February 2009 Newsletter
Greetings All!
The holidays are now behind us and hopefully people are not feeling the financial pinch of all that.
This is a very difficult time for us at Yogie and Friends. Since we close for the winter we have to work even harder to keep the sanctuary in everyone’s heart and minds. We close for the winter because the weather is just not conducive for visitors. We don’t have paved walkways and with typically rainy winters here we realize nobody wants to walk through wet grass.
New Visitor Hours: We are changing our visitor season. Our new visitor hours will be Saturdays only from noon till 5 P.M. and as always, weather permitting. It seems that the season slows down a great deal around the end of October and as a result we are considering closing for the winter beginning November 1st. Our board of directors is going to sit down and evaluate this. So, please keep checking our website for updates and information. Making changes to hours is always something that needs to be carefully considered because people don’t always see the changes and may get frustrated as a result. We want to ensure a smooth transition to the new hours and season. So again, please keep checking our website for new information.
The cats are all happy and healthy and we know that we have several older animals. Please keep the animals in your prayers as we realize that an older population also tends to have more medical issues. 2008 was such a difficult year for us with medical issues we hope that 2009 is a less medically traumatic year.
We are sad to announce that we no longer have a billboard. We want to thank Nancy Larsen who was with Lamar Outdoor Advertising for 14 years. She recently left Lamar to pursue other career opportunities. Nancy was a great asset to the company and advocate for Yogie and Friends. It was because of Nancy Larsen that we had the billboard space donated to us. We purchased the vinyl, but Nancy garnered us the free advertising spots. We want to thank Nancy for giving us the six years we had and we’ll miss her and the billboard.
We are happy to report that the 2001 Dodge pickup that Yogie and Friends has is now paid in full. That is a wonderful relief to us. That gives us the opportunity to focus on other projects and issues, which are many. We are facing some land issues that arose last year due to an improper land survey and have found that some of our habitats are on the adjoining property. We are working closely with the new owner of the land. He doesn’t want to sell us that portion of the land, but we are working on his heart and hope he will at least donate that portion or give us the opportunity to purchase that piece of land. At this time it is a bit cost prohibitive, but we are hopeful.
We also want to revisit the privacy fence fundraising and hope to raise the funds to finish that project soon. 
But, with the winter months and the current economic issues we are being more cautious with the funds we have to make it through the winter. This is a time that we need donor support more than ever. We are also facing a land issue and don’t want to install the fence too soon. We will continue to raise the money for it, but not install it until the boundary issues are properly verified.
Yogie and Friends can only experience financial success and growth with the help of faithful donors who know that we are truly a rescue and that it isn’t about us, but all about the animals. We hope and pray you will continue to stand by us and what we continually strive for to make things better for our resident animals. Please don’t ever give up on them. They need your help and support. Don’t ever let bickering and arguing cause problems for the animals. They need us all.
Yogie and Friends 10th Anniversary Calendar is in production. This calendar will be for the 2010 calendar years and will have amazing photos of our beautiful animals as well as species and biography information. If you are interested in helping sponsor this calendar, then please contact us. Our goal is to have the calendars available for sale by October 2009. May 2010 will be Yogie and Friends tenth anniversary. At this time it looks like the calendar may sell for $14 – $15, but we don’t have the final numbers at this time. Hey, 100% of the proceeds go to the animals and it will make a nice gift for next holiday season!
Upcoming Events:
14 March 2009 Semi-Annual Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Courtyard Coffee
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.
Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program replaces the Kroger Share Card Program. The new Kroger program is now up and running. The advantage of the new program is now you only need to use the one card, your Kroger Plus Card. The Share card is obsolete. If you download the Kroger letter from our website and bring it with you the next time you shop at Kroger’s all you need to do is give the letter, with the bar code, to the cashier along with your Kroger Plus Card. The cashier will scan the bar code and it will be part of your Kroger Plus Card. One less step.
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.
If you are interested in volunteering with us then please contact us. Come visit us at the sanctuary and see what we are all about. This is a 100% volunteer driven organization, which means, nobody gets paid for the work they do. We love the animals and what we are doing for them. There are many different volunteer opportunities such as tour guide, admissions, lawn care, fundraising, etc. A little something for everyone. But, please know this. There is absolutely no contact with the animals. If you want to volunteer with the intent of “touching” one of these animals, then this is not the place for you. If you are doing this for the love and care of the animals, then maybe this is something for you.
Check out the programs being offered at Yogie and Friends. There is the Yogie and Friends Membership Program , Sponsorship Program, and Corporate Sponsorship Program . These are programs that help us support the animals and another way that you can get involved. Program packages are available here on our website.
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.
Also, do what you can to prevent flea and ticks causing serious illnesses to your animals. They deserve your care and kindness. Don’t stop using preventative just because it is cold outside. Some of these pests are still around in the winter.
Please make sure you provide all your animals, inside and outside, fresh, clean water (and not covered in ice during the winter). Provide good, warm and dry shelter for those animals outside.
Be good to your animals. Be good to people! Be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Jenny and the Yogie Cats!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter and tagged February 2009 Newsletter, Monthly Newsletter, Yogie and Friends News