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Catnippers NewsCatnippers volunteers, you're the best! Thanks to you, over 14,100 homeless cats have been sterilized in Los Angeles County, preventing millions more from a life of strife, without a loving home. And also thanks to you, there is now a permanent facility to host our clinics and a full-time service to carry out the mission of Catnippers, our sister program, FixNation.
We extend a very special thanks to our long-time volunteer, Beverly Houwing, for her truly extraordinary work in creating a fantastic 2009 calendar featuring kittens all fixed by Catnippers and helped by volunteers and rescuers in the Catnippers family. Beverly did all the photography, which is stunning, and all of the charming design work for this project, which helped raise money for our program. We still have some left, and even though 2009 is well underway now, there are still many months left for your viewing pleasure, and they make beautiful reminders of the great work Catnippers does, and why we do it. To purchase one or more, click here. Also to be recognized and thanked for service "above and beyond" is another long-time Catnippers voluteer and supporter, Robin Olin. Robin was without doubt the hardest-working promoter of our Calendar, resulting in sales volume that put this project "in the black." In addition, she braved holiday crowds and winter weather to staff a gift-wrap station at Barnes & Noble, as part of a promotion to enable non-profit groups to pitch their programs to the public. Robin recruited other volunteers and friends to help, and this all went to further raising the profile of Best Friends Catnippers in the community. Catnippers is pleased to note that for the 4th straight year, we have received grants from the Mary Jo and Hank Greenberg Animal Welfare Foundation, and the Boeing Employees Community Fund. This is a testament to the outstanding work done by our volunteers, year-in, year-out, and we thank these organizations, and all those who contribute to Catnippers. Thanks also to Boeing employees Alex Wiercigroch, Keith Greenhouse, Lorelei Mendivil, Paula Tasner, Martha Reese, John McConnon and Darla Schultz for championing Catnippers to their employee fund managers. For some time now co-founders Mark Dodge and Karn Myers, have been helping Best Friends create ways to "replicate" the Catnippers program, as a model for not only TNR clinics, but also other volunteer programs in the animal welfare realm. One highly visible example of this was at the No More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas in October, 2008, where Mark spoke on the subject of starting and running a successful volunteer program, using, of course, Catnippers as the basis. The September clinic this year will mark our 10th straight year of offering high-volume spay-neuter clinics on an all-volunteer model. To all the vets, techs and volunteers who have helped us over the years, we cannot thank you enough. Your service and sacrifice are a true testament to the power of volunteerism in America! FixNation is embarking upon an ambitious effort to educate the public about TNR, and the availability of both the Catnippers and FixNation resources, and is in the process now of launching a large-scale community outreach program, with a focus on areas surrounding the LA City East Valley Animal Shelter, in Van Nuys. Toward this end, we are looking for additional volunteer support, in two specific areas:
By volunteering for either of these, you will be participating in something that will really make a difference, and make LA a much better place to live in. Imagine, the Day of No More Homeless Cats&.To sign up, please call our hotline number, 818-377-9700. 
Kimberly Pauli |
