PITTSBURG, Kan. — After an intense month of rigorous fundraising efforts, the SEK Humane Society reached its goal of raising $50,000 on May 2. On Wednesday, the Ronald O. Thomas Foundation matched the sum, bringing the total to $100,000.

“We've never done anything this big before,” SEK Humane Society Director Jasmine Kyle said.

The humane society was presented with a match challenge by an anonymous donor, who offered the animal shelter $50,000 if they were able to fundraise the same amount in the month of April. This was the biggest amount the humane society has been tasked with organizing in a single month. As the end of April drew closer, Kyle asked for a two-day extension because they were so close to meeting the goal.

The golf tournament that was held on May 2, pushed them over the $50,000 mark.  

The Ronald O. Thomas Foundation was established to help 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. Thomas was a Southeast Kansas native that became a successful attorney in New York. He eventually moved back to southeast Kansas, and when he died, he left a trust that his trustee Jim Hoskins turned into a charitable foundation. For the last 20 years, Hoskins has distributed the funds to organizations, with an emphasis on those that benefit animals all over the area.

“He has touched a lot of animals in the area,” Hoskins said.

With this $100,000, the SEK Humane Society can remain open to the fourth quarter of this year.

At the end of 2025, the SEK Humane Society faced a crisis and was in danger of closing its doors in December 2025. But since then, they have managed to stay open from fighting each month to remain a shelter for homeless cats and dogs.

Kyle said it’s been a struggle, not only for the humane society but other shelters and non-profits in the area.

“We are all fighting to survive right now,” she said. “It is an economic crisis on top of that, so for this to happen and for the community members to really step up when everybody else is hurting, that means everything.”

The humane society has plans to host free pop events, enrichment programs, free microchipping days and low-cost vaccine clinics to give back to the community as a thank you for donating.

“Thank you so much for being the voice for the voiceless,” Kyle said to all the community members who donated.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.