By: Kimberly Laska, Executive Director
Dear friends:As we near the end of our 2019 fiscal year, I wanted to take a moment to share some progress with you. As you know, Heritage Humane Society is the only open-admission animal shelter in the Greater Williamsburg area, which means that no pet from our service area will ever be turned away. We take the medical cases, the behavior cases, and help the community members always have a safe place to get assistance. To continue this quality of care, we need your help. Did you know that is costs nearly $3,000 per day to run this thriving organization? This year, the successes have been spectacular, and so have the needs. Unfortunately, the community funding has decreased. We are writing today to ask you to please consider donating to help us continue to provide these life-saving successes for the most vulnerable population here in our community, the pets.Here is a snapshot from June 7, 2019, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. –
- 3 kittens arrived that were abandoned in a dumpster
- 1 lost dog brought in by a concerned citizen
- 2 dogs reunited happily with their owners
- 7 dogs enjoyed playgroups
- 1 dog training class was booked, and 2 Animal Camp registrations were processed
- 19 community animals are on the VA Beach Neuter Scooter’s bus for spay and neuter surgeries
- 12 public vaccines done for community pets on the Neuter Scooter
- 100 plus students learned about what we do at Waller Mill Elementary School’s Career Day
- 1 dog left the shelter with Officer Holiday from City of Williamsburg Police Department for the Ride-Along Program
- 16 pets in our care received their daily medications and 1 insulin shot for a diabetic cat
- 17 pets made available for adoption after their spay/neuter surgeries during this week
- 120 pets fed, exercised, cleaned and loved
- 4 foster kittens visited for their check-up and vaccines
- $5,000 of medical bills paid
- 4 owner surrenders were scheduled for this upcoming weekend
- 12 medical exams performed & 24 vaccinations for pets in our care
1 “pupdate” from Maddie, a long-time resident that had many special case medical needs that was adopted last month- 4 volunteer orientations to join our team of more than 600 volunteers
- 34 dogs got walked
- 5 volunteers assisted with getting the shelter ready to open at noon
- 14 cats cuddled and socialized by volunteers
- 6 loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away
- 1 Animal Camp t-shirt design was completed and approved
- 1 kennel temporarily repaired as a make-shift solution until a permanent repair can happen
- 100 donated yard sale items sorted & priced for upcoming June 29 event by a kind volunteer
- 2 cats cared for at the PetSmart adoption center by a volunteer
- 3 pets served through our community outreach “Kibble Kitchen”
- 4 civil engineers on property taking soil samples for our upcoming improvements
- 10 rocks were delivered for our rock garden as part of the Williamsburg VA Rocks! Program
- 1 10-day old kitten in crisis arrived from a partner shelter so she could join a litter of kittens and nursing mama in our foster care room
- 19 years of service celebrated with the most amazing team! Rock – 9 years of service, Matt and Catherine – each with 5 years of service!
So, what did you do before noon today?
Please consider donating today to support the programs and services happening here in our community. For those who have given this year, we are so grateful! For those that have been waiting for the right time, please consider making a gift today. If you want to come in to see your support in action, we strongly encourage that. With 93% of our funding coming from private donations and program service revenue, your support is critical.
Help us be ready for mornings like this 365 days a year. Click HERE to learn more about donating. YOU will help us achieve these life-saving successes for the most vulnerable population here in our community!
Kimberly Laska, Executive Director