MARCH 2022 | ISSUE 18
VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
Your Collective Impact 1,773 Volunteer Hours Served in 2022
Thank you all for your contributions to the shelter over the last month. We have brought on many new volunteers who are all helping our animals through enrichment, cleaning, working with our donors, and many other ways! I'm excited to continue to see new volunteers around the shelter. Many of you have been providing feedback to me about different things you would like to see in our volunteer newsletter, and I really appreciate this! I have updated this month's newsletter to include optional training videos, more information about animals that are adopted, and highlights to volunteer programs. If you have more suggestions of changes to the newsletter, I'm all ears!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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OUR IMPACT Our March Numbers
EVENTS
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Valentine's Day | $22 Adoptions | St. Patrick's Day Parade
TRAINING SPOT Optional Online Courses
VOLUNTEER POSITION SPOTLIGHT General Shelter Support
FEBRUARY ADOPTIONS The Warm and Fuzzies
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Adoption Updates
SHELTER PET OF THE WEEK
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OUR IMPACT Committed to helping animals in the community since 1973
FEBRUARY INTAKE
FEBRUARY ADOPTIONS
FEBRUARY LOST PET REUNIONS
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WHERE DO OUR ANIMALS COME FROM?
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PREVIOUS EVENTS
VALENTINE'S DAY BAKE SALE Thank you all who purchased baked goods from our sale! We raised over $800 to help our animals. A special thank you to Sweet Charity for all of their hard work and commitment to give back to the community! Learn more at sweetcharity.net if you're interested in more baked goods in the future.
"TWO"SDAY 2/22/22
The Twosday Sale at the 2nd Chance Shop was a big success! Customers loved the 22% discount to commemorate a day that only comes around every 400 years. We were also able to partner with Avenue Ale House who kindly offered 22% off orders of $10 or more on 2/22/22 with a receipt from the shop! $22 adoptions were a success with six dogs adopted! Our community blew our $2,222 fundraising goal out of the water and ended up giving over $6,000! And thanks to a generous donor, we will receive an additional $2,222 in matching funds. Page 4
Join us for the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 5, 2022 at 1 pm. Come on out for a fun filled day on Madison and the best parade in the western suburbs! 60+ entries including bagpipers, marching bands, Irish dancers, local business entries, Medinah Shriner parade units, local police & fire departments & more! The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. from Madison and Van Buren and travels east on Madison to Elgin. Animal Care League will be walking in the parade! If you're interested in volunteering, email Rebecca at volunteer@animalcareleague.org.
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TRAINING SPOT Enrichment for Shelter Cats Learn how using simple, positive training techniques can let your cats' inner brilliance shine through and make them more appealing to potential adopters. WATCH NOW
What Kind of Toys Do Rabbits Like? Learn how to take care of a pet rabbit from bunny lover Amy Sedaris and rabbit expert Mary E. Cotter, Ed.D., LVT WATCH NOW
Leash Reactivity - The Other End of the Leash! Learn what leash reactivity is; where the exhibited behaviors come from; and how we can work to address the problem in the shelter environment with moderator Lisa Martin-Garlic, panelists Kait Hembree, Meagan Skelton and joining for the first time our very own rescue partner, Linda Campbell. CLICK HERE TO WATCH
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TRAINING SPOT
Helping Cats Near You is a “Trapping 101” workshop, a great introduction for people who are new to trapping cats or are interested in learning more about helping outdoor cats. Workshops are held via Zoom meeting: “Helping Cats Near You” Free Community Workshop Every 4th Sunday of the month 4:00 – 6:00 PM
ZOOM LINK HERE
Meeting ID: 829 4988 9124 Password: feralcats
M o n thly Introd u c t i o n t o T r a i n i n g ( V i r t u a l O n l i n e C l a s s ) T h i s is a "Free" v i r t u a l o n l i n e c l a s s o p e n t o g e n e r a l p u b l i c . Whether you just adopted, or y o u ' ve had you r d o g a l o n g t i m e , w e c a n h e l p ! J o i n u s t o l e arn how dogs learn and how b e s t to teach th e m a n d h o w t o b e g i n a p o s i t i v e t r a i n i n g p l an. This one hour class (fol l owed by a h a l f h o u r o f Q &A ) w i l l c o v e r t h e f o l l o w i n g t o pics: N e x t Class: 3/ 3 0 / 2 2 N O T EVERY WA G M E A N S T HE Y ’ R E G L A D - L earn what yo u r d o g i s s a y in g b y u n d erstanding t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d l a n g u a g e o f d o g s A N D learn what YOU can do to h e l p your dog un d e r s t a n d Y O UR l a n g u a g e ! C L I C KS and TRE A T S - H ow to begin t r a i n i n g t o e st a b l i s h a t r u s t i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p by using p o s i tive reinfor c e m e n t . M I N E! - L earn how to p r e v e n t a d o g f r o m g u a r d i n g t h i n g s o f v a l u e and what to do if you n e e d to take som e t h i n g a w a y . W H O IS THAT? - T each your do g t o b e c o m f or t a b l e a r o u n d n e w p e o p l e , p laces, other a n i m als, and cop e w i t h c h a n ge s i n t h e i r e n v i r o n m e n t .
