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Our Volunteer Appreciation Day to celebrate
our 22nd year was a wonderful success. Thank
you all for attending and making it such a
memorable event.
It has been a busy visiting year. For the summer
months (June, July and August) we are taking a well
deserved break from monthly visits. Our regularly
scheduled visits will resume in September. Watch for
the next issue of Volunteers' Voice in August. Have a
safe and enjoyable summer!
Congratulations to VPP for 22 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 2009
To Joyce to schedule your visits
corgigal311@bellsouth.net
To the web site
Visiting
Pet Program web site
| 2009 OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS |
2009 Outstanding Volunteers(L to R): Dawn
Hagmann, Terri Joia, Stacey Warnke, Lori
Haeuser,
and Carrie Neyland. Missing from the picture is
Laura
Williams.
The Annual Picnic was our opportunity to
recognize six very special volunteers for
their remarkable contributions to our
program. The 2009 Outstanding Volunteers
are:
Dawn Hagmann
Terri
Joia
Stacey Warnke
Lori Haeuser
Carrie Neyland and
Laura Williams
The above members have all gone out of their
way for
the Visiting Pet Program. Each in their own
way, have
given of their time and efforts, to help the
VPP. These
incredible members have all earned Oustanding
Member because of their dedication, hard
work, and
overwhelming commitment to the mission of VPP.
We appreciate their efforts and thank them
for their
service to the program.
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| VPP VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PICNIC |
Ten year service award recepients (L
to R): Denise Schoen, Connie Back, and Cathy
Burch.
Clear skies, great food, wonderful people and
our 4 legged best friends made for an
exciting and memorable 22nd 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:
Millie Ball, Julie Chalmers, Bea
Cottingham, Jerry
Gibel, Danna and Mason Morris, Carrie Neyland,
Michelle Mayeur, Kathy Sautter, Fay Schultz,
Alison
and Michael Soileau, Steve and Kerri
Switzer.
Volunteers earning service awards for 10
years of service were Connie Back, Cathy
Burch, and Denise Schoen.
Earning a service award for 15 years of
service
was:
Frances Hecker.
Joyce Kleinfeldt earned an award for 20
years of service.
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| PETS ALSO EARN AWARDS! |
6 year award winners are Maxwell
with handler Brenda Reiley, Gretzky
with Brandon DuMontier, Dottie with
Connie Back and Maxx with Linda
Wegmann
The pet earning an award for 3 years of
service was:
Madison with Shirley Walters
Pets earning awards for 6 years
of service were:
Dottie with Connie Back, Gretzky
with
Brandon DuMontier, Jo Jo
with Colleen Lacy, Maxwell with
Brenda
Reilly, Maxx with Linda Wegmann, and
Bud with Laura Williams.
Two very special pets earned service
awards for 9 devoted years of service.
Scruffy with
Lee and Tom Gaffney and
Oscar with Helen Schneidau.
Ginny Belle with Lee and Tom Gaffney
earned
service award for 12 successful years of
service.
Our sincere thanks to these amazing animals
and their devoted handlers.
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| 2010 VISITING PET PROGRAM CALENDAR |
Lee and Tom Gaffney's Therapy
dogs have a howling good time will be
featured on the cover of 2010 VPP
Calendar.
We are so excited about the 2010
Visiting Pet
Program Calendar. All of the entries were
wonderful
photos of beautiful pets. What a handsome
bunch of
pets volunteer with the VPP!
Serving as independent judge for the photos was
professional pet photographer, Scott Stuntz.
Scott is
a retired VPP member, he has a ton of
experience in
dog obedience and has photographed major
annual "pet" events for the LA/SPCA with photos
posted on their website. Scott's comments
about the
judging our calendar contest was "This was a
difficult task! All the photos were
great!".
As we all know animals are difficult to
photograph.
They always seem to have "other plans" when
you get
out the camera. I'm sure everyone who
entered used
up a lot of space on their digital camera's
memory
card. And probably quite a bit of time and
handfuls of
treats. Thanks so much to everyone who
sent in an
entry. Of course you all know your pet is
the best
looking. But we did have to narrow it down
to 13
winners! One for the calendar cover and 12
monthly
photos.
