Hello Everyone!

Can you believe it is November already? October 2009 went down as the wettest October in our area since they have been keeping weather records. We’re happy that the drought is over, but now we are facing flooding and pray that the waters quickly recede to a safe and normal level.  We hope that everyone made it through the recent storms and tornados that came through our area October 29^th. We are happy to report that all the Yogie volunteer staff and the Yogie animals are safe and well. The storms did bring far too much rain and as a result the already saturated property was unable to drain off and dry in time for our season finale on the 31^st. Our unpaved parking area was so flooded that it would not have been safe to have visitors come to the sanctuary. We don’t want anyone getting their vehicles stuck in the mud. We plan to have some really fun off-season events since we were not able to open this Saturday, so please keep visiting our website for more information.

Finances: We are happy to report that with the help of many wonderful people out there we have been able to bring our check book up to over $5000. This is a wonderful thing because we realize these are tough economic times for everyone and animals are not high on everyone’s list of those needing help. If the animals could speak they would certainly say otherwise. This is just one bump in the financial struggle that we and other animal groups face. We still have several thousands of dollars to raise in order to complete the required facility upgrades. This is on top of our regular operating expenses. So, again, we thank you for this help and hope you will continue to support in the care of these wonderful animals. Your generosity does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We continue to need your support and thank you so much for that which has been done. Thanks so much!

Yogie and Friends on-line store: Yogie and Friends has an assorted selection of gift items available on our website. If you are interested in purchasing items for Christmas gifts the cutoff for shipping is 17 December in order to guarantee delivery. Please visit our gift shop often. 

Esteban Guitar Raffle: Yogie and Friends is raffling off an Esteban Vintage Legacy Signed Custom Series 33-piece. This is a great set and would make a great gift for someone. The retail value of the set is $627.68. Tickets are just $10 each and all money goes to the care of the Yogie animals. The drawing is scheduled for Saturday, December 19^th at 4:00 P.M. (need not be present to win) at Petco on Youree Drive in Shreveport, Louisiana. The winner is responsible for picking up the prize and those outside the local area wishing to purchase tickets can pick up at Petco or pay for shipping to a desired location.

The guitar package includes:

• Vintage Legacy cutaway style guitar (Cognac) - measures approx. 41"L x 16"W x 5"H
• Nylon hard sided guitar case - measures approx. 43-1/2"L x 17"W x 5"H
• 10-watt amplifier
• Esteban holiday CD "Joy to the World"
• Guitar stand
• 9' amplifier cord
• Chord chart
• Black case strap
• Black guitar strap
• Polishing cloth
• Hex key
• 6 extra strings
• 6 extra picks
• 10 instructional DVDs
  

  ---

• 
  Upcoming Events:

 6 November - Belk Charity Day, Belk Department Store, 70^th St., Shreveport, 5 – 8 P.M     

14 November – Highland Jazz and Blues Festival – Columbia Park, Shreveport,   Noon – 5 P.M.

28 November – Pancake Breakfast, Applebee’s, Bert Kouns, Shreveport   8 A.M. – 10 A.M

5 Dec – Natchitoches Christmas Festival, Natchitoches, Louisiana TBD

19 Dec – Holiday Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Petco, Youree Drive, Shreveport 11 A.M. – 4 P.M.

Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping Days – Yogie and Friends will have volunteers present to wrap gifts for donations at the Barnes & Noble book store on Youree Drive in Shreveport the following dates and times:   

 Dec 16th    5 P.M. - 9 P.M.   
 Dec 21st    2 P.M. - 6 P.M.  
 Dec 22nd   2 P.M. - 9 P.M.  
 Dec 24^th     2 P.M. - 6 P.M. 

On-line Shopping: Yogie and Friends is constantly adding items to the on-line shopping. Check out our newest products from the Paul Cardew collection. Cardew collectible ceramics make wonderful gifts and we now have them at a price that is more competitive than most. With the holidays coming up we wanted to have another way of helping the Yogie cats and this is it. Check out the on-line store.

Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program: The Neighbor to Neighbor program is back on line. Please download one of the customer letters from our website and have the cashier scan it with your Kroger Plus card the next time you shop. Yogie and Friends will receive one percent of the sales. It is a great way to help the cats. The program is only available in Texas and Louisiana, but that’s still a large area of coverage. Please share this with your fellow Kroger shoppers. Accumulation for linked cards will begin July 1, 09 – April 30, 10.

A few ways to help financially:

An easy way you can help the cats is when you do your shopping on-line is by using iGive. If you do your shopping on-line then you can contribute by shopping through the iGive tool. Everything helps. Visit www.iGive.com and select Yogie and Friends as your cause when you shop. It’s so easy.

Combined Federal Campaign. It is that time of year again when Federal and Military personnel can donate to Yogie and Friends through payroll deduction under the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) program. If you are interested in contributing this way our CFC number is 42427.

Coins for Cats! I recently emptied a little piggy bank I throw all my change in when I come home. It wasn’t even full, maybe half so. It added up to $106! That little bit of effort ended up being a nice chunk of change. I gave it to Yogie and Friends. This is a neat way for kids to be able to help the animals with very little effort. 

Cans for Cats! Kids can also help by collecting cans and taking them to the local recycling center for cash and this can also add up to a nice piece of change for the cats. It’s something kids can do to help go green and help the big cats all at once.

Go Green with our ink jet and cell phone recycling program. Details are listed on our website. 

We have several programs for you to help our animals: www.magfundraising.com, www.igive.com, Cause ID 19883, www.networkforgood.org, www.goodsearch.com, just to name a few. They are all listed here on our website.

Please remember to spay and neuter your pets. 

Please make sure you provide all your animals, inside and outside, fresh, clean water and shelter from the elements. Change their drinking water often and make sure the water hose has been running cool water before you fill their bowls. When the weather starts freezing make sure that the water hasn’t frozen open. Also, continue to use flea and tick preventatives.

Be good to your animals. Be good to people! Be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. 

Jenny and the Yogie Cats!