Animal Friends of West Virginia

Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia December 2011 Newslettter

2011-12-18T12:56:00.001-08:00

Save the Date

March 31 – Canine Egg Fetch

April 28 – Cash Bash

August 26 – Dog Day in the Pool

More Than 4,000 Reasons

To Be Thankful

Animal Friends of North-Central West Virginia (AFNCWV) has many reasons to be thankful during this holiday season:

· The lives of more than 4,700 animals saved since our founding, either through direct adoption or through transport.

· Our 10^th anniversary.

· Our no-kill animal sanctuary, which celebrated its 5^th anniversary on November 18.

· Our dedicated volunteers and foster families, who donate countless hours to care for the animals that come through our doors.

· The wonderful people who provide forever homes by adopting from us.

· Our generous contributors, both individuals and businesses, who donate money, supplies, and services to make our work as a non-profit organization possible.

· The many area residents who support us by attending our fund-raising events.

· The customers who shop at the Animal Friends Thrift Shoppe, formerly known as Lucky’s Attic, as well as those who donate merchandise or who staff the Shoppe as volunteers.

This is a special time of year. We at Animal Friends have a great deal to be thankful for, and we want all of you reading this to know how very much we appreciate YOU.

How We Serve

Sadly, try as we may, AFNCWV cannot help everyone who calls on us. We do as much as we can with our limited resources.

Animal Friends is not a tax-supported entity and is not funded by any government body. We are supported by your contributions, our fund-raising events, our thrift shoppe, and an occasional grant.

Our no-kill animal sanctuary is small, and it is frequently at full capacity, with as many as 50-60 animals. Our staff is small –1.5 employees. For these reasons, we are unable to accept animals from the general public.

Cooperative efforts with a variety of agencies help us save as many animals as possible, and many of our animals are from kill-shelters in five counties in north-central West Virginia.

Our sanctuary has also been a haven to pets from area homeless shelters, rape and domestic violence centers, the American Red Cross, and Hospice.

Nursing home social workers sometimes call us about patients who must relinquish ownership of their beloved pets. If we have room, we accept them.

Thank you for understanding that we are not a large organization with a large staff and a large budget. Please help us spread the word.

Progress Is Made on Spay/Neuter Clinic

As soon as Animal Friends established our no-kill animal sanctuary five years ago, we began planning an expansion – a low-cost, high-quality, spay/neuter clinic. We’re making progress!

To-date, we have added a second donated modular building to the complex, and it has been painted to match the original structure.

The new building has been divided into two sections, with one-half for the clinic, and the other half for areas for medium and large dogs, a canine isolation room, and a food bank.

Other work has included an electrical upgrade and the installation of new flooring and shelving in the food bank section.

Volunteers with the Winter Weather Posse installed underpinning and constructed an additional dog pen.

Boy Scout Troop #44, working with Eagle Scout Jason Domasky, enhanced the overall environment by building a 4’ x 28’ planter and planting a butterfly garden.

The clinic is not yet operational, and there is much still to be done, but we are very grateful to everyone who has helped us progress this far.

New Name, New Location, New Look for Thrift Shoppe

Never fear! Lucky’s Attic has not disappeared! We’ve just made a few changes. To help customers know what they’re supporting when they shop with us, we’ve changed the name to The Animal Friends Thrift Shoppe.

In addition, we’ve moved to a new location down the hall from our old one at the Mountaineer Mall -- almost directly across from Senior Monongalians. More room and more bargains!

A special new feature is that once a month, we’ll bring adoption-ready pets from our no-kill Sanctuary to the Shoppe, and they’ll be ready for adoption, after completion of the application process.

Shoppe hours are:

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

All merchandise is donated; all clerks are volunteers; all proceeds support Animal Friends’ no-kill animal sanctuary.

To volunteer, contact Shoppe manager Kathy Orosz at 304-290-0161. The Shoppe number is 304-291-5825.

Wish List

Bleach and cotton mops or mop head replacements
Medium and large Latex® gloves
Clumping cat litter – preferably Scoop Away®, Tidy Cat®, or pine litter
Fuzzy blankets, but no polyfill stuffing
Straw for bedding and mud control
Shelving units or gift cards to Lowes, Sears, Target, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Walmart
Gift cards to stores that sell high-quality pet food, such as Woofs, Exotic Jungle, Petco

The Mission of AFNCWV

To operate a high quality, non-profit sanctuary and foster program, providing refuge, aid, and care for unwanted, abandoned, and abused animals, free from the threat of unwarranted euthanasia.

Happy Holidays!

