April 2010 Newsletter

Greetings!

Spring is here and with that comes our season opening. As of this writing we are scheduled to open the 2010 season on April 3rd, however we are unsure if the weather will cooperate. The reports are for storms coming Friday night and possibly into Saturday morning. If that happens and the grass is too wet, then we won’t be able to open as scheduled. We’re hoping the rain will wait till Saturday evening. Please call the sanctuary to make sure we are able to open as schedule on April 3rd. Our fingers are crossed.

2010 has started out as being probably one of the wettest winters we have seen in many years. The problem is that the Yogi property has suffered from having so much water and no place to go. The property is saturated to a point that when we walked the grounds we would actually sink down some. Our property is not paved and this is what presents us with so much trouble. We can’t have people visiting and their vehicles getting stuck in the grass. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and not rain until after 5 P.M. on Saturday.

Our scheduled season opening is 3 April 2010 (weather permitting). Noon – 5 P.M.  If it is raining we recommend you call ahead to see if we are able to open.

Field Trips: Yogi and Friends conducts group tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays and our prices are the least expensive of any attraction in this area. If you or anyone you know is interested in having your school, home school group, day care, or any group of 20 or more visit with us, then please let us know. This is a guided, educational tour and just plain old fun experience.

Material Needs: Yogie and Friends has several material needs in order to compete some of the upgrades required by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). If you or anyone you know can help with donating these materials it would help us meet these requirements faster without the worries of raising the funds for them. Here are the most current needs:

Concrete

Concrete Cinder Blocks (several hundred)

Gravel (several yards)


Volunteers of the month: Our volunteers of the month are Jerry and Paula Rabon. Jerry is in the Air Force stationed at Barksdale and his wife, Paula also works on the base. They are new to the area and did work on the admissions building that is finally getting us closer to completion. We appreciate them.

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 Yogi and Friends as your cause when you shop. It’s so easy.

Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program The accumulation for the 2009 season ends on 30 April and will begin again in July. Please shop like crazy and use your cards when you do. It can really add up and it doesn’t cost you a thing. 

Combined Federal Campaign. Just a reminder that our CFC number is 42427. This is a great program for Federal Employees and military personnel use as a way to do workplace contributions.

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 Yogi 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.

Check out the programs being offered at Yogi and Friends. There is the Yogi 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. Prevention should be year round and not seasonal.

Please make sure you provide all your animals, inside and outside, fresh, clean water. Provide good shelter from the elements for those animals that live outside.

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

Jenny and the Yogi Cats!

 


Posted in Monthly Newsletter