up in April. this will be our ninth one, the Bowl for Animal Rescue, which is our signature event. is every August. That'll be our twentieth one this August. Okay. So both for animal rescues was your initial like, flagship, you know. Okay. Right. Well for animal rescue okay. So let more importantly let's talk about because of timeliness, the fur balls coming up. What's the date. Tell us all the details for that. So and I didn't to answer the question about how much money we've made with with the rescue for all of those years. And now the fur ball with eight years behind us, this is our ninth one coming up. I'll tell you about. We have raised one point five million dollars together as a community. Stop it. Right. And again, we don't get paid. In fact, we and our committee and we throw money at it, frankly. Whatever we can do to. So because you have to organize it. Yeah. And then and they're good events. I mean they are Premier. Yeah. I saw last year you had Cathy Bissell there. We did. And that's incredible. Yeah, yeah. And we have you know and we, we meet every two weeks like clockwork. We're always working on our events because it's so important to you guys. It is, it is. And the people that are on the committee that and the organizations, they're amazing human beings. I'm blessed to to know.
00:07:18 Speaker: So tell me about the furball. So it's going to be our ninth annual furball this year at the Laurel Manor in Livonia, newly remodeled venue. Renowned chef. Delightful meal. It is presented by Gardeners Landscaping. Oh that's incredible. Yeah. Great guy John. He's lifting our efforts and we're so grateful to have him as our presenting sponsor. It's April twenty fifth. Last Saturday of April. Okay. It's coming up a little over a month away, and, um, we're going to rock it out. So that's going to be wonderful.
00:07:48 Speaker: We got the Dan Rafferty live band. Oh that's amazing. Oh, that's going to be fun. Nice items. It's people that come to our event know how special of a feeling it is. It's like a gala, so it's going to be fancy. It's going to let's get dressed up and let's spend money for the fun. Okay, I love that. I love that. Yeah. And so you've been. This will be the ninth year. You said this is the ninth year for the fur ball. So auction items, there's going to be a nice plated dinner. It's going to be. It just sounds like to me, it sounds like it's going to be so much fun when I heard about it. you are still taking in auction items. You want silent auction, live auction, especially experiences. if we could have, like, you know, people who have experiences that they can donate, that's really those tend to make more money. Yeah. we do have a paddle raise as well. If anybody has something that's worth worthy of a live auction, we do have a live auction here. Okay. She's fantastic. Lori Steffek a suffix auction. I've talked with her. She's lovely. Oh, she's she's a she's a doll. and on our board and, So. Yeah, that donations. you just go to furball mi org and all the information is there. Well, I'm going to add that in our show notes anyway. I'll have all the links to all the things where they can buy tickets. They can still buy tickets, right? Yes. And we're still looking for sponsors that enable this event to happen with any overhead costs we have, because we want to push all the money out to the orgs. Okay. So tell us about the organizations you're supporting this year. Right. So we're we're going to benefit, Cattail Acres. They're a sanctuary for feral cats. Oh, you talk about God's work there. I mean, they do the hard stuff. Yeah. Yep. Lisa Koester out there. Barbara moulton. They they do amazing work. friends of the Detroit Animal Care and Control. Okay. Yeah. You know, they got their work cut out in Detroit. they do a lot of great outreach. Just a great organization. Getting off the ground, uh, to help the DACC and the community, blue star service dogs. they rescue one to heal another. They they take a shelter dog, go out to the prison, get it trained by the prisoners up in the thumb in different, different prisons in Michigan. Oh, wow. And I got to witness that it is life changing to see. It's incredible. It's incredible. And then they prepare these dogs for veterans needs and first responders. And for the prisoners themselves, for some of them, it's the first time they learn love by having the privilege to have this job in the prison to train a dog. And Matt at Blue Star is an an amazing man who just lives a lot of his life doing this work to help these dogs become what the and the prisoners to become what veterans need. Incredible. Yeah. And then Underdog rescue Ranch, their new, They are on fire. So new anymore. Okay. So they've been around for a few years now. They're not. But there's. I will say I know that I know that I know also know friends of DACC And there are groups that I actually support and, and continue to support because I, I believe underdog is they their first year hit the ground running. Pulled so many dogs from Detroit and like just fully vet them found homes. Yes right. But they're mostly dogs and they they do fundraise. I think they're looking for a piece of property. They want they want to, you know, come to their fruition of their, their mission of having a ranch or whatever. But