June 2010 Newsletter

Greetings!

 June is here and the temperatures have already been far above normal. We will be hitting triple digits this weekend and that is not good. We are behind on rainfall, if you can believe it after the winter we had, and the weather man says we are in “moderate” drought conditions. This heat presents a myriad of dangers to people and animals. Please make sure you take precautions when working outside in this type of weather. Dress in lightly colored clothing. Drink plenty of water and fluids like PowerAde or Gatorade to help keep the electrolytes in your body. Get inside and rest, or at least under the shade in a well ventilated area. Don’t tie dogs up outside. More often than not people will tie them to a tree and then the sun changes and the poor dog cannot get into the shade. Provide fresh, clean, cool water. Change it often as it will get very hot. Don’t leave a dog or any animal locked up in a car. Even with the windows cracked open the temperatures get well over 100 degrees. It will kill the animal. Please, use common sense. Be safe.

Facility Upgrades: June places us at the halfway mark of when all the Wildlife and Fisheries upgrades must be completed. Weather permitting we hope to have the fence height completed in the next couple of weeks. There will be some tweaking needed on the fence and then most of the upgrades will be done. Then it is on to the larger and more difficult portion of the upgrades. The den houses. These must be constructed of steel, concrete, or cinder blocks with the door that can shut the animal in, in the event of inclement and dangerous weather. Our animals do have good shelter now, but they want us to use different materials. We had a builder from the Navy Construction Battalion (SEA BEES) come out and look over what our needs are. Once we give her the dimensions we need for each den house she will develop the design and material needs down to the last nail or screw. That’s what they do. From there we will get material costs and hopefully get everything donated. We can do this with the help from the public and do it before or by the deadline. More info will come on our website and Facebook once it is ready.

We got a price on gravel to make a parking lot that will allow us to open after the rain. If you can help with this the cost is $6830.30. This would help us not be dependent on the weather.

Esteban Guitar Raffle: We’re doing another guitar raffle. Tickets are $10 each and the winner gets a great package that includes lessons on DVD by Esteban, an amplifier, extra strings, and much more. The drawing will take place at our fall bake sale at Petco on September 11th. Winner need not be present, but will be responsible for pickup, or if out of town, shipping costs. More details on our website.

Volunteers of the month:  Elizabeth Lynn and the kids at the Bienville Parish 4-H for helping the big cats as part of their service project. They chose the "Coins for Cats" program as their service project and raised $361.75 for the animals. Thanks kids! You rock!

Upcoming Events:

18 – 19 June               Cajun Crossroads Festival, Mansfield, Louisiana

10 July 2010   Noon – 5 P.M. Military Appreciation Day at Yogie and Friends

11 Sep 2010   11 A.M. – 4 P.M. Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Petco, Youree Drive, Shreveport

International Visitor: We had a great visit from Paul and Louise Denman from Australia. They spend several days visiting with us and the animals at Yogie and Friends. We hope to someday visit them down under.

You can help the animals by doing any of the following: 

Go Green: with our ink jet and cell phone recycling program. This is a great way to help the cats and the environment all at once. Get your office involved. Throw your empty inkjet/laser printer cartridges or even an old cell phone into a box and when it is full, just seal the box, place the prepaid postage label on the box, and drop it off at any UPS location or if you have UPS pickup at your office just give them the box. It’s so easy. We’ll be glad to mail you the shipping labels. This all adds up quickly. Details are listed on our website.

Shop 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.

Coins for Cats! Kids and adults alike can help by collecting spare change. Maybe you empty the change out of your pocket at the end of the day, or you find a dime on the ground. Throw them in a jar or piggy bank or any container you choose and watch how quickly it can add up. This is an easy way to pick up some cash for the cats.

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.

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 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.

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 Yogie Cats!

 


Posted in Monthly Newsletter

May 2010 Newsletter

 

Happy May!

We’re glad to report that we were able to open for our season opening on April 3rd. The weather was great and we had a good start to the season.

We wish all Moms a happy mother’s day. Be safe and blessed.

Vet Visit: We managed to get our vet visit in. The weather has been so erratic and we had to reschedule several times. We got a short notice call in between the weather and got all the vaccines done on May 1st. Success! All the cats are doing well.

Field Trips: We have several large group tours scheduled for the month of June, which will help us some financially. If you are interested in a private, large group tour, then please call and we will be glad to schedule one. 

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) You can purchase these at Lowe’s or Home Depot for $1.84 each. If one person bought 25 cinder blocks it would only cost about $46 + tax. If you are military you’d receive a 10% discount and save on the tax. If 100 people purchased 25 blocks it would add up. Just think how many more if we had 500+ people helping. We’d reach our goal for the den houses before December.

Gravel (several yards)

We got a price on gravel to make a parking lot that will allow us to open after the rain. If you can help with this the cost is $6830.30. This would help us not be dependent on the weather.

Speaking Engagements: I had the opportunity to speak at the Bossier Optimist club and as a result I know have a speaking engagement with the Shreveport Optimist club. If you have an organization out there that would like us to speak at their club, please give us a call. We love to talk about the sanctuary and the animals we are rescuing. We love to spread the word.

International Visitor: Several years ago I got a call from a gentleman from Australia. He was coming to the U.S. on business and his wife and son wanted to visit Yogie and Friends. Well, this has become a regular visit. Louise, his wife, has been back to visit and will be returning this month to spend time with us. It’s really cool that she makes this special trip to visit us on her trips to the U.S.

Volunteer of the month: Our volunteer of the month is Nick Kaddatz from Barksdale Air Force Base. Nick has been helping Tim get some of the fence upgrades done for several weeks now. Thanks Nick!

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 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 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.

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.

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 Yogie Cats!

 


Posted in Monthly Newsletter

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

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