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Our Volunteer Appreciation Day to celebrate
our 21st year was a wonderful success. Thank
you all for attending and making it such a
memorable event.
The May and summer schedules are now
available on the web site. Please confirm
your schedule with me by April 20th.
The mandatory attendance at one monthly
visit rule is waived during June, July and
August. We do, however, encourage your
participation as often as possible. In the
summer months our visit sites are more
limited. If your regular facility is not on
the summer schedule, please select an
alternate site.
Congratulations to VPP for 21 amazing years.
Be sure to check out the web site for
upcoming photos of this great event.
Joyce Kleinfeldt, Program Coordinator
Quick Links
Visit
Schedule for Spring 2008
To Joyce to schedule your visits
corgigal311@bellsouth.net
To the web site
Visiting
Pet Program web site
| 2008 OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS |
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2008 Outstanding Volunteers: Linda Ferguson
with Murphy, Dot McIntyre with Stormy, Patty
Spampneto,
Malay Ghose Hajra with Mita, and Tobi
Provenzano.
The Annual Picnic was our opportunity to
recognize five very special volunteers for
their remarkable contributions to our
program. The 2008 Outstanding Volunteers
are:
Linda Ferguson
Linda joined the VPP in 2002.
Linda's first dog, Fergus, passed away in
June, 2006. She continued visiting at
Lambeth House without a pet until December
2007 when her new dog, Murphy, was certified
with VPP.
Dot McIntyre Dot joined
the VPP in 2001 and she visits at Bayside
Health Care, The Landing, West Jefferson
Medical Center, and Jo Ellen Smith
Convalescent Center. She also actively
participates in the Westbank Reading to
Rover.
Patty Spamneto Patty joined the
VPP in 2001. Patty's dog Kelea passed away
in May 2005. Patty has continued to serve as
a buddy for probationary volunteers and works
at all our Pet/Handler Evaluations.
Malay Hajra Malay and Mita
joined the VPP in March 2007. Malay has
never stopped volunteering since he joined.
Malay volunteered to help at the Annual
Meeting in 2007 and again in 2008. Malay has
volunteered to work at Pet/Handler Evaluation
in September of 2007 and January 2008. He is
always there to eagerly lend a helping hand.
Tobi Provenzano Tobi joined the
VPP in 2004. Tobi retired her dog Maddie in
April 2006. Maddie passed away in March
2008. Tobi has continued to as a buddy for
probationary members and works at our
Pet/Handler Evaluations.
These amazing volunteers have all gone above
and beyond their one visit a month
requirement to help contribute to the VPP's
ongoing success. Our thanks to these
incredible volunteers for their overwhelming
commitment to the mission of the VPP.
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| VPP ANNUAL FAMILY FUN DAY |
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Ten year service award recepients:
Jeanette Gustat Hofler with Kiana
and Denise Mehurin with Daisy. Missing from
picture is
Lori Haeuser.
Clear skies, great food, wonderful people and
our 4 legged best friends made for an
exciting and memorable 21st anniversary
celebration. In addition to sharing good
conversation, VPP also held our Annual
Meeting and Awards Presentation.
Earning service awards for 5 years of
service
were:
Brandon DuMontier, Linda Ferguson, Colleen
Lacy,
Joyce Lashley, Brenda Reilly, Linda Wegmann and
Laura Williams.
Volunteers earning service awards for 10
years of service were Jeanette Gustat
Hofler,
Lori Haeuser, and Denise Mehurin.
Pets earning awards for 3 years of service
include:
Jake with Pam Bellone, Logan
with Bea Cottingham, Zebrina with
Leslie Davis, Angie with Cindy Goldstein,
Amber with Joyce Kleinfeldt,
Lady with Gay Korndorffer, Dee Dee
with Shirley Laussade, Tabitha
with Rose Marhay,
Stormy with Dot McIntyre,
Suzette with Caroline Sanders,
Emily with Diane Smith,
GiGi with Denise Schoen, Sauvi
with
Stacey Warnke and Terri Joia.
Pets earning awards for 6 years
of service were:
Gracie with Dawn Adams, Lucy and
Maggy with Brenda Chetta, Lucy Jane
with Ellen Goldring, Viola with
Kevin Gray, Natasha with Gayle
Kroeger, Thuy with Marcia Legendre,
Tammy with Dot McIntyre, Woody
with Ginger Morvant, and Abby with
Kim Pizzo.
Two very special pets earned service
awards for 9 devoted years of service. The
always beautifully adorned Daisy with
Denise Mehurin and our one and only rabbit,
Timothy Baxter with Lori Haeuser.
Our sincere thanks to these amazing animals
and their devoted handlers.
