What I Now Know....
When joining the Lynchburg Humane Society as their new Executive Director last month, I thought I knew A LOT about this community shelter. After all, I was from Lynchburg and had adopted many of my family's pets from LHS over the years. I knew that the shelter had once been housed in a cramped cinder block building back behind the City Stadium, and that the community had rallied around the need for a new facility - - - coming together to build a beautiful new building on Graves Mill Road in 2015. I had visited this new facility on numerous occasions, sometimes with a goal of selecting a new family addition and other times simply wanting to have cuddle time with those pets waiting to be adopted. I knew that that I always left these visits feeling uplifted by the wagging tails of the dogs and the purring and "biscuit making" of the cats. Like I said, I thought I knew a lot.
BUT...
Since working with our staff and volunteers for the past six weeks, I have discovered so much more about the incredible work that takes place here at LHS. For example, I have learned that we have an active corp of some 1500 dedicated volunteers who provide care each day, seven days a week and without whom we could not function. I have also learned that we place nearly 4,000 pets a year into homes, and that at any given time we may have as many as 1,000 animals in our care. That's a LOT of food, water, supplies (and clean-up, if you know what I mean), which brings me back to the importance of our volunteers and our trained and dedicated staff. I have learned that we have up to 125 animals receiving medical care each day, cared for by our highly trained veterinarians. I have learned that we have pet behavior specialists who conduct dog training classes and sessions with our pets in the Center and owned pets to assist in developing social skills for pets of all ages. I have learned that we operate the South Central Spay Neuter Clinic in Evington, where we perform some 7,000 surgeries per year. I have learned that we have tons of children' programs, camps and parents night out activities that help children learn how to humanely interact with pets and be good pet owners. And I have learned how much our pets depend upon our donors to make our mission a reality! As we continue to face increasing numbers of lives to be saved, we truly could not do it without your help. During this season of giving, I ask that you consider being part of our current Holiday Memory Challenge, where our goal is to raise a $100,000 by year-end.
But Best of All....
I have learned that is is never too late in life to find your dream job, and as the new Executive Director of LHS I can sincerely say it is a pure joy to be part of this amazing organization. I would argue that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.... just look at me, for example! May you each have a wonderful Thanksgiving season.
When joining the Lynchburg Humane Society as their new Executive Director last month, I thought I knew A LOT about this community shelter. After all, I was from Lynchburg and had adopted many of my family's pets from LHS over the years. I knew that the shelter had once been housed in a cramped cinder block building back behind the City Stadium, and that the community had rallied around the need for a new facility - - - coming together to build a beautiful new building on Graves Mill Road in 2015. I had visited this new facility on numerous occasions, sometimes with a goal of selecting a new family addition and other times simply wanting to have cuddle time with those pets waiting to be adopted. I knew that that I always left these visits feeling uplifted by the wagging tails of the dogs and the purring and "biscuit making" of the cats. Like I said, I thought I knew a lot.
BUT...
Since working with our staff and volunteers for the past six weeks, I have discovered so much more about the incredible work that takes place here at LHS. For example, I have learned that we have an active corp of some 1500 dedicated volunteers who provide care each day, seven days a week and without whom we could not function. I have also learned that we place nearly 4,000 pets a year into homes, and that at any given time we may have as many as 1,000 animals in our care. That's a LOT of food, water, supplies (and clean-up, if you know what I mean), which brings me back to the importance of our volunteers and our trained and dedicated staff. I have learned that we have up to 125 animals receiving medical care each day, cared for by our highly trained veterinarians. I have learned that we have pet behavior specialists who conduct dog training classes and sessions with our pets in the Center and owned pets to assist in developing social skills for pets of all ages. I have learned that we operate the South Central Spay Neuter Clinic in Evington, where we perform some 7,000 surgeries per year. I have learned that we have tons of children' programs, camps and parents night out activities that help children learn how to humanely interact with pets and be good pet owners. And I have learned how much our pets depend upon our donors to make our mission a reality! As we continue to face increasing numbers of lives to be saved, we truly could not do it without your help. During this season of giving, I ask that you consider being part of our current Holiday Memory Challenge, where our goal is to raise a $100,000 by year-end.
But Best of All....
I have learned that is is never too late in life to find your dream job, and as the new Executive Director of LHS I can sincerely say it is a pure joy to be part of this amazing organization. I would argue that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.... just look at me, for example! May you each have a wonderful Thanksgiving season.
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