GMHS Celebrates National Volunteer Week
April 19 to 25 marked National Volunteer Week, and GMHS celebr
ated their commitment to our life-saving mission by sharing volunteer photos and stories on the shelter's social media. (Visit GMHS on social media at @gmhumanesociety to check them out.)
In 2019 alone, our volunteers donated nearly 11,000 hours of their time in service to our organization and the homeless pets in our care.
From piloting Highway to Home transports to grooming pets of all types, they make a wonderful difference in the lives of homeless pets and are valued members of our team.
To our volunteers, thank you for giving selflessly of your time, resources, and talents to save and transform the lives of our community's pets in need!
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Friends of GMHS Invited to Participate in #GivingTuesdayNow
COVID-19 will not stop GMHS' commitment to saving more lives. We are not sitting idle and never will as long as homeless pets need our help. That’s why GMHS is participating in
#GivingTuesdayNow on May 5.
#GivingTuesdayNow is a global day of giving and unity as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. Please mark your calendars for May 5 and consider
donating to GMHS. Help us get a head start by
making a gift today. (Donations may also made via mail at P.O. Box, 385, Gloucester, VA 23061.) All donations are tax-deductible, and every one makes a difference.
Even in times of crisis, our work is desperately needed. Your support is appreciated now more than ever. When the urgency has lifted, homeless pets will continue to count on us to be their voice and save their lives. GMHS is here to continue the good fight, and we thank you for partnering with us!
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April 2020 Heart Connections
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Before temporarily pausing adoptions to help flatten the COVID-19 curve,
nine
pets were adopted in April. Each one represents a life saved and a future filled with the love and security of a forever family. Our thanks to adopters for their flexibility and all of our social media followers for liking and sharing posts featuring pets available for adoption.
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GMHS Resumes Adoption Appointments May 1
The GMHS team seeks to pair pets and adopters with a mutual best fit and looks forward to making more heart connections happen when adoptions resume May 1!
To begin the adoption process:
- Visit our Adoption Process webpage to view homeless pets searching for a heart connection.
- Download and complete the relevant adoption questionnaire available on the Adoption Process webpage. Be sure to list the pet you would like to meet.
- Email the completed adoption questionnaire to animalplacement@gmhumanesociety.org. Expedite processing by calling your current veterinarian and granting him/her permission to share your pets’ records with us.
Once the adoption questionnaire is approved, a team member will contact you to schedule an appointment.
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April 2020 Shelter Snapshot
The generous support of staff, volunteers, and donors enables GMHS to provide daily care, cover special medical needs, foster animals in homes as needed, and arrange transportation to adoption-guaranteed partners. We are also committed to education, outreach, and transparency. Our annual statistics are available on our
website
, and we also offer you a monthly snapshot.
Throughout April 2020, GMHS continued to transfer in pets from other shelters and transfer out pets to adoption-guaranteed partners through our Highway to Home program. As we all did our part to practice social distancing, adoptions slowed in April 2020, and we are excited to resume them May 1. We look forward to recapturing the adoption momentum enjoyed in February and March 2020 and making more lasting heart connections happen!
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April showers bring May flowers, and this year, they brought baby rabbits to GMHS! The post-birth time is incredibly important. Babies of all species need lots of attention and love, and neonatal fosters are critical to operations at GMHS.
Lavender and her six kits spent some time relaxing with one of our incredible fosters,
Lorraine Hanson and her family. They run a rabbit therapy program, so Lavender and her little ones were in very skilled and experienced hands during this critical time. Our thanks to the Hanson family for opening their hearts and home to foster Lavender and her offspring.
Lavender and the rabbits (Wayne, Kinston, Raleigh, Charlotte, Florence, and Cayce) are all available for adoption! If you are ready for one of these rabbits to hop into your heart, click
here to access the Small Animal Adoption Questionnaire and email it to
animalplacement@gmhumanesociety.org.
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While COVID-19 continues to halt non-essential business operations in many states, GMHS has been fortunate enough to coordinate with several rescues across Virginia and Maryland to transport animals to adoption-guaranteed partners. Though unable to transport as many animals in April as in previous months, we received the wonderful news that all of the pets transported in April have found their forever homes. In fact, they barely spent a week in their “new digs” before being adopted!
Our staff and volunteers have been taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of people and pets alike during the transport process. We could not be more grateful to them, for they make Highway to Home possible!
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Fixin' to Save Wrapping Up Clinic Renovations
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Our friends at
Eagle Construction United, Inc
. are putting the finishing touches on the renovation of our Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic.
Pending a final inspection by the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, the Clinic team will resume providing low- and no-cost spay/neuter surgeries.
The renovation was extensive as depicted in the above photos taken throughout the project. Shelter and owned pets as well as feral cats will benefit from the changes to the existing clinic space, which include an expanded surgical suite and space to provide dental care for shelter pets.
By essentially doubling capacity, we will be able to reach more pets in the community in need of spay/neuter services and help reduce the overpopulation of animals in our area.
Stay in touch with the clinic team by visiting them on the
web
and
Facebook
and be on the lookout for updates about a virtual ribbon cutting.
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Target Circle Official Results
The GMHS team is grateful to everyone who cast
Target Circle votes for our shelter. Because of you, we received
17,148 votes, resulting in a $2,441 grant award. A huge and heartfelt thank you to Target Circle for inviting GMHS to participate in this opportunity and to everyone who voted for us, our mission, and the impact we have on our community.
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Backyard Birder Seed & Supply Supports Angel Fund
Our friends at
Backyard Birder Seed & Supply are actively raising funds for GMHS' Angel Fund through the sale of masks handcrafted by shelter Volunteer
Shelley (pictured with Rescue Pet Ambassador
Blossom). Made with love, the masks continue to be available for purchase at Backyard Birder Seed & Supply. One hundred percent of the purchase price benefits the Angel Fund, which covers the cost of extraordinary veterinary care for shelter pets. Let's hear it for store owners
Dean and Valerie Shostak and Shelley for their creative and timely fundraiser. Thank you for your life-saving partnership!
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sweetFrog Fundraiser Success
The
sweetFrog (Gloucester) team has a heart for homeless pets and chose to share it with GMHS. They donated 20 percent of sales from a recent fundraiser to the shelter. Their gift will help provide daily care for pets in need. Please join us in thanking them for their community spirit and gift to GMHS.
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Like and follow GMHS on social media!
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