On Sunday, April 22nd, we welcomed nearly 200 volunteers and a dozen staff to our campus to celebrate YOU! It was a beautifully sunny and mild day – a perfect setting for the afternoon program and celebration. The program began with a fun video you can view here. We hope this makes you feel as happy as we do about all of the volunteers!

We shared some statistics from 2017 that reflect the results of your commitment:
Total Adoptions – 2,329: Canines – 582; Felines – 1,321; Rabbits – 63; Guinea pigs – 59; Fowl – 114; Other – 190

Foster Program – 686 animals were fostered in 2017, including 9 baby chicks, 8 rabbits, 8 mice, 4 guinea pigs, and 2 turtles!

Other fun facts from 2017: More than 70,000 volunteer hours were reported last year! 1,123 cats & kittens were evaluated by 15 cat evaluators; 719 dogs & puppies were evaluated by 21 evaluators; the veterinary clinic performed 1,894 spays/neuters, extracted 174 teeth, and performed 52 dentals; 26 volunteers transported animals on 179 trips (as far away as Blackfoot, Idaho!);  48 DTAs helped in 191 classes for 1,607 hours; 8 Pen Pal volunteers worked with 9 San Quentin inmates and 32 dogs, generating countless smiles; 92 human volunteers and their 60 dogs and 2 cats completed 3,000 visits to participating facilities to brighten their day; over 1,000 deliveries were made to Pet Care Assistance clients by 23 volunteers.

Kitty Corner celebrated its 3rd anniversary this month! 30 Kitty Corner volunteers have helped with 952 adoptions in this time period!

We then moved to recognizing the Milestone Anniversary volunteers for their extraordinary years of service. You’ll see a separate post soon recognizing the achievements of these rock stars volunteers!

Chelsea Fairbanks, Humane Education Coordinator, presented awards to the Humane Youth of the Year, Leah Coale, the Humane Educator of the Year, Kira Swaim of Children 4 Change, and the summer camp poster contest winner, Zoe Jaros. And, Nancy McKenney, CEO, expressed her gratitude to all of the volunteers for their many, many contributions to the organization, including the 16 Board members. Finally, Anne revealed the magic that happens in our 700 sq. ft. Thrift Shop. In 2017, the 35 Auxiliary volunteers spent over 7,000 hours “spinning straw into gold,” bringing in $98,462! We concluded the program with a “thank you” video for the volunteers, you can watch here.

At the end of the program, we moved to the Pavilion and courtyard for all to enjoy delicious food, beverages, live music from the Rivertown Skifflers, and the opportunity to connect with each other and share your own stories! The raffle was a big hit with all of the items donated, most by our very own volunteers!

As the afternoon came to a close, we glowed with happiness for having this opportunity to show all of you how much we love and appreciate you!

With kindness and gratitude,

Anne & Candace