HOWELL, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – For months, the Howell Nature Center has struggled financially.
From decreased donations to rising costs for medical care, food, and utilities, the center has faced some serious money troubles.
“From springtime on we have just been struggling to stay afloat,” said CEO Tina Bruce.
In addition to those contributing factors, a 12-year-old boy died in September after a tree fell on him while he was camping on-site with classmates.
“That was kind of the culmination of everything. We lost significant revenue from our school groups, about $40,000 to $50,000,” Bruce said.
Forced to cut costs, Bruce says staff were laid off, the nature center had to stop accepting injured wild animals, and had to close the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic that takes in over 2,000 wildlife animals every year. But those doors will reopen soon.
“I’m happy to say that I just pulled numbers this morning and we have raised $100,998 since last week. Almost 900 donors have reached out to us,” Bruce said.