CCHS Volunteer Newletter

December 2004

Thank you for all of the hard work you have put into this year. We would not be able to do the work that we do without your help! I regret the delay since your last Volunteer Newsletter, I have been hard at work getting the volunteer program up and running again. I apologize in advance for the length of this newsletter, but we have a lot of catching up to do! If you have questions about any changes that are being made please feel free to contact me. I am also open to suggestions about procedures, events and programs. Together we can find homes for all of the homeless pets in our community!

New Faces

Katie Widlacki - Volunteer Coordinator

My name is Katie Widlacki (formerly Davis) and I have been employed with CCHS since July of 2003. I have recently been named volunteer coordinator. During my employment at CCHS I have worked at the front desk and as a medical assistant &Mac246; you may remember me from these areas. I look forward to working with all of you and making our volunteer program the best it can be. If you have any questions or suggestions, I am open to new ideas!

Dr. Jennifer Stone - Staff Veterinarian

Dr. Jennifer Stone began her life in the Midwest in 1991 when she relocated from Memphis, Tennessee. She started at CCHS in 1996 when she worked here as a front desk attendant and kennel worker. After a hiatus from the humane society while attaining a BA at the U of I and a doctorate at the U of I Veterinary School she returned in May of 2004 as our staff veterinarian. With limited resources and an enormous drive, Dr. Stone was able to bring the humane society to a 100% spay/neuter compliance.

Jason Smith - Executive Director

The CCHS Board of Directors has named Jason Smith Executive Director after a nationwide search. Jason has been the lead animal cruelty investigator at CCHS since 2003 and was instrumental in creating reporting procedures and tools used in investigations. He also assumed responsibility for the spay/neuter compliance and special adoption follow up programs. To give you a little history, Smith served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1993 to 1998 earning the rank of platoon sergeant and was named Sergeant of the Guard while serving on Presidential Support Duty in Washington, D.C. From 1998 to 2004 Smith was a manager at Blockbuster Video. We are all looking forward to working with Jason enthusiastic and forward thinking attitude!

Great News - Special Animal Adoptions

Through the extra efforts of volunteers and staff the following favorites and long-term residents found new homes! Papasan, Sinbad & Aspen and the house cat Farnsworth were all adopted. Everyone remembers Matthew, the shaved Maine Coon and Tigress the orange kitty - they were both placed in forever homes, too! We were able to get some favorite dogs into great homes, too! The big guys that went home were Labbie, Ferrari, Monkey and Stetson while one of our little dogs, Naked Lady was adopted, too. We couldn’t place our pets into loving homes without your help!

Announcements

The Volunteer Corner has been renovated to include an announcement board and information center. Watch for new additions like a fresh coat of paint and more work space! Please be sure you always check for updates and events when you sign in!

The kitten Nursery and the green get acquainted room both house adoptable cats for the winter! Don't forget to remind adopters about these guys and be sure that these cats get special attention, too.

The CCHS Board of Directors has some new faces this year! For a complete list of board members check out our website.

I am sure you have noticed some changes to our Surgery Suite. Through a generous donation we were able to knock down a few walls and expand our surgery suite, creating a state of the art facility which includes three surgery tables and a recovery area to ensure continued compliance with Illinois spay/neuter laws.

Animal Info Update! On the volunteer information board you will see slips of paper to record animal behavior that you may have noticed in socializing. This new system is replacing the Cat and Dog Socializing Log Books. Use this new system only when you notice missing or incorrect information on an animal&Mac226;s cage card. We do not need slips on every animal that is socialized, just when changes or additions need to be made. This will help with personalizing cage card information and it also identifies animals that need extra socializing. The more information potential adopters have about an animal, the faster the animal gets adopted!

We have a new volunteer position open! We have an offsite adoption facility at the PETsMART store on Prospect in Champaign. We are looking for a volunteer to assume the role of animal transporter when animals are adopted from that facility. This job requires reliable transportation and a flexible schedule. Let me know if you are interested in additional information!

Don’t forget that our website (http://www.cuhumane.org) is a valuable source of shelter news and animal welfare information. Special events, press releases and successful adoption stories are all available on our website.