The winners in alphabetical order are; Kim
Barrett's
Catahoula mix "Dixie", Cindy Baucum's
Pomerarian "Bijou", Jill Dolese's
Golden
Retriever "Chance", Lee& Tommy Gaffney's
group photo of "Ginny Bell, Megan, Scruffy
and
Talullah", Dawn Hagmann's Black Lab
"Hannah", Denise Mehurin's
Beagle/Terrier
mix "Daisy", Carl Schindler's Yellow Lab
"Comet", Alison&Michael Soileau's group
photo of 2 Whippets "Sophia and
Tyler", Claire
Sommer's Greyhound "TBoy", Claire
Sommer's Greyhound "Forrest", Joy
Sturtevant's Boxer "Oban", Stacey
Warnke &
Terri Joia's cat "Sauvi", and Laura
Williams'
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
"Bud".
This calendar will provide the members of
Visiting Pet
Program an opportunity to share our work and
some
wonderful animals with the community, our
family and
friends. We will have the calendars printed
and
available to purchase in the fall. I just
know they will
make great holiday gifts.
If this calendar is popular we are planning
on having
more photo contests for future calendars.
So keep
those cameras handy. You never know when the
perfect photo might present itself.
Claire Sommers
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| GUARDIAN ANGELS |
A donation
was received from
Mina Lea Crais
in memory of
Father Ralph Parthie's
dog,
Alex
A donation
was received from
Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Kathy Singleton's
Sheltie,
Peabo
A donation
was received from
Mina Lea Crais
in memory of
Pamela and Mike Elliott's
dog,
Milo
Donations
were received from
Claire Sommers, and
Lee and
Tom Gaffney
in memory of
Lori Haeuser's rabbit,
Timothy Baxter
A donation
was received from
Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Alison Cook's Greyhound,
Beatrice
Donations
were received from
Claire Sommers, and
Lee and
Tom Gaffney
in memory of
Delia Hardie's Airedale,
Ashley
A donation
was received from
Joyce Lashley
in memory of
Dawn Adam's dogs,
Ginger and Peppy
A donation
was received from
Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Connie Back's Boxer,
Jett
A donation
was received from
Delia Hardie
"In loving memory of my
beloved
Ashley"
A donation
was made through
American Express
Foundation
Employee Giving Campaign from
Jonathan Levy
A donation
was made by
Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Judy Fisher's dog,
Mookie
A donation
was made through
AT&T United Way Employee
Giving Campaign from
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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 22 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, R
eading
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
22 SUCCESSFUL YEARS
New
Volunteer
Orientation
Saturday, June 20, 2009
10am-12 noon
Sunday, July 19
2pm-4pm
Harahan Senior Center
100 Elodie
Pre-registration required
Contact Claire
Sommers
to register at
paws4visits@gmail.com
or
504-432-8349
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 Fay Schultz for
upcoming
times and locations
Contact Fay Schultz at
fibrofay@cox.net
to confirm your slot at any of these
Reading To
Rover
events.
OUR DEEPEST
SYMPATHIES
to Lori
Haeuser,
who lost her beloved rabbit,
TIMOTHY BAXTER
in February. Timothy
had been a visiting pet from 1998 until his
retirement
in 2008. Timothy
was 12 years old and had been a regular
visitor at
Touro Infirmary.
and to
Delia Hardie
who lost her
cherished
Airedale dog,
ASHLEY
in March. Ashley was 12 and
1/2 years old and had been a visiting pet
from 2000
until
her retirement in 2007. Ashley visited Mercy
and
Baptist Hospitals.
The love and joy these pets brought into the
lives of
hospital patients will not be forgotten.
Timothy and
Ashley will be deeply missed by all who knew
them.
Our deepest sympathies to Lori and Delia on
the loss
of their beloved companions.
HAPPY
RETIREMENT
Kathy Sautter has announced the
retirement
of her Sheltie mix, Rusty in March.
Rusty is 12
years old, and had
been a visiting pet since 2003. This little
black dog
was a regular visitor at John J Hainkel, Jr.
Home. Our
thanks to Kathy and Rusty for
your 6 years of service. We'll miss you!
Four Paw Salute
to VPP
President,
Claire Sommers.
Claire was
the master mind and work horse behind the
wonderful Volunteer Appreciation Picnic.
Claire works on the event through out the
year...reserving the facility, shoping for
the wonderful door prizes, selecting the
membership gifts, puting together the
fabulous gift bags, ordering the food,
preparing the awards, coordinating set up and
break down....just to name a few
responsibilites. It's a monumental task but
Claire takes it on with great enthiusiam. The
Volunteer Appreciation party was for the
membership but the volunteer we all
appreciate is Claire! Thanks from all of us
for a job really well done and a great event!
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