New Name, Same Purpose
Recently the national House Rabbit Society decided to make major changes to its structure and its relationship with affiliated organizations. As part of these changes, local organizations that until now have been chapters of the national organization have also been required to evaluate their own structures and choose how to proceed.
We continue to share the core philosophy of the national House Rabbit Society, and a common commitment to the welfare of rabbits and the education of their humans. During our three years as a Chapter-in-training, we have grown steadily, helped hundreds of rabbits, and built a solid foundation necessary to sustain our organization so we can continue helping rabbits well into the future. However, after a series of long and thoughtful discussions among our members, leadership, and board members, we have decided to proceed as an independent organization.
As a result, some aspects of our organization are changing. The most noticeable of those changes is our name, which will now be Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society (MCRS). We still believe that the best place to care for our rabbit companions is inside the house, but it was necessary to change our name and "companion" best encompasses the educational focus of our group – all companion rabbits.
Rest assured that at the heart of things, who we are and what we do is not changing. Our mission of education & rabbit adoption remains the same. Our vision continues to be of a future time when rabbit euthanasia due to lack of space is no longer necessary. The guiding principles we have relied on since our founding are unchanged. In addition, our board and leadership remains constant. Since our organization recently achieved tax-exempt status with the IRS, MCRS will continue to be a fully tax-exempt organization. And most importantly, our primary activities of educating the public and helping rabbits find permanent homes will continue. We will also continue with all of our current programs, including our cooperative efforts with the area shelters, the PETCO adoption program, as well as working with rabbit rescue organizations across the country.
We appreciate our formative years as a regional chapter of the House Rabbit Society, and we value the many relationships we have formed with other HRS chapters and individuals within those chapters. We recognize the significant work both the national House Rabbit Society and local affiliated organizations have done to promote rabbit wellness and education. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the House Rabbit Society and the many other rabbit rescue organizations in this country to keep making things better for rabbits.
Current members of Minnesota House Rabbit Society will automatically become members of Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society. Members will receive a letter, with additional details, in the mail shortly.
Board of Directors
Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society
