ANDERSON, Ind. -- A woman who has volunteered at the Madison County Humane Society for 13 years is undertaking a decidedly unconventional effort to save the shelter and the animals she loves.

Rhonda Estes (pictured) spends her days and now her nights at the shelter. For the next 30 nights, Estes will sleep on a small blow-up bed in hopes the shelter won't have to close, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

"I'm going to be roommates with the critters," Estes said with a smile. "I wanted to draw attention to the seriousness of our situation and try to help get some pledges, raise some money, to keep us open longer."

The shelter's future is in jeopardy after nearly $65,000 disappeared. Former treasurer Sherri Sullivan is charged with stealing that money from the charity's bank and credit card accounts.

"That was our reserve that we were pulling from on a monthly basis, and it's gone," Estes said.

Estes plans to pass the time with plenty of movies and books for the next month -- many of them about animals.

She will be surrounded by the reason she's there -- the 101 animals whose lives are in the balance if she fails.

"I can't even imagine. I don't want to think that way. We've got to keep pushing forward and try to keep it open," Estes said.

Estes' goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000, the amount needed to run the shelter for a month, but she hopes to raise much more than that.

Anyone who would like to help can do so here.