DEAR SANTA PAWS. The Eau Claire County Humane Association's holiday fundraiser, Santa Paws, is back! Sales for Santa Paws opens up on Black Friday (Nov. 25, 2022) this year and runs through Christmas Day. (The Santa Paws  ornaments show here are from 2017 via the ECCHA Facebook.)

Santa Paws is coming to town!  You read that right. The Eau Claire County Humane Association is poised for another year of its Santa Paws fundraising event, which helps animals in need while giving Christmas (or other holiday) trees all around town an extra special accessory. These handmade paw-shaped ornaments make donating simple, fun, and accessible.

Created by a group of volunteers, the Santa Paws ornaments add homemade charm to any holiday setup while facilitating ECCHA’s mission to support animal care throughout the Valley.

“They are inspired by just some of the incredible animals at ECCHA who found forever homes in the past year,” said Addie Erdmann, the group’s marketing and development director. “They are meant to inspire people to realize how many animals we see on a yearly basis and encourage them to donate towards the animals we will see in 2023!” 

"They are meant to inspire people to realize how many animals we see on a yearly basis and encourage them to donate towards the animals we will see in 2023!"

ADDIE ERDMANN

ECCHA MARKETING & DEVELOPING DIRECTOR

The sparkly paw-print ornaments can be purchased for $5-$100, based on how much buyers want to donate. The funds go directly towards ECCHA to provide medical treatment, pet food, medications, veterinary care, blankets, and other resources needed for proper love and care to its animals. 

“We have handmade ornaments that a committee works on all year and we raise almost $20,000 yearly because of them,” Erdmann said. “This year, we are hoping to increase that even more!” 

With each “Paw” purchased, a lost animal can receive a warm welcome and plenty of hugs from ECCHA in 2023. 

Their kickoff event is slated for Nov. 18, 5-7pm at The Brewing Projekt (make sure to bring your beloved pup along with you!) to sell the first ornaments of the year. Starting on Black Friday (Nov. 25) and running through Christmas Day, locals can find the Paws at a variety of local businesses listed on eccha.org. 

Visit eccha.org to donate directly or purchase a paw online, or visit their Facebook page for more information on the kick-off event or where to find an ornament locally.