Click here to view the calendar for upcoming classes! Page 7
I ask some of ACL's volunteers to share what makes volunteering important to them
Volunteer Position Spotlight GENERAL SHELTER SUPPORT (GSS)
WHAT IS GSS?
WHAT MAKES VOLUNTEERS SIGN
General Shelter Support Volunteers
UP FOR GSS?
help to keep the shelter clean by
Lynne, one of ACL's regular GSS
doing laundry, dishes, scooping litter
volunteers, signs up so she can do
boxes, sweeping, mopping,
something different at the shelter.
scrubbing kennels, and much more!
She volunteers at least twice a week
These volunteers help us to keep the
and rotates between GSS, cat
shelter spotless day after day and we
enrichment, and Pet and People
need more volunteers in this role. If
Support Program. Laura, another of
you're interested in helping in one of
ACL's regular GSS volunteers, loves our
our most needed volunteer
animals and sees how much GSS
programs, email Rebecca at
helps us keep the shelter running.
volunteer@animalcareleague.org!
Even though you don't spend time every shift with a cat or pup, GSS is an amazing way to give back!
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February Adoptions
DOGS
SMALL ANIMALS
CATS
Harry
Omar
Charlie Brown
Mowgli
Romo
Sequoia
Sally
Butterfly
Mika
Sparrow
Snoopy
Bee
Arthur
Peach
Janet
Rusty
Garnet
Santo
Chrissy
Libby
Roscoe
Craig
Jack
Kayalo
Piper
Carmine
Sniff
Blue
Max
Bennet
Blaire
Chibi
Cash
Freya
Caelan
Tesla
Oso
Billie
Kaden
Stan Lee
Pollyanna
Baker
Unis
Royce
Bowie
Carol
Mighty Mouse
Pengoo
Roopert
Garfield
Peacemaker
Scarlet
Doug
Linus
Keeya
Noah
Lucy
Auggie
Pandora (Guinea Pig)
Martin Leo Nona
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? UPDATES ON SOME OF ACL'S FAVORITE PETS
Hudson (adopted August 2021) snuggling with his human. He loves to play and show off all of his toys for his Dad!
Neptune (adopted October 2021) and his new cat sibling wanted to say happy birthday to all of the planets bun crew!
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? UPDATES ON SOME OF ACL'S FAVORITE PETS
Bibi (PPSP client) playing with some of the toys from her care package. She has been loving the food and other treats that were included!
Pollyanna (adopted February 2022) loves hanging out with her human brothers!
Duke (foster February 2022) loves to show off his toys to his foster mom, runs zoomies around the house, and going for long walks around the block! Page 11
February Pets of the Week Griffin, Bub, Santo, and Kobe
Every week our staff selects one of our residents as "Shelter Pet of the Week" to highlight their progress as they wait for their forever homes. Want to nominate a Shelter Pet of the Week? Email Rebecca at volunteer@animalcareleague.org!
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HELP WANTED If anyone you know wants to volunteer here, have them fill out an application on the volunteer page on the Animal Care League website. If you are interested in training for a different volunteer position, email Rebecca at volunteer@animalcareleague.org.
Interested in hosting a pet food and resource drive with your co-workers, scouting troops, school, or clinic? ACL is in need of pet food and other supplies to keep the momentum going for our Pets & People Resource Program! Contact Jillian at support@animalcareleague.org for more information on how to get started today!
Interested in donating to our cause, but can't spare the extra cash? No problem! Visit our Amazon Smile page, where Amazon will donate a portion of your regular purchases to ACL. Go to smile.amazon.com to get started!
Suggestions on how we can improve this newsletter?
Contact Rebecca, your Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteer@animalcareleague.org
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ANIMAL
CARE LEAGUE
1011 Garfield Oak Park, IL. 60304 (708) 848-8155
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