January 2010 Newsletter
Happy New Year!
We pray that everyone had a safe and blessed New Year. May 2010 bring great things for you and for our sanctuary.
Yogie and Friends is facing some big challenges in the New Year with the biggest challenge being the upgrades that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is requiring of us. These are some huge challenges.
|
SOS! Save Our Sanctuary: Yogie and Friends needs your help to continue to provide a forever home for the great cats.
Yogie and Friends has not experienced any catastrophic events such as those that closed a Louisiana zoo for two weeks or things like a zoo which had the death of an individual that climbed over their so called barriers. Did you know that some zoos only have a four foot high railing between them and the animal pen and children and adults can just climb under them and put their hands through the animal cage? Our perimeter fence is 8 feet high. Did you also know that visitors have free roaming access around zoos and by the time security or a zoo worker gets to these interlopers that injury or even death may have already occurred? At Yogie and Friends there is always a sanctuary volunteer in view of all visitors at all times to prevent any attempt at endangering themselves or an animal. Some of the changes we are now required to have are as follows: a ten inch deep concrete footer around all the big cat pens. The reason behind this is so that they don’t dig out. Well, cats don’t typically dig. Dogs do. We have already completed this task with the help of some great Air Force volunteers from Barksdale Air Force base. We also have to raise our pen enclosures an additional four feet. Our pens are 12 feet high with a two foot overhang and this has been the USDA standard and we have met these standards for the past ten years. All cats that do climb, such as cougars, Servals, bobcats, and leopards, have always had a covered pen to prevent any escape. Den houses. These are the most costly and possibly the most labor intensive upgrade we need to make. We can make them out of cinder blocks, steel, or some other heavy item like this. The reasoning behind this is to lock the cats up during inclement weather. We need a great deal of help with these regarding design, costs, and labor.
If you have the skills or know people with these skills and resources to assist in meeting this requirement, then please let us know. We realize that Yogie and Friends is not a fancy facility, that this is not where these magnificent creatures should have been in the first place (they should have never been made to live in captivity in any manner), but, the animals that we do have receive the most natural food, best veterinarian care, and are loved by those providing this care. They are here because of human selfishness and exploitation by private pet owners or the entertainment industry. Purposes that these cats have never been intended for and they need a forever home to be safe and cared for. So, please help us continue providing the cats we do have the best rest of their lives. They deserve this from us. |
2010 Season: Our season opening is scheduled for 3 April 2010 (Weather Permitting). We also want to remind folks that our hours of operation changed with the 2009 season, but we realize that there is still some old literature out in the public. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause some folks. It’s difficult to catch all the old flyers, but the Shreveport-Bossier Visitor’s Guide has the most current information and we always make sure that our telephone recording and our website have the most current information.
Special Thanks: We want to recognize some special people for their continuous support throughout the year: Cotton’s Grocery in Shreveport and Mac’s Deer Processing Plant in Stonewall for their contribution of deer during the season. Dr. Jane Eggerstedt and Donna Burrell for financing the animal’s veterinary care. Jeanne Reed who bakes for our bake sales, but more so for all the graphic work she does for our events. And Paige Bass for her wonderful work on our website. She does a great job for us.
Volunteers of the Month: Our volunteers were many during the month of December since we had so many activities. Thanks to Vicki and Brianna Volk, Andrea Labor, and Jeremy Wood for the crazy early hours to do the Natchitoches Christmas Festival. This was a great deal of work and your help was much needed. And to those who helped with the bake sale, Barnes and Noble gift wrapping, and just helping with all the events: Nina Hustus, Douglas Oepbrook, Karen Guerin, Amy Morrissey, Ginger Ramsey, Laura Tedesco, and Sharon DeCarlo. Thank you all.
Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program: The Neighbor to Neighbor program is back on line. Please download one of the customer letters from our website and have the cashier scan it with your Kroger Plus card the next time you shop. Yogie and Friends will receive one percent of the sales. It is a great way to help the cats. The program is only available in Texas and Louisiana, but that’s still a large area of coverage. Please share this with your fellow Kroger shoppers. Accumulation for linked cards will begin July 1, 09 – April 30, 10.
Volunteer Help Needed: We need construction and carpentry work and expertise as well as other physical labor work to help meet the new upgrade requirements.
Materials Donation: We need all kinds of construction materials such as nine gauge fence, concrete, steel, etc., to complete the required upgrades.
A few ways to help financially: 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.
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.
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.
Be good to your animals. Be good to people! Be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Have a safe and blessed Holiday and Happy New Year!
