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After a well deserved summer break, we look
forward
to another busy visiting season. Our regularly
scheduled visits will resume in September. Your
dues payment and signed contract are due August
1st. If you have not mailed your dues check and
signed contract is please do so as soon as
possible.
Members will not be allowed to attend visits
until their
dues payment and signed contract are received.
If your
pet's VPP Health Form and Rabies Certificate
have
expired, and you have not yet provided new
forms,
please send me the updates as soon as
possible, so
that you will be ready to begin Fall
visits.
Our New Pet/Handler Evaluation will be held on
Saturday, September 12 at the Harahan Senior
Center. The evaluation team is ready for the
task. We
look forward to the new volunteers and pets
that will
be entering the training/probationary phase.
The
training workshop for pets and handlers that
pass the
evaluation will be held on Saturday, September
19.
The September-December, 2009 schedule is now on
the website. Please note that visit dates
for some
facilities have changed due to the holiday
season.
Please confirm your schedules with me by
email or
phone no later than August 15.
Be sure to check out our new Facebook page.
The link is below.
Welcome aboard for another wonderful year of
"bringing love and leaving smiles".
JOYCE KLEINFELDT
Program Coordinator
Quick Links
Visit
Schedule for Fall 2009
To Joyce to schedule your visits
corgigal311@bellsouth.net
To the web site
Visiting
Pet Program web site
To our
Facebook page
Facebook
| Canine Campers |
Volunteer Barbara Hyland and her
Greyhound,
Penny, participated in the LA/SPCA's Care
Cadet
Camp. The VPP team gave an educational
presentation to the young campers to explain
to them exactly what therapy visits are all
about and why they serve a very important
purpose. Following their training, the Care
Cadets will serve as volunteers at the
shelter and may also make an appearance at an
upcoming VPP evaluation.
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| North Shore Camping |
Crossing over to the North
Shore, our
pets
participated in Krewe de Camp, a 7 day
residential
camp for children with Cerebral Palsy and other
similar