they're mostly foster based. Now, I do know of them. And then, yes, at this time to back friends of DACC sometimes gets a little confused. They're a five hundred one C three. So when you're donating for this this event you're supporting all four of those organizations. Our nonprofit five hundred one C3. You're not sending the money to the municipal shelter. I think sometimes people get confused about the the difference between the two. So friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control, but very, very much so. But all of these are groups that you've vetted. You understand their mission and you support their work together. I mean, it's collaboration. It's collaboration. And we're so. It's so great. I mean, you know, Roberta at the DACC at The Friend, she's got a dog out of the DACC that are in the hands being trained over by the Blue Star. It's a great story. I didn't even know this. Oh, wow. That's incredible. Yeah. just great things, like you said, you know, and then Taylor over at underdog rescue ranch. she and her team. Amazing team. Heidi and the girls, they do great work. and in fact, Taylor, this year we have a highlighted our event that we honor an animal welfare warrior that our board selects. And this year, it is Taylor Hill of the Underdog Rescue Ranch. I'm so honored that she's going to get this award. Someone who, like, absolutely deserves that. She deserves that recognition for how hard she's worked. That's incredible. Okay. we'll share the links to the event to buy tickets, to sponsor, to donate. We'll share that in the show notes. Now let's let's Backtrack to when you were founded. And so this is twenty years ago and you had this. It's bowling. Bowling for rescue. Is that what it was called? Bowl number four, animal rescue. Okay, so bowl for animal rescue. And that's where you started because. And so you would have it here at Country Lanes. We'd have it here at Country Lanes. And it's so funny because it's just coincidentally happens to be on National Bowling Day. I love that. Yeah. Okay. All the awesome things. The second Saturday of August. Okay. Uh, August eighth I think it is this year and we rock this place out. And we're kind of known for having a little bit nicer items in the auctions and stuff. Some people come because they just really want to win something here. And we do nine pin, no tap, red Robin. Lou Ann Sarah with Red Robin has catered this for all twenty years. thank you so much to them. and again, it's just a great night. Quality night. And all the money goes. Yeah. So is it going to be the same organizations that you donate to? Yes. So so you're going to carry that yearly cycle. We we both events will honor those organizations. And this is the second year we've been doing it. And you have included other organizations in the past. So so you've kind of rotated. Yeah. And you and you choose them based on their mission and how it aligns with you guys and your mission. Yes. And sometimes we just keep it the same because it's, you know, it works well. And these people, we're just committed as how do these events run. And we meet every two weeks. So, you know, I never know what the next year brings, but, we just have a really good thing right now. I gotcha. Yeah. And so for the same thing though, you. Except it's bowling. It's not a gala. You're going to have auction items you're going to have so they can win stuff. Do you find that it's mostly animal welfare people that come or is it mostly bowlers? It's interesting because we are here. So in our community, you know, supports it. We're so thankful for for our customers and you know, the bowlers. So there's a lot of bowlers. There are people that are animal welfare people. Okay. all pretty competitive, though. it's a nine pin, no tap, which means to keep the night moving because there's so much going on that night. If you get nine, it counts as a strike. Oh, so I didn't know this. Yeah. My husband bowls. So, so, like, even he has his own ball and shoes and all that stuff. so I'll have to I'll have to tell him about that because he gets excited when he hears about different bowling fundraisers that. Yeah, you just get to bowl, have a good time. We got the bar here, you know, have a drink, have a drink, spend some money. We just rocked the. It just it's a fleeting night and it's so fun. That's incredible. Yeah, that sounds amazing. I'm so excited to be able to be a part of it this year and to join in. I can't wait to, you know, have all the, like, see all the things that you guys are doing. and especially and I'm so excited that you're going to be, you just I'm watching what you're doing, and it's incredible. Well, just like you, though, I have a dog story that my my first dog as an adult, I got in college and she changed my life and so. And she was from Ingham County Animal Control. And I just like you like there's these moments where I can't imagine her having been abandoned or astray or, you know, and thinking about, especially municipal shelters, these dogs that are getting euthanized. And we are a no kill state. But it doesn't mean that dogs aren't getting euthanized. And I think that there's that misconception. That's a whole other podcast. And it is. And there's still quality of life we have to consider true everybody. Everything