Jenny and the Yogie Cats!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter and tagged January 2010 Newsletter, Monthly Newsletter, Yogie and Friends News
December 2009 Newsletter
Hello All!
The holiday season is upon us and we hope that everyone has a safe and blessed holiday. I realize this update is very late, but there have been so many things going on for the sanctuary that we delayed this in order to get the most updated info out.
|
SOS! Save Our Sanctuary: Yes, that is what we are asking. As many of you know Yogie and Friends applied to be a non-AZA zoo permitted facility in order to remain open to the public. We only open for a very short season and only for five hours once a week. We do this to reduce stress on the animals, but at the same time offer an opportunity to educate the public about the plight of these magnificent animals and also as a way to raise the much needed funds for them. Well, we had our inspection to see what changes, if any, would be needed in order to get this permit. When we received our report from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries there were several changes they want us to make in order to remain open to the public. With the current cost of materials and labor we are looking at costs of around $500,000. We were told to provide a timeline of completion dates for these upgrades to LDWF by 31 October 2009. Our completion dates varied by the degree of work needing to be done with the obvious less involved to more extensive work taking longer to do. We also had to take into consideration any possible work stoppage due to inclement weather. LDWF would not accept our timeline and they are only granting us one year (10 December 2010) to complete these requirements. So, we desperately need the public’s help and support in this effort. If you can help or know others who can, then please let them know about these great animals and what we need to continue providing them this forever home. |
Tax Deductions: Yogie and Friends is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your financial contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We hope you will contribute and do so in a big way. At the same time you will be able to claim a tax deduction at the end of the year. This is a win, win situation.
Upcoming Events:
Barnes and Noble Gift Wrapping Days: Yogie volunteers will be at Barnes and Noble on Youree Drive in Shreveport to wrap gift purchases for donations on the following dates and times:
Wednesday 16 Dec 5 – 9 P.M. Monday 21 Dec 2 – 6 P.M. Tuesday 22 Dec 2 – 9 P.M. Thursday 24 Dec 2 – 6 P.M.
Holiday Bake Sale and Fundraiser: 19 December 2009 11 A.M. – 4 P.M. at Petco on 6596 Youree Drive in Shreveport.
Volunteers of the Month: We want to thank the following Caddo Magnet Animal House Students for raising $136 for Yogie and Friends during their homecoming picnic. How very kind and thoughtful of you guys for doing this. They are: Jonathan Slocum, Jenny Fourcade, Marissa Monk, Jesse Schmidt and Brad Seidel.
We also want to thank everyone who helped with the pancake breakfast and Natchitoches Christmas Festival. You guys rock. We want to give a very special thank you to Andrea Labor. Andrea visited Yogie and Friends and began volunteering with us since. Her knowledge of the animals and love of the animals brings with it an enthusiasm for sharing with people that they really enjoy. She was a great asset to visitors at our vendor booth during the Natchitoches Christmas festival and this was a really hard day for us. We never hear any complaints from her about the hours, the heat, the cold, or anything. She loves what she does and is a great asset to the sanctuary. Thanks so much Andrea. You are appreciated. Thank you to our regular volunteers to help throughout the year as well with things like our bake sales, pancake breakfasts, last minute fundraisers, physical work at the sanctuary, our webmaster, and just all those who make helping our animals have a better life than that which they came from. You are appreciated and not forgotten.
Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program: The Neighbor to Neighbor program is back on line. Please download one of the customer letters from our website and have the cashier scan it with your Kroger Plus card the next time you shop. Yogie and Friends will receive one percent of the sales. It is a great way to help the cats. The program is only available in Texas and Louisiana, but that’s still a large area of coverage. Please share this with your fellow Kroger shoppers.
Accumulation for linked cards will begin July 1, 09 – April 30, 10. Volunteer Help Needed: We need construction and carpentry work and expertise as well as other physical labor work to help meet the new upgrade requirements.
Materials Donation: We need all kinds of construction materials such as nine gauge fence, concrete, steel, etc., to complete the required upgrades.
A few ways to help financially:
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.
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. 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. Be good to your animals. Be good to people! Be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Have a safe and blessed Holiday and Happy New Year!
Jenny and the Yogie Cats!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter and tagged December 2009 Newsletter, Monthly Newsletter, Yogie and Friends News
November 2009 Newsletter
Hello Everyone!
