VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER JOIN US AT HOME EXPO

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1 SPCA of SW Michigan /Issue 180 VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER The SPCA is a non-profit animal rescue group based in southwest Michigan. Thanks to volunteers like you, we have rescued over 10,500 dogs, cats, puppies & kittens since we started in 2002! *** UPCOMING ADOPTION EVENTS *** Subject to Change As Needed February 18th: February 25th: March 3rd: Rescue Center: 11 am - 4 pm K-zoo Mall Plaza: 11 am - 3 pm Rescue Center: 11 am - 4 pm PetSmart: 11 am - 3 pm Rescue Center: 11 am - 4 pm Oak Ridge Reed: 11 am - 3 pm JOIN US AT HOME EXPO Dog License Deadline Kalamazoo County Dog Owners!!! Don t forget licenses must be purchased by March 1st or there is a $15 penalty. Licenses can be purchased from Animal Control on Lake Street and at many veterinarians. We are always looking for new locations to show off our terrific pets and tell people about the SPCA. In March, that will be at the Home Expo, 665 Mall Drive, in Portage. The Home Expo, which runs from March 7th 10th, offers unsold booth space to non-profits. Volunteers are needed to staff the booth from 5 pm - 9 pm on Wednesday, 12 pm - 9 pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10 am - 7 pm on Saturday. We also need help to set up before and tear down after. Shifts are usually 2-3 hours and volunteers will talk to visitors, hand out information, and accept donations. Having a dog or cat on hand is always a big draw, so you can take a foster pet or get a dog or cat from the rescue center. It s important to have the booth manned as much of the time as possible. Visitors seldom stop at an empty booth and we can t have a donation jar if no one is there to watch it. If you are able to help during the Home Expo, please contact Marie by (marie@ spcaswmich.org) or call her at This is a terrific opportunity to show off our adoptable pets in a new venue. AND you get in the Home Expo free so you can visit the exhibits before or after your shift. Downtown Adoption Event This Saturday We need volunteers for a special adoption event on Saturday, February 18th, from 11 am - 3 pm, at the Mall Shops in downtown Kalamazoo! Dogs and cats will be available for adoption. Camp Critter will transport the dogs, but volunteers are needed to help set up and tear down crates, load and unload dogs at the rescue center and at the site, talk to visitors, process adoptions, and potty walk the dogs. This is also a wonderful opportunity for fosters to be seen in a public setting. If you would like to help or bring your foster, please contact Jane King at king@spcaswmich.org or

2 Page 2 Kitties & Canines Make Seniors Smile We are now in our second month of pet visitation at The Springs at Bronson Place and our SPCA animals are a definite hit! The residents love meeting and interacting with the animals. It s wonderful to see their faces light up as they pet and talk to the dogs and cats. It s also a great opportunity for socialization and for visitors and staff to meet our animals. If you would like to take part in this heartwarming activity, please contact Marie (marie@spcaswmich.org) by or phone at Dogs visit the second Wednesday of the month and cats visit the fourth Wednesday. Visitation lasts an hour and The Springs is only a few minutes from the rescue center. Fosters are also welcome. Grant Writing Meeting Director s Direction Please help the SPCA of Southwest Michigan win a $1000, $2000, or $5000 grant simply by voting once a day online! Visit and click on the Shelter Challenge tab located to the right of the screen. Then type SPCA of Southwest Michigan in the Search and Vote box. You will see our charity and click on the vote button! Post this on Facebook and challenge friends and coworkers to vote. Voting lasts until midnight on March 18th. Please help the animals at SPCA of Southwest Michigan by voting every day! New Class Dates for Obedience/Behavioral Training Class and Volunteer Mentor Class The next six-week classes start (one per week): Dog Obedience/ Behavioral Class Saturday, March 25th through April 28th. This is for adopted SPCA dogs and the general public. The Grant Writing Committee will meet Monday, Februrary 27th at 6 pm at the Rescue Center. If you are interested in helping bring money into this organization, please attend. We need your help! Volunteer Services Committee The Volunteer Services Committee will meet Tuesday, February 21st at 6 pm at the Rescue Center. If you would like to help bring more volunteers to the SPCA or help with orientation, please attend! Volunteer Mentor Class - Monday, April 9th through May 14th. This is for SPCA volunteers only with currently adoptable SPCA dogs. If you have questions or would like to register, please contact Lora at lora.klassen@gmail.com.