should I mean, you know, but I, I want to jump in wherever I can. And just like you, what are your talents? Your talents are fundraising. My talents are photo and, you know, assisting where I can with just getting visibility on the things. So I think that when you look at Metro Detroit, Detroit as a whole, we all have our gifts, our talents that we can. So, I mean, even with that said, I'm sure you're looking for volunteers, helpers, anybody that can lend a hand the the minutia of all the work in the background. Yes, we need them for the event, but all the hard work is always behind the scenes getting ready to make it a seamless event. Yeah, we want them to to be fun. And like I said, seamless. Everything goes well. it's funny you say that because, to your point, like, I think about what these people do, that we benefit, you know, how they are on the front lines, helping these animals and what they see and what they do. And I feel guilty, like I, I couldn't do. Like, I don't think I could do it yet. Then it was said to me one time, well, you know what? You're another part of the body. You fundraise, you enable that to happen. I think about that all the time. You know what I mean? Like to your point about talents and, you know, there are people out there who have certain talents, they might be able to jump into this world because the statistics are staggering, and I don't think people understand how upside down the world is. They don't. If I could ask God one question, it's it's why is this so upside down? Right? There's not enough humans in the working at it to fix the animal problem, right? There was an article Cathy Bissell actually was quoted that we can't adopt our way out of this. So there there are all these moving parts in the animal welfare industry like to, you know, her spay and neuter initiatives to try and fix the future. I think that there are these components that all the time people are telling me because I because I'm a behavioral foster, I like to foster dogs that have a little bit of spice to them. That's not for everybody. That is not for everybody. So and you get asked the question, how do you do this? And it's you don't have to do that though. You can do this part over here. You can just get on social media something you can do. There is something somewhere, and you don't have to bring all the animals into your home to make it happen. You can just be that small sliver of it's a great you know, I have a I have a van, I'll go help and I and as I came in today, I see your donation area that you accept donations for giving back to those groups anytime, any food donations they needed. So it's never enough that small part of someone just bringing a bag of food, but then someone in their animals going to eat because of that, right? But someone picking, taking their van to pick it up and take it to the organization. Right. So you've got you've got this person driving, this person dropping off, this person picking up, you know, and it's we're all that tiny little, you know. And I think we all jump in on it. And that's just another good point. And I mean not not to be negative about it, but I had somebody one time we were collecting food in the pro shop, and it was a week later and a guy came in and he goes, well, obviously they don't need the food because you still have it here. How come you haven't taken it to them? Oh, geez. And I said, you know, kindly, I said, you know, I need someone to take it there. You want to do it? You know, I mean, it's every piece of the part. You know, there's always something that can be done. There's always something. What are your talents? And we'll we'll put them. We'll make them work whether it's five minutes or five hours. So even, first time getting involved in a rescue in metro Detroit was just the fact that I had graphic design skills, and I just needed to fix a flyer for them, and they sent me their their PDF. I fixed it and sent it. You know, it took me just a few minutes, just a little thing. Huge, right? Because if I and I used to think early on when we did this, like, I can just do one more thing, I could just do one more thing. Well, I'm still working. I still run the businesses. Right. I can't just do one more thing and let it grow. I have to not do just one more thing and keep plates spinning. And I'm trying to learn. It's always an evolution, but. Sure. It's amazing, you know, just working with the group of people. And that's the other thing. You get involved and you just meet amazing people. It's incredible. And when you share that passion together, it's addictive. It's it's it's wonderful. It's God's work. It is it is wonderful. I. All the people and I used to say I am involved with animals because I hate people. But it's not true. It is never. There's there are those people in the world that because the animal problem is the people is a people problem. It is a people. That's what you're getting at. But when you meet the people that are restores your faith, it does restore your faith. You turn around and you're like, there are this gives. And especially the young people coming up that are jumping in and helping. There's this one young lady that she's, does marketing and stuff for Humane Society of Macomb. Her name is Genesis and just short, but she's