One Man Raises Over $50,000 For TCHS Through Community Support

How much of a difference in the world can one person make? Mr. Fred Rogers said, 'Life is for service."

Bill Nelson is proving time and time again that if you give something your full effort, it will repay you in ways you never imagined it could.

TAKE ONE STEP...AND THEN GO JUST A LITTLE BIT FURTHER...

Bill Nelson has been a strong advocate for Tri-County Humane Society for more years than I can count. He has served on the board, and in years when he is not, he still continues to do more than the average Joe when it comes to animals.

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DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I've interviewed Bill on my talk show, "It Matters with Kelly Cordes" on WJON for years now, and the story never changes. Bill has a love of animals, especially cats, but recognizes the need to help address the pet overpopulation problem and find loving homes for them. He also believes deeply in controlling the pet population.

Bill not only raises money for TCHS but also helps stabilize the feral cat population by trapping and returning feral cats to their environments after they've been fixed, so the litters and litters of kittens born in the wild can be reduced.

GIVING BACK

Each year, Bill conducts a number of activities to help raise money for TCHS. He created the 'Spay-ghetti and No Meatballs Dinner', where people in the community can just stop by for a spaghetti dinner, bid on silent auction items, and enjoy each other's company. He holds several meat raffles throughout the year, and he offers people the opportunity to take home 'Bill's Jar.' If you want one, all you have to do is reach out, and he will provide a jar for you to put your spare change in. You can keep it on your kitchen counter and have the whole family throw in their extra change, or you can take it to work and share it with your co-workers. You can keep it in your laundry room, and as you empty everyone's pockets before you wash clothes, take the spare change you find in the laundry, and throw it in the jar.

Everything he does adds up throughout the year.

At the Annual Wine, Kibbles & Bids event that was held on Thursday, May 7th, 2026, Bill presented TCHS with the total he was able to raise this year, with the help of caring community residents, who took home jars, attended meat raffles, and enjoyed the fun at the spaghetti dinner.

This year, the total was $53,430.72.

THINK...ABOUT...THAT.

One man. A big purpose. Never quitting. Kindly asking. Every day, thinking about ways he can help take care of the animals through TCHS.

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RECENT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

In a recent social media post, Bill said, "I handed over Billy‘s jar last night to the Executive Director of the Tri-County Humane Society at the Wine Kibbles and Bids annual fundraising event. Billy‘s jar total this year was $53,430.72. It’s hard to express how grateful I am to all the people who helped me help the animals. You know who you are, and I thank you."

TCHS responded on social media, saying, "Wow, what a night! We want to thank everybody who helped make last night's Wine, Kibbles & Bids presented by Sue Wahl Storbeck a success. We're still crunching numbers, and, of course, our online silent auction is still going until 5 p.m. on Sunday. We'll be excited to share the totals as soon as we know them - stay tuned! Until then, we want to thank all our sponsors, all the supporters, our attendees, our volunteers, tireless TCHS fundraising advocate Bill Nelson, the team from Harvester Square, and the countless others who made this event a sparkling success for animals."

The next time you think, 'What can I do?' Let the accomplishments of one man in our community, asking for help and delivering on his ask.  Thank you, Bill, and all those folks who took part in his efforts.