January 2014 Sanctuary Newsletter
Season’s Greetings!
I know I’m late in getting this update out, but we were waiting on word about one of our fundraisers before we posted anything.
Thank you to everyone who supported us financially and or with your time. Both are vital to us making this all possible for the animals and we know we couldn’t do it without you. There are a lot of things we are planning to do this year to improve on the big cat habitats and we will get there with your continued help. Please watch for updates, statuses, and any news on our Facebook page or our website. We try and keep them both current.
We had to say goodbye to two of our very dedicated volunteers this year. Stefanie Anderson moved to Fairbanks, Alaska. Her husband is active duty Air Force and he got stationed at Eielson AFB. We really miss her. We also had to say goodbye to our other volunteer, also named Stephanie. Stephanie Botica had a great job opportunity she could not pass up and we really understand. As much as we miss both ladies we know our paths will cross again someday. Thank you both for all your help and love of our animals.
Thank you to our awesome webmaster, Paige Bass, for keeping our website as great as it is. She also does our ink jet recycling program and it is because of her that it exists with us. We thank you for this Paige and all the hard work you do.
Please remember that we are, and always have been, a 100% volunteer driven sanctuary. You can visit www.guidestar.org and see that we have no paid staff and how the money is used. The only thing our 990 doesn’t show is when something is given to us as an in-kind donation. There is no way to show that. One year we received 65 cows and the donation value for each is $1000. It makes it look like we received $65,000 in cash, but we didn’t. We encourage you to visit Guidestar and look at any and all charities you plan to donate to. It’s your money and you need to know how it is used. We are an open book and have nothing to hide. It’s all about the cats.
Drainage Issues: Thank you to the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) Sanctuary Fund for the grant to help us complete the French drains needed in our cat pens. The drought over the last four years has made the soil erode and areas of the cat pens have started to hold water whenever it would rain. We never want standing water in the animal pens, so the drains are helping to move that. We are also getting prepared to load a lot of fresh soil into the habitats and plant new grass to help hold the soil in place and maybe now that the drought has eased we will see some lush green ground again.
Yogie Booth at Greenwood Flea Market: Yogie and Friends has a booth at the Greenwood Flea Market in Greenwood, Louisiana. We are there every weekend from 10am-4pm. We plan to be there through January and possibly February. After that we don’t plan on staying out there unless we can get a single booth that would only cost us $60 a weekend. We wish they would donate the space to us, but it hasn’t happened. We have all our amazing t-shirts and ceramics there. We will move it all back to Yogie and Friends when we leave the flea market. We don’t have the manpower to cover the weekends once we open the sanctuary for the season. The flea market is located off I-20 at exit 5 in Greenwood, Louisiana. Hope to see you there.
Burger Night for the Big Cats: Thank You Blue Southern Comfort Foods for hosting the burger night. It was a lot of fun and a great way for us to catch up with old friends and meet Blue Southern Comfort Foods in located at 1173 Louisiana Ave., Shreveport, LA. It’s across from the old Doctor’s Hospital and on the same side of the street as Monjuni’s.
Thank You The Boot: We had a New Years fundraising celebration at The Boot for Yogie and Friends on New Years Eve. We met some new fans and also had a chance to catch up with old friends. Thanks to those who came out and celebrated with us and to The Boot gang for doing this for us.
John Grisham Autographed Book Raffle: Congratulations to Becky Cook of Shreveport. She won the John Grisham book raffle.
Recycle Ink Cartridges and Cell Phones: Please consider helping us with our recycling program. This is something that kids can do as well and they are always looking for ways to help the animals and the environment. This is a great way to do it. Please don’t throw those old ink jet/laser jet cartridges in the trash. Give them to us. We recycle them and get cash for the cats. It adds up fast. The company we use also makes sure that they are recycled in an environmentally friendly way and that is important in so many ways. If you would like to participate in this program it is very easy. You can box up the cartridges, put a prepaid label on it that we will provide you, then drop it off at any UPS shipping facility or they can pick it up at your business if you have UPS pickup at your business. It’s a win-win situation. Help the environment and the big cats. If you need labels, then just contact us and we will get some too you.
Rescue Roast Coffee and Tea: Is now offering flavors and single serve coffee for your K-cup style brewers as well as Rescue Nuts and other products. We have the coffee, K-cups, and tea available at the sanctuary and the flea market, but you can also go to their website for your selections. This is a fair trade, organic product and available in regular roast and decaf. When you order online please don’t forget to select Yogie and Friends as your charity. We receive $3 from the sale of each bag. http://www.raisemoneyforpets.com/yoandfrexcat.html
Kroger Community Rewards Program: The new Kroger Community Rewards Program is now active. If you haven’t registered your Kroger Plus Card online yet, then you can do so at anytime. Once your card is registered you can go to the Community Rewards Program page, select Yogie and Friends as your charity of choice and then link your Kroger Plus Card to the Rewards program. Every time an enrolled participant shops at Kroger using his or her Kroger Plus card, Yogie and Friends will begin accumulating rewards. In addition, once a household member enrolls his or her card, all linked Kroger Plus cards within that household will begin earning funds for Yogie and Friends. That is if you have selected us as your charity of choice and we sure hope you have. Please make sure you register your Kroger Plus Card on line and then link Yogie and Friends as your charity of choice. This only applies to Texas and Louisiana shoppers for us. Thank you in advance. Our charity NPO number is: 80724
Coins for Cats: Do you throw your loose change in a jar, or ashtray, or anyplace for that matter at the end of your day? Would you consider doing this as a way to help the big cats at Yogie and Friends? Your change may not seem like much, but it really adds up. Kids are always asking us how they can help the cats. This is a great way. How many times do you find coins on the ground? Throw them in a jar. See how fast this all adds up. It’s a great activity to get the whole family involved in. We hope you will think of the cats and do the Coins for Cats.
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): Military personnel and Federal Employees can do payroll deduction donations to Yogie and Friends via CFC. This program is easy and another good way to give financial assistance to the big cats. We hope you will please consider Yogie and Friends when making your CFC contribution. Our CFC number is 42427.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday/Sunday 10am – 4pm Greenwood Flea Market Booth #74 – Through February
15 March 2014 11am-4pm Spring Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Petco, 6596 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA
5 April 2014 Noon – 5pm Yogie Season Opening (Weather Permitting)
14 June 2014 Noon – 5pm Military Appreciation Day
13 September 2014 11am-4pm Fall Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Petco, 6596 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA
25 October 2014 Noon – 6pm Yogie Season Finale
PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Adopt! Don’t Shop! Also, please continue heartworm prevention all year round and not just in the summer months. Heartworm disease can be transmitted all year.
Thank you all for a great 2013 and help us make it an even better 2014!
For the cats!
Jenny
Posted in Monthly Newsletter