Goodbye, Kona’s Coalition

Manus Hopkins is a Whitehorse- and Toronto-based journalism student, musician and lover of heavy metal and cats.

FAREWELL, KONA’S COALITION

Animal welfare service Kona’s Coalition is shutting down after nearly a decade

By: Manus Hopkins

It was a difficult yet necessary decision to shut down Kona’s Coalition, according to founder and president Jordi Mikeli-Jones. The Whitehorse animal protection non-profit has been serving the community since 2013, but with board members leaving and the pandemic bringing new difficulties, it wasn’t feasible to continue.

“At our inception, we were four women that were very passionate about animal advocacy,” said Mikeli-Jones. “At our last board meeting we really talked seriously about what we had in the bank, what we were prepared to do, and if we could make it to our 10th anniversary. We did some soul-searching and decided it was time for us to wind down operations.”

For the last two years or so, Mikeli-Jones and Madeleine Girard were handling operations on their own as the only two remaining board members. It became too much work for two people alone. The pandemic also made it more difficult to fundraise, with inperson events becoming rare and strict. Mikeli-Jones used to be heavily involved in event management, staging music festivals including Sunstroke and Moonstroke, as well as Halloween parties, fashion shows and golf tournaments. She said the organization spent around $250,000 in fundraised money during its time.

While it’s sad to have to call it a day, Mikeli-Jones said she is trying to focus on the positives, remembering the great work Kona’s Coalition did for animals and families in the Yukon during its nearly 10 years of operation.

“I feel it’s been an arduous journey, but one I’m really proud of,” she said. “I know that we’ve made a difference and ultimately, that was our fundamental goal: to improve animal welfare, increase advocacy, focus on education and help animals and families in need, and we’ve helped thousands.”

Some of the outreach Kona’s

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PHOTO: submitted by Jordi Mikeli-Jones

Mikeli-Jones wearing a Kona’s Coalition shirt at an animal welfare event