April Newsletter

Hello!

Well, the time is almost here. If the weather cooperates we will be opening for the season this Saturday, April 7th at Noon.

Our bake sale on the 18th was a success as usual. As a result we were able to purchase the much needed replacement swimming pools for our tiger habitats. The large pool was over ten years old and had to be dismantled the previous month and the other two tiger pools had major leaks. The three swimming pools are now up and running.  The tigers love to swim and they spend a lot of time in these pools.

We would like to say a special thank you to Bill Lyons of Kona Ice of Shreveport. Bill is donating a percentage of his sales to Yogie and Friends. He was at the bake sale in front of Petco and will be there every other Saturday during the season in support of Yogie and Friends. We appreciate the kindness he is showing our animals. Thanks Bill!

The drought we have experienced the last two years has really had a negative impact on the grass in our animal pens. The lion dens have the biggest need of grass and we have looked into purchasing sod for the habitats. It would be easier than trying to get grass to grow. The soil is packed down so hard, almost to the point of looking like pavement. We checked into purchasing sod at a local business who offered the best prices, but the cost of transport is almost as much as the sod itself. We are looking at buying Bermuda grass since it can pretty much take a beating. The sod people told us it works well in high traffic areas. A pallet will cover 400 square feet and most of the pens are at least 2400 square feet. In the overall scheme of things it really is more cost effective. The cost of delivery though is $125 dollars, so we want to make the most out of the transport. We are looking at approximately $3000-$4000 for sod in all the pens. That is worst case scenario. Hopefully it will be less. It’s all about the animals, so we are trying to improve the quality of their habitats. If you would like to help us purchase this sod, then please send a check or money order to: Yogie and Friends, 128 Fob Lane, Frierson, LA 71027. Your donation is tax-deductible. Or you can donate on-line via our website www.yogieandfriends.org. Any amount is appreciated.

Don’t forget to recycle those ink jet/laser jet cartridges. We have a really good program of recycling and this is an easy way to help both the environment and the big cats when you recycle your cartridges. Check out the link on our website how to participate in our recycling program.

Yogie and Friends is always looking for skilled laborers such as carpenters, plumbers, etc. People who have the skills to help us make improvements to the animal habitats and surrounding structures such as the admissions/gift shop building. At this time we need some carpentry help to repair the floor in the building. Also, someone who can do some finish work around the entry/exit doors, and wooden fence repair. If you have these skills and can volunteer your time and skills we would appreciate the help. Volunteers are a huge staple and how we get things done at Yogie and Friends. You can e-mail us at yogieandfriends@hotmail.com if you can help.

Please remember Yogie and Friends during your charitable giving. We are, and always will be, a 100% volunteer driven organization. We have an awesome group of people who dedicate their time and talents to help our animals. Many cannot give monetarily, but they do so with their time and skills, which is a huge help to what we do and how we are able to continue caring for these animals. So, when you donate, please consider sending your tax-deductible donation to Yogie and Friends. We always need your help.

Sometimes we are a little remiss in thanking our behind the scenes regular volunteers. I want to say a little about them here and thank them for what they do to make the support side of Yogie and Friends possible. Paige and Damon Bass make our awesome website possible. We don’t know what we would do if we didn’t have them doing this for us. Paige is also the one who made the recycling program the success it is. We cannot thank them enough. Vicki Volk is our VP and helps with fundraisers and Saturday visitor days and pretty much anything else I ask of her. Jeanne Reed bakes and does the majority of our graphics for events. Jaret Snow is our electrician and overall helper with heavy maintenance work.  Andrea Labor is a great tour guide and volunteer for our Saturday visitors and helps at events when she is not studying full time at college.  Tim Mills, well, what can I say? He is our founder and the reason Yogie and Friends even exists today. He is the animal caregiver and does so much. There is too much to say about what he does at Yogie and Friends. He did a great thing by making the sanctuary possible for these animals to live out their lives in peace. So, thanks to our great volunteers. You are appreciated.

We hope that people will spay and neuter their pets. There are far too many unwanted adoptable animals dying everyday at local animal control facilities and this can be easily remedied in several ways. Don’t shop! Adopt! Spay and neuter. Work with rescue groups to get that beloved family pet. There is a huge problem with wild born cats and feral cats can be considered a nuisance to people. They have their place in society. They help control the rodent population for one. If you trap-Spay/Neuter-release feral cats, there are programs that will help you do so at reduced costs. Please consider this anytime you see feral cats. Also, be part of the solution. Don’t be part of the problem. There are a lot of instances of people abandoning their pet cats thinking others in the neighborhood will feed them. This is not often the case and these animals end up in kill shelters. So please check out sites that help with feral cats. And please be good to your pets.

 

Upcoming Events:

.                        

April 7th, 2012                      Noon – 5pm                           Yogie Season Opening

(Weather Permitting)

 

June 16th, 2012                    Noon – 5pm                           Military Appreciation Day

 

September 15th, 2012         11am-4pm                             Bake Sale and Fundraiser

                                                                                                Petco, Youree Drive

                                                                                                Shreveport, LA

 

October 27th, 2010              Noon – 5pm                           Yogie Season Finale

 

 

 

Facebook: Don’t forget to follow us on Face Book. We have a very active page and update it often with news and events as they happen.  Sometimes we even make special offers on Facebook for our fans and it’s a good way to spread the word. We’d love to increase our fan base.

A few ways to help financially:

Coins for Cats! Do you empty your pockets of all your coin when you get home and throw them in a jar or piggy bank? Well, what a great way to get kids involved in fundraising help for the animals.  A little coin can go a long way! That little bit of effort can end up being a nice chunk of change.

Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Donation Program: The accumulation period is 1 July 2011 – 30 April 2012.  It is so easy to do. Just give the cashier the letter we have linked on our website. The old letters work since it is the same barcode. The cashier will scan that and your Plus Card and it will be linked. Every time you shop at a Kroger in Texas and Louisiana and use your card, then a percentage of the sale goes to Yogie and Friends. Kroger gives a portion of $1 Million to local Texas and Louisiana programs through this program.

For the cats!

Jenny


Posted in Monthly Newsletter