May 2012 Sanctuary Newsletter

Hello!

Well, May is already here and we have had a banner beginning to our 2012 season. We have great fans.

We opened for the 2012 season on April 7th and what a day that was. We had lots of new visitors who were excited to see us for their first time and of course, our regular seasonal visitors. It was great and so glad it was busy. Thanks to everyone who made April a great month for the big cats.

New Volunteers: Please help us welcome our two newest volunteers to Yogie and Friends. They are Stefanie Anderson and Karen Ludke. We need help on visitor days with the admissions/gift shop area and with “guides” to walk around the property and answer any questions our visitors may have. Stefanie and Karen are working in these two areas. Welcome aboard!

Credit Cards: Yogie and Friends is able to accept credit cards at the sanctuary, however, since we do not have any electronic way of accepting credit cards at the sanctuary we use the old fashioned “knuckle Buster.” Some of us “old” folks will remember this. In this day of automation and fast processing this will seem really crazy to many people. But, the problem with this method is that we MUST call in the credit card transaction and get the approval at the time we accept it. I know, very slow and antiquated, but it works. We cannot get DSL at Yogie and Friends. It isn’t available in Frierson and cable is cost prohibitive. Also, the cost of electronic equipment processing devices is astronomical. There is no good answer at this time. We ask your patience when coming to Yogie and Friends if you choose to use a credit/debit card. If we don’t call it in and get the approval at the time of use, we risk too much loss. Finances are difficult enough for us we cannot afford any loss. We hope to find another method someday soon, but until then we beg your pardon and patience. We have a small, but very nice, gift shop and would love to see you spend your money to help these great animals. Of course, cash is always accepted and very easy to use. J Thanks again for your patience and understanding.

Military Appreciation Day: Every year we honor our military personnel with Military Appreciation Day. This year it will be held on June 16th during our usual hours of noon – 5pm. On this day active duty and retired military personnel (with valid military I.D. cards) have free admission to the sanctuary. Their family members (with valid military I.D. card) get 10% off admission. All get 10% off merchandise (excluding sale items). This year we will be hosting the Pet Education Project (PEP). PEP will be doing what they do, educating the public about proper pet care. Kona Ice of Shreveport will also be at the sanctuary as well as a representative from Scentsy to do a fundraiser for Yogie and Friends. There will be hotdogs, snacks, and cold drinks available this day as well as other goodies. Since parking is limited at the sanctuary we highly recommend car pooling. Please let all your friends and family know about this special day at Yogie and Friends.

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): Military personnel and Federal Employees can do payroll deduction donations to Yogie and Friends via CFC. This program is another good way to give financial assistance to the big cats and makes it easy for you to do so. Please consider Yogie and Friends when making your CFC contribution. Our CFC number is 42427.

Recycle: 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.

We still need volunteer carpenters, plumbers, etc. who can 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. Please e-mail us at yogieandfriends@hotmail.com if you can help.

 

Upcoming Events:

                      

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:

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.

PLEASE spay and neuter your 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!

For the cats!

Jenny


Posted in Monthly Newsletter