146 Route 17 South in Hackensack — Courtesy: NAI James E. Hanson
By Joshua Burd
A nonprofit focused on improving the lives of rescue animals is hoping to turn a Hackensack building into a global innovation center, a plan that will be on display this weekend as the organization hosts donors and other supporters at the Route 17 property.
The group, the No Suffer Society, says it’s focused on uniting stakeholders and leveraging technology for to improve animal rescue worldwide. To that end, the organization is set to launch a capital campaign in part to help it acquire the 14,000-square-foot office building at 146 Route 17 South, which would house an interactive space to treat unadopted animals, galvanize its supporters and help develop technology that can be used in shelters and homes across the world.
The organization will kick off the $10 million campaign Saturday, Sept. 29, with a private benefit for supporters at the Hackensack property. The event will serve as an early-access preview of what it calls its World Rescue Embassy — the first not-for-profit international innovation center exclusively focused on animal rescue.
“There have been innovation centers for startups and for different industries,” said Jerry Caropolo, founder and CEO of the No Suffer Society, which is based in Woodcliff Lake. “We want to create the first for shelter modernization, for improving adoption processes — and we found the ideal fit in terms of the structure and the multipurpose space for hosting different rescue leaders, for hosting local schools (and other stakeholders).
“We really want to align everyone who has an interest in animals and get them united under the common direction of the ‘no suffer’ movement.”
The 2018 United World of Rescue Benefit Evening is slated for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 at 146 Route 17 South. For more information, visit the organization’s event page.
The five-story building, which is being marketed for sale by NAI James E. Hanson, is currently home to a surgery practice on the fourth floor. Caropolo said the No Suffer Society envisions transforming the first and second floors into its World Rescue Embassy, which could include a surgery center for animals and exhibition space for technology that would further its cause.
For example, he pointed to the product known as Petcube, a Wi-Fi pet camera with a built-in treat dispenser that lets owners train and reward pets remotely. Finding a way to bring that technology to shelters and to a broader swath of owners would ensure animals have stimulation and interaction after adoption.
The World Rescue Embassy would serve as a global hub for developing and showcasing such technology, Caropolo said, while also creating a focal point for the movement for stakeholders from across the world.
“We really want it to be this multipurpose facility that brings together audiences and gets us closer toward achieving that vision,” he said, later adding: “There’s a lot of opportunity for alignment and that’s what we want the event to showcase to our donors.”
Presenting sponsors and supporters may request additional information by emailing [email protected]. Contributions may be mailed to:
World Rescue Embassy Benefit Fund
73 Lincoln Avenue
Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677
