News and Articles

Above: Celebrating Fall! Rory from Wisconsin and Rosa from Iran's @VafaAnimalShelter

Photographer @MarkLuinenburg was at Home for Life® last week for fall photos. He's always curious to see what we come up with for our favorites—maybe the trees for the forest but certain photos mean a lot because we know all that a particular animal has been through.

We had another absolutely beautiful day for Home for Life's sold-out Endless Summer Pool Party!

Above: Summer Appeal Match Challenge Met: Georgia is all smiles!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to Home For Life Animal Sanctuary's Summer Appeal, featuring  the dynamic duo of Henry and Georgia and their incredible story which you can read here: Home for Life® Blog.

Above: 3-legged shy Scout in her first official Home for Life® portrait by Mark Luinenburg

Photographer Mark Luinenburg was out to visit us this summer, and swimming in the Apple River with our dogs was on the agenda but he also made time to get some of the most beautiful photos of our cats enjoying the balmy weather.

The touching story of Henry and Georgia is featured in Home for Life's® Summer Appeal.
Deadline extended to Sept 6 - $30,000 Matching Grant!  A deaf dog and a former hearing service dog find friendship and a home for life!

Above: Polaris employees on location at Home for Life®

Spring's arrival has been sweeter this year with the support given to Home for Life® from the community. Polaris rounded up several volunteers who spent a sunny day at the sanctuary helping us prepare our gardens for spring.

Above: Maxmillion the Dachshund checks out the dandelions at Home for Life®!

In this album are some of our favorites from Photographer Mark Luinenburg's visit to Home for Life® at the end of May when the dandelions were in full bloom; his photos at the sanctuary during dandelion season have become an annual tradition. With so much that doesn't make sense and the world so turbulent, it's reassuring to know that every year, there will be spring sunshine, cheery yellow flowers, and happy animals at Home for Life®.

Using a life insurance policy to support home for life can be very cost-effective, especially for younger donors. Donors may apply for a new policy or make a gift of an existing policy that has a cash value.

A new life insurance policy can enable someone with many current family obligations to turn a relatively small contribution into a dramatically larger gift. For older donors, a paid-up life insurance policy that is no longer needed also makes an excellent gift.

Outright gifts or bequests of real property have many advantages, including bypassing capital gains and reducing estate taxes. Gifts of real estate can include a house, apartment building, farm, vacation home, commercial building, or land (either income-producing or non-income-producing). Donors can make outright gifts of real estate now or through their estate, or use the property to fund a charitable remainder trust that provides income to the donor or the donor's children.

These can be powerful tools for endowing a charitable legacy to home for life while avoiding heavy estate and income taxes.

Many individuals have accumulated substantial sums in tax-deferred retirement accounts, which include profit-sharing plans, IRAs 401(k)s and 403(b)s. These accounts are popular because the contributions are made with pretax dollars in the assets in the account grow tax-deferred. However, funds withdrawn from these accounts are usually taxed at both high income and estate tax rates.