3 Page 3 Event Sponsors Needed It s almost that time again the fourth annual Woofstock will be at the Arcadia Creek Festival Site Saturday, July 21st from 10 am - 5 pm. We need help if you know of your a company that would sponsor this great event please contact Tara Sharp at director@spcaswmich.org. The has many great events on the horizon and needs your help. If you know of any companies that would like to sponsor the following events please contact Tara Sharp. Hope Dinner May 17th, 6 pm - 9 pm Second Annual Doggie Dash April 28th at 12 pm Chucky Cheese Fundraiser Chucky Cheese will donate 15% of purchases to the SPCA! March 8th, from 3 pm - 7 pm S. Westnedge Portage, MI Please see the flyer attached to the distributing this newsletter for more information. Texas Holdem Poker Volunteers Needed Kentucky Derby Extravaganza May 5th at 4 pm SPCA/WIN 98.5 Golf Outing August 25th at 8 am BenefIt Night Fundraiser On February 26th from 4 pm 9 pm Bd s Monogolian Barbeque in Portage will host a benefit night fundraiser for the SPCA. All you have to do is inform your server that you want your receipt donated to the SPCA. Bd s will collect and total the receipts and give 10% of the proceeds earned that night back to the SPCA. Please come support us! Just a reminder that we have another poker event coming up at Wayside West. It is on February 18th, 19th and 20th. We are always looking for people to work 2-3 hour shifts. It is a two-man team. One at the computer and one counting chips. This is a very easy way to earn money for the SPCA by simply manning the counter. Please contact Nancy McKinney at nancygail50@gmail.com or

4 Page 4 Snoopy Submitted by: Elsie and Don Rosenthal I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I adopted a dog from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary last November that a volunteer in your organization had driven down to Utah sometime last spring (March?). He is a Treeing Walker Coonhound and was about a year old when he arrived at Best Friends. The story I read in his file is that he was surrendered to you at around 3 months and had been returned by three different families for biting. He is white with a brown head and black and brown markings common to this type of hound. I also saw somewhere in his file that his name may have been Snoopy but he was renamed Colt by Best Friends. Colt also has a funny walk as his left hind leg turns out and we were told he had a luxating hock but an orthopedic specialist told us several of the bones in his foot did not fuse properly when he was young but his causes him no pain and he is the fastest dog at the dog park! We adopted Colt as a playmate for our 3 year old bloodhound June Carter Cash who we had rescued in July from a local rescue group. It was love at first sight - they play hard and then sleep together. We wanted to thank the volunteer who drove Colt to Best Friends as he is now in his forever home. We live in Tiburon, CA just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco not exactly the place you would expect to find two hounds but we get them out to the wonderful dog parks here and they run to their hearts content. We are also buying a weekend home in Sonoma County with several acres for the dogs. Colt and I attend Family Dog classes at the Marin Humane Society and he is a fast learner. I am attaching several pictures in case someone recognizes him. Thank you again for volunteering and saving dogs - you touch peoples lives in places you would never expect such as with Colt in California!

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7 Page 7 GET INVOLVED - MAKE A DIFFERENCE Everyone welcome, contacts for more info or to share ideas - Subject to Change As Needed WHEN at RC: NEXT: WHAT: WHY: WHO to contact: 1st Sun 2:00 pm Mar 4th Foster Orientation Become a foster nancygail50@gmail.com 1st Sun 2:30 pm Mar 4th Fund Raising Revenue projects king@spcaswmich.org 1st Tues 6 pm - 7 pm Mar 6th Animal Care Quality of shelter time operations@spcaswmich.org 2nd Mon Tentative TBD Marketing/Media Sub-Com Get the word out britt.drew@hotmail.com 3rd Tues 6:00 pm Feb 21nd Volunteer Recruitment Involving volunteers director@spcaswmich.org 4th Mon 6:00 pm Feb 27th Grants - Research/Write Sub-Com Grant revenue director@spcaswmich.org As Needed TBD Financial Tracking numbers kaylav@spcaswmich.org Event Submit Form New Idea Approval, tracking & support Marketing, social media At RC or king@spcaswmich.org ADOPTIONS - THANKS TO YOU! CATS: Amaretto, Anica, Emma, Indigo, Jackie, Julia, Kylee, Mira, Ruby, Sapphire, Teddy Bear DOGS: Aero, Augie, Blitz, Chika, Fred, Harley, Kinsie, Kringle, Lady, Macy, Marianne, Megan, Michael, Mitz, Murphy, Natile, Nicole, Phoebie, RIcky, Salty, Selima, Sheldon, Spanky, Sparrow, Talisha, Tara Sharp, Webster Thank you for opening your hearts and your homes to these animals! See all our adoptable dogs, cats, puppies & kittens at. Click on the link to view adoptable cats or view adoptable dogs. ~ Please send Volunteer Newsletter submissions to Jess volunteer_newsletter@spcaswmich.org.