Can you believe it is November already? October 2009 went down as the wettest October in our area since they have been keeping weather records. We’re happy that the drought is over, but now we are facing flooding and pray that the waters quickly recede to a safe and normal level. We hope that everyone made it through the recent storms and tornados that came through our area October 29th. We are happy to report that all the Yogie volunteer staff and the Yogie animals are safe and well. The storms did bring far too much rain and as a result the already saturated property was unable to drain off and dry in time for our season finale on the 31st. Our unpaved parking area was so flooded that it would not have been safe to have visitors come to the sanctuary. We don’t want anyone getting their vehicles stuck in the mud. We plan to have some really fun off-season events since we were not able to open this Saturday, so please keep visiting our website for more information.
Finances: We are happy to report that with the help of many wonderful people out there we have been able to bring our check book up to over $5000. This is a wonderful thing because we realize these are tough economic times for everyone and animals are not high on everyone’s list of those needing help. If the animals could speak they would certainly say otherwise. This is just one bump in the financial struggle that we and other animal groups face. We still have several thousands of dollars to raise in order to complete the required facility upgrades. This is on top of our regular operating expenses. So, again, we thank you for this help and hope you will continue to support in the care of these wonderful animals. Your generosity does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We continue to need your support and thank you so much for that which has been done. Thanks so much!
Yogie and Friends on-line store: Yogie and Friends has an assorted selection of gift items available on our website. If you are interested in purchasing items for Christmas gifts the cutoff for shipping is 17 December in order to guarantee delivery. Please visit our gift shop often.
Esteban Guitar Raffle: Yogie and Friends is raffling off an Esteban Vintage Legacy Signed Custom Series 33-piece. This is a great set and would make a great gift for someone. The retail value of the set is $627.68. Tickets are just $10 each and all money goes to the care of the Yogie animals. The drawing is scheduled for Saturday, December 19th at 4:00 P.M. (need not be present to win) at Petco on Youree Drive in Shreveport, Louisiana. The winner is responsible for picking up the prize and those outside the local area wishing to purchase tickets can pick up at Petco or pay for shipping to a desired location.
The guitar package includes:
- Vintage Legacy cutaway style guitar (Cognac) – measures approx. 41″L x 16″W x 5″H
- Nylon hard sided guitar case – measures approx. 43-1/2″L x 17″W x 5″H
- 10-watt amplifier
- Esteban holiday CD “Joy to the World”
- Guitar stand
- 9′ amplifier cord
- Chord chart
- Black case strap
- Black guitar strap
- Polishing cloth
- Hex key
- 6 extra strings
- 6 extra picks
- 10 instructional DVDs
Upcoming Events:
6 November – Belk Charity Day, Belk Department Store, 70th St., Shreveport, 5 – 8 P.M
14 November – Highland Jazz and Blues Festival – Columbia Park, Shreveport, Noon – 5 P.M.
28 November – Pancake Breakfast, Applebee’s, Bert Kouns, Shreveport 8 A.M. – 10 A.M
5 Dec – Natchitoches Christmas Festival, Natchitoches, Louisiana TBD
19 Dec – Holiday Bake Sale and Fundraiser, Petco, Youree Drive, Shreveport 11 A.M. – 4 P.M.
Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping Days – Yogie and Friends will have volunteers present to wrap gifts for donations at the Barnes & Noble book store on Youree Drive in Shreveport the following dates and times:
Dec 16th 5 P.M. – 9 P.M.
Dec 21st 2 P.M. – 6 P.M.
Dec 22nd 2 P.M. – 9 P.M.
Dec 24th 2 P.M. – 6 P.M.
On-line Shopping: Yogie and Friends is constantly adding items to the on-line shopping. Check out our newest products from the Paul Cardew collection. Cardew collectible ceramics make wonderful gifts and we now have them at a price that is more competitive than most. With the holidays coming up we wanted to have another way of helping the Yogie cats and this is it. Check out the on-line store.
Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program: The Neighbor to Neighbor program is back on line. Please download one of the customer letters from our website and have the cashier scan it with your Kroger Plus card the next time you shop. Yogie and Friends will receive one percent of the sales. It is a great way to help the cats. The program is only available in Texas and Louisiana, but that’s still a large area of coverage. Please share this with your fellow Kroger shoppers. Accumulation for linked cards will begin July 1, 09 – April 30, 10.
A few ways to help financially:
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.
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.
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.
Please make sure you provide all your animals, inside and outside, fresh, clean water and shelter from the elements. Change their drinking water often and make sure the water hose has been running cool water before you fill their bowls. When the weather starts freezing make sure that the water hasn’t frozen open. Also, continue to use flea and tick preventatives.
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 Monthly Newsletter, November 2009 Newsletter, Yogie and Friends News