NEWSLETTER Volume 7, Issue 1 February 2011

2011-03-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

PDF Version - Click Here

Community Support
If you are in need of assistance in caring for your animals or if you know anyone who is struggling to provide the basic necessities for their animals, please contact us to inquire about some available resources. We can aid an individual for up to two times a year with various supplies including straw for outdoor bedding, food, litter, and some medical assistance.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
New Officers and Board Members
Upcoming Events
Adoption Story
Redesigned Website
Looking for Talents

New Year – New Officers and Board Members
Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia is pleased to announce its leadership for 2011:
Chair: Ronda Smith
Co-Chair – Kelley Owen
Executive Director – Cynthis Lucas
Secretary – Kathy Orosz
Treasurer – Carol Mangone
Co-Treasurer – Valerie Holsinger
Board of Directors – Marsha Boliner
Valerie Holsinger
Cynthis Lucas
Carol Mangone
Margo Neal
Kathy Orosz
Kelley Owen
Ronda Smith
These dedicated individuals are committed to the Animal Friends’ mission – to operate a high-quality, non-profit sanctuary and foster program, providing refuge, aid, and care for unwanted, abandoned, and abused animals, free from the threat of unwarranted euthanasia. They welcome your input and involvement:
Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia
252 Brewer Road
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-290-4PET (4738)
http://www.animalfriendswv.org/

Mark Your Calendars!
April 9th, 2011 – Annual Canine Egg Fetch
Animal Friends will be hosting their Annual Canine Egg Fetch on Saturday, April 9th at the Marilla Park Main Pavilion. Registration by donation will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the hunt starting at 1 p.m. Hundreds of hidden eggs, each with a special treat, prizes, and an appearance by everyone's favorite Rabbit. All dogs must be on a leash and supervised at all times. Hope to see you there!
May 7th, 2011 – Annual “Cash Bash”
Animal Friends’ Annual "Cash Bash" is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th at the Elks Lodge on Chestnut Ridge Road. Cash Prizes, Good Food, Raffles and Dancing to the sounds of Local Vocalist "Al Anderson". Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the first $200 drawing begins at 6 p.m. $200 drawings will be held every 15 minutes and the grand prize drawing of $1000 will be at 9 p.m. (Need not be present to win prizes) Tickets are $25 per person and include food and beverage. Tickets are available at Lucky's Attic at the Mountaineer Mall, Woofs, Hillcrest Vet Clinic, Masman Jewelers or by calling 304-282-4052 or 304-290-1010 to reserve your tickets. Ticket availability at the door may be limited. Plan on joining us for a fun filled evening.
August 28th, 2011 – Annual “Dog Day” – the Ultimate Canine Pool Party
Animal Friends will be hosting their Annual "Dog Day" - the Ultimate Canine Pool Party at Marilla Pool on Sunday, August 28th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Plan to join us for a day of fun in the sun! All dogs must be on a leash and supervised at all times.

An Unsuccessful Attempt at Fostering
A couple of months ago we brought a timid Silky Terrier along with a number of other dogs to the sanctuary. That same evening, two of our regular volunteers stopped by to visit with the animals and drop off a food donation. Perhaps we should have recognized then that it was love at first sight between our volunteers and the little fellow. During the next two weeks and unbeknownst to us, the connection grew stronger as Silky kept warming up to his new visitors. Things really took off, however, when the two volunteers offered to foster the little terrier while he was recovering from getting neutered. But that was also the moment when the “deal was sealed”. Silky apparently fit right in with the other two terriers in the home. Finally, his true nature came to light – we hear that he is an energetic, playful, and care-free doggie. He loves squeaky toys and he apparently is constantly on a mission to rid all toys of their “squeaky curse”. He also absolutely adores his new canine siblings, Baxter and Sadie. He is even a role-model to them when it comes to sporting cozy outdoor apparel. Our volunteering couple got to experience first-hand the “dark side” of fostering!

"If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
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OUR ANIMAL-TASTIC WEBSITE! ! !
We are very excited to announce the launching of our redesigned website. The new site includes exciting user-friendly options such as PayPal donations, links to Facebook and Twitter, as well as access to our Amazon wish list. The changes also incorporate an online membership registration and contact option. The users are still able to view the animals that are currently at the sanctuary as well as other available animals. Our redesigned website will feature companies that help to support our mission. To find out more about this opportunity, please see the “Become a Sponsor” link on our home page. http://www.animalfriendswv.org/ The website design, hosting, and maintenance are generously donated by NOW! Marketing Services Inc. : http://nowms.com

Alumni Happy Tails
We welcome your stories on our adoptees. Feel free to post some news and upload recent photos of the Animal Friends’ additions to your family on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/animalfriendswv.

You can Help Us Reduce Newsletter Cost with E-mail
Please send your email address to newsletter@animalfriendswv.org to receive our newsletter electronically. All savings are applied to the operation of our no-kill animal sanctuary. You can also contact us if you would like to be removed from our mailing list.

Please Share Your Talents!
Animal Friends has many wonderful volunteers performing many tasks – while also having fun! Can you spare just an hour or two a week on any of the following?
>>cleaning donated items, setting up displays, or cashiering at Lucky’s Attic Thrift Shoppe
>>using your own truck to pick up donated furniture once a month cleaning the pets' living quarters at the no-kill sanctuary
>>walking the dogs and socializing the animals at the sanctuary
>>painting; planting/weeding flowers at the sanctuary
>>organizing the sanctuary’s pet food bank
>>grant writing
To share your talents, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Kathy Orosz, at (304) 290-0161, or email us at newsletter@animalfriendswv.org.

Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia
252 Brewer Road
Morgantown, WV