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| A NEW TRADITION |
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Ashley Hardie, retired
2007
A new tradition was started at this year's
Annual Picnic. In an effort to recognize the
years of devoted service, Memorial and
Retirement Certificates of Appreciation
were
awarded to the handlers of pets who passed away
or retired in 2007.
Those receiving Memorial Certificates were:
Dr. Marcia Riedel for Mr Foot
(2004-2007), Karen Smith for Rocky
(2006-2007), Shirley Laussade for
Ginger (2002-2007), Dr. Adrie Voors
for Chewee, (1996, retired 2003,
died 2007), Mary Cambre for
Pistache (2004-2007), Joyce Lashley
for Taco( 2002-2007), Nina and Al
Bourgeois for Fondue (1996, retired
2006, died 2007).
Retirees recognized included Delia Hardie for
Ashley (2000-2007), Doug Lapara for
Kaiser (2000-2007), Kevin Gray for
Viola (2001-2007), and Rebecca Breaud
for Violet (2002-2007).
Also recognized for their years of service
were Tamra and Michael Carboni and Sophie.
The Carbonis and Sophie joined VPP in 1992.
Sophie retired in 2001 and died in 2007.
Tamra and Mike have continued to volunteer
with VPP by working at each and every
Pet/Handler Evaluation helping to make those
ever important ID photos just perfect.
These pets and handlers brought many years
of wonderful memories to all they visited by
"Bringing Love and Leaving Smiles".
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| GUARDIAN ANGELS |
A donation
was
received from
Dawn Hagmann
through
the A T & T Employee Giving Campaign
A donation
was received from
Unity Church of Metairie
VPP member
Rev. Rhonda Liles, Pastor
A
donation
was received from Dorlene Alaynick
in memory of
Mr. and Mrs. Richard
McGinity's dog
Chumsley
A donation was
made by Marcia Voors
in memory of Karen Woods'
Golden Nugget
A donation was
received
in loving memory of Zeke
the Duplessis Family's dog
and in memory of
JudgeRon and Mary Saltarelli's
dog from
Mina Lea Crais
in memory of William Perry
Brown, III
from
Denise and Chet
Mehurin
in memory
of
John Hainkel Home resident
Eddie
Guidroz from Magoo Gaffney
and in memory of MaddieTobi Provenzano's
dog from Claire Sommers
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| About the Visiting Pet Program |
The Visiting Pet Program is an all
volunteer 501
(C)(3) non-profit animal assisted therapy
organization serving Orleans, Jefferson and St.
Tammany parishes.
For the past 21 years, the volunteers of the
VPP have
lived up to their motto of "Bringing Love and
Leaving
Smiles" to the residents of nursing homes and
hospitals.
Our literacy project, Reading
to Rover,
offers young readers the opportunity to practice
their reading aloud skills to the gentle therapy
dogs.
If you would like to make a donation to
the Visiting Pet Program, please click on the
button
below or mail your check to 5831 S. Johnson
Street,
New Orleans, LA 70125. Please note if your
donation
is in memory of a person or a pet. We will be
happy
to send an acknowledgment of your donation to the
family. Please include the name and address
to send
the acknowledgment. Because we are a 501(C)(3)
organization, your donation is tax deductible. We
are an all volunteer organization. Your donation
goes directly to the support of our mission.
Thank you
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| Take Note! |
CELEBRATING
21 SUCCESSFUL YEARS
New
Volunteer
Orientation
Saturday, June 21
10am-noon
Saturday, July 19
2pm-4pm
Harahan Senior Center
100 Elodie
Pre-registration required
Contact Joyce
Kleinfeldt
to register
504-866-2532
Reading To Rover
On the East Bank
Held on the third Tuesday of each
month
at the East Bank Regional Library
4747 W. Napoleon in Metairie
6:30pm-7:30pm
On the West Bank
Held on the second Sunday of each month
2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey
from 2:00pm-3:00pm
Events are now being planned in conjuction
with the
STAIR program. Please contact Denise for
upcoming
times and locations
Contact Denise Mehurin
dmehurin@cox.net
or 504-491-9087
to confirm your slot at any of these
Reading To
Rover
events.
OUR DEEPEST
SYMPATHIES
to Tobi
Provenzano,
who lost her beloved
dog,
MADDIE
in March.
Maddie was 15 years old and was a Visiting
Pet from
2004 until her retirement in 2006. Maddie
brought smiles to
the children at Ochsner's Child Life Unit.
She will be missed
by all who knew her.
Four Paws
Salute
To VPP member
Delia Hardie
With the recent purchase of her new home,
Delia generously donated the use of some
valuable storage space to the VPP. Thanks to
Delia's kindness, VPP was able to finally
close out what had become a very expensive
storage unit. Our tents and tables are now
tucked safely in Delia's basement. Many
thanks to Delia for her thoughtfulness and
generosity.
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