I want to say she's young enough to be my daughter, She's doing all these things as a twenty something that's like, You give me hope for the for the future. Exactly. Totally. You know, we're not getting any younger. I've been doing it a long time. You've got to bring them up and show them for sure. And. And, you know, you just don't realize how many people in the animal community burn out. Oh, yeah. Compassion fatigue is real. It breaks your heart because the passion is there. But you know, and I think some people think it's like our cause because we're doing something about it. You know, you keep going. It's great, but it's all of our problem because it's all of the animals in the community. And so I think if you really want them taken care of, you got to play. If you if you can play a part, do it. Donations always. Always. And so many different forms too. Yes. Sponsor. Like you said, donate an experience. things you might not realize or somebody you work for or somebody who needs a tax write off, you know, and I say for like our sponsors and we really strive to take good care of them because they take good care of us. And one of the things that to me, if they're especially if they're they're geared toward animal, you know they love animals anyway. You're going to get something for supporting it versus here's another donation. You know you're going to be exposed through our, you know, our social media at the event itself. you get a little bang for your buck for supporting something you want to support anyway, and you have a good time doing it. You bring your guests in, you know, so it's a win win win all the way around. So much fun. Okay, so to recap. Yeah. So fur balls coming up. That's that's April. Tell us the date again April twenty fifth. And what time is it Saturday night. Uh, doors open at six. Cocktail hour or probably five forty five. Cocktail hour, six to seven o'clock And then we'll start the program sharp at seven. Okay. And then you said the second Saturday in August. Is that what you said? August eighth is going to be our twentieth bowl for animal rescue. I can't even believe I'm saying that. Are you going to do something big this year? I'm going to figure it out once we get through fur ball. Okay? All our sights are on fur. I'm excited to be a part of that, too. Yeah. And by the way, and by the way, we're excited to have you with Ruff Life Photography. Yeah. photo business. Yeah. I'm so happy that, that we've talked about, you know, letting our guests this year leave with a little printed photo as a memento. Yeah. That is. I'm so excited about that. A little bit old school, but they're fantastic. There's a whole community of people, though, that, when I when they have that printed picture, like I do photos for this, this club called Barkside. There's a guy that comes in and he he takes a picture of his wall now with all his pictures on it that he's, he's, you know, because we will take a picture with our phone and you never really do anything. You go back through it. No, you don't print it, right. Nobody prints pictures anymore, right? So I'm printing it for you. Here you go. Have it, have it. And I know that we're in a social media kind of digital world, but there's a whole community of people that they love, the little printed picture. And that's what we're going to do this year with the I'm so excited about it is I love doing it, and I love sharing those photos with people, and then they can have it with them and they go, and it's not like, oh, where is that going to be later? You know, I have it with me, you know, and it's something like it'll just sit on your desk and it's going to remind you of the memory. And this year we have a really gracious presenting sponsor. It is Gardeners Landscaping. Okay. John Gardener and he is presenting our event this year. Um, we're delighted. And it's amazing. And it's nice that, you know, on that printed picture we're going to be able to put his little logo there. And, you know, it's just always just a reminder of what that gala was about and what we're doing to help the animals that need us. It's incredible. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you being on the podcast today. And hopefully this will reach some people and they'll either jump in and help or donate or response. I'm hoping to some of my listeners will jump in and sponsor and help you out with that. That would be fantastic. And we have ways that you can advertise as well. So part of, you know, if you want to just take out an ad, we have a scrolling audio visual going the whole night. And we have, you know, a prime audience. So if you have some type of business, we have people that are taking ads out. It'll be a digital ad, and it's just going to look really nice up there. It's incredible. Yeah, well, thank you so much. I'm looking forward to this event. And then we'll we'll probably have another episode where we jump in and we talk about how football went and talk about, you know, the bowl coming up. So that would be amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much for being on the podcast I appreciate you.
00:24:34 Speaker: I appreciate all of you for tuning in to discussing dogs in the D podcast. And until next time, stay kind, stay curious, and give your dog a cookie for me.