Stray Thoughts Winter 2017 DuPage County Foundation Grant
West Suburban Humane Society was one of 26 not-for-profit organizations to receive a grant at the DuPage Foundation ’ s Holiday Open House held on Tuesday , December 13 , at the Foundation ’ s office in Downers Grove . The DuPage Foundation awarded more than $ 207,000 in grants to organizations working in the areas of Arts & Culture , Education and the Environment as part of its Fall Community Needs Grant Cycle . The grant will help underwrite scholarships for 25 kids to attend our Junior Volunteer Summer Camp . To learn more about our humane education programs , visit www . wshs-dg . org / hum-ed .
For more information about the DuPage Foundation , please contact William Pearch , Marketing Manager , at ( 630 ) 598-5290 or bill @ dupagefoundation . org .
Teamwork , communication and friendship are the three words that nearly every member of the Monday night 7 – 9 p . m . kennel crew uses to describe their shift . Some of the members have been on the shift for nine years , and the majority has been together for the past four years . Linda Chicola , who has been volunteering at WSHS since March 2008 , says “ We ’ ve been together a long time and have become friends . Everyone knows what needs to be accomplished and jumps in to do it .” Lisa Jo Clark , who has been on the shift for nine years , agrees . ” We genuinely enjoy working together and we all have the same passion and love for dogs , so our weekly shift is something we all look forward to .”
Getting to play with our lovable dogs is a favorite part of all their volunteer duties . Tara Palmer , who started with WSHS in January 2012 , says there ’ s “ nothing like playing with a friendly pooch to melt Monday stress away .” But it ’ s not just playing that this team enjoys . It ’ s learning , too – from each other and from the dogs . Kelsey Steinbach , who has been volunteering at WSHS for 15 years says she has learned “ an immense amount , including how to work comfortably and efficiently with others , how to truthfully but positively interact with ‘ customers ’ and how to communicate with dogs .” Jackie Dornback , who started on the shift about four years ago , says she has learned that WSHS “ is a place where animals are loved and given a second chance . Coming here on Monday nights reminds me that we can make a difference .”
Unsurprisingly , all of the members of this kennel crew have dogs at home . Jackie has three rescue English bulldogs ( Mona , Mimi , and Olive ) and a one-eyed rescue
Volunteer Spotlight
pug named Bullseye . Lisa Jo has two English bulldogs and an English setter . Tara has Lucy , a black lab mix who loves to play fetch . Linda adopted her golden retriever / sheltie / dachshund mix 6 months after starting to volunteer and then became a foster failure after doing weekend temp-care for her yorkie-poo . Kelsey is mom to cattle dog mix Annie , border collie Maxwell , and a rescue mouse named George . Pam Kevil , whose brother Sean has recently joined the shift , has WSHS alum Gem and is fostering Remi , formerly Admiral who had heart surgery at U of I as a puppy .
This crew has ( literally ) weathered some storms to care for the animals . Lisa Jo recalls one stormy Monday night . “ Several years ago there was a power outage on a very hot summer night . We had to get generators up and running to power fans in the cattery and kennel . We stayed through the night to keep gas in the generators to keep fans running . It wasn ’ t the most comfortable sleepover ever , but we made the best of it and had fun anyway .”
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