Coming soon! We are in the planning stages of an offsite volunteer program called Tails on the Town. With this program approved volunteers will be able to walk dogs and showcase cats at offsite locations! Check in next month for details on how to be considered for this great new program!

Reminders

When you are volunteering at the shelter, please be mindful that we like to reserve our parking lot spaces for potential adopters. There is parking available along our drive way. Thanks for your consideration.

The cats located in the hallway are there for a reason: these animals are sick, underweight, under socialized or too young for adoption. These cats are to be handled by humane society staff and approved volunteers only to minimize the spread of illness. Please keep this in mind when you are walking through the hallway. I know that sometimes you don&Mac226;t even realize when you slip your fingers out to grab a paw!

A few reminders for dog walkers: Dogs under the age of six months can not be walked. Also, be conscious of any signs on cages that may inform you of feeding and/or walking restrictions. Don&Mac226;t forget to bring a towel with you when you walk on rainy/snowy days to clean paws. We also must be sure to clean up after every walk to minimize the spread of intestinal parasites and SANITIZE hands after handling every animal.

A few reminders for cat socializers: Again, don't forget to SANITIZE hands between animals, especially during the winter season as upper respiratory infections are becoming more common. The shower rings for socialized cats are located next to the volunteer file cabinet. The staff removes them each day so we can be sure everyone has been socialized.

As I mentioned, with the weather turning colder upper respiratory infections are becoming more common. Be sure you are aware of the signs so you can notify staff (via the Health Communication Log). If you notice a normally active cat is lethargic, discharge from eyes or nose, congestion sounds in the lungs and sneezing, please notify staff so we can treat accordingly.

Don't forget about the Health Communication Log, the Behavior Log and the Grooming List located next to the lab. Use these logs when animals are showing signs of illness, severe behavior issues or grooming needs such as hair mats and dry skin. This is a valuable tool to ensure that all animals get the treatment they need.

Other Notable Notes

We are expanding our volunteer program and in addition to adoption counseling, grooming, PhD training, and fostering we are considering adding new positions as well! If you have any special skills, please let us know so we can make the best of our time and improve the humane society!

We use newspaper in all of our cat and puppy cages every day so we are ALWAYS in need of folded newspapers, especially now! We have a large supply of papers here so you are welcome to stop by and pick some up to fold at home! You can find instructions on how to fold newspapers at the front desk of the shelter.

Additional volunteer resources are also available at the humane society. If you want more information on other programs and services that we provide, a list of frequently asked questions or some information for yourself about the advantages of crate training dogs or the disadvantages of declawing cats you can pick up an info packet at the shelter.

My work schedule is always posted at the front desk, so if I am not available when you need to speak with me the front desk staff will be able to tell you when I will be in next. The fastest way to get a hold of me is via e-mail and you can also feel free to leave me a voicemail (ext 24).

The year end totals for volunteers are not final yet, but so far we have four Star Volunteers! Volunteer Vera Hanoka, who heads our foster department logs countless hours coordinating all of our foster homes and making sure that each animal in need finds a safe place to recuperate in! Without Vera's help we wouldn&Mac226;t be able to give such special attention to our underage and sick animals!

Amanda Charles has volunteered over six hundred hours this year helping our front desk staff and veterinary staff!

Brad Hudson is our head groomer and a humane society board member. He makes sure that all of our animals are comfortable by shaving out mats, giving medicated baths and caring for special needs animals!

Last, but certainly not least Harriett Weatherford acted as our interim executive director during the hiring process, while fostering litters of puppies and running special events! She devoted endless time to the humane society making sure that all of our animals, staff and volunteers were well cared for. Her sincere devotion and dedication will never be forgotten. Look for volunteer hour totals in January's newsletter!

Thanks again for working with us this past year! We couldn’t survive without the thoughtless dedication of our volunteers. Whether you are cat socializing or giving medication or baking Buster Biskits, each and every one of you is an important component of our shelter and of our family. Happy Holidays!

Katie Widlacki
Volunteer Coordinator

2.volunteer@cuhumane.org

Phone: (217) 344-7297 ~ Fax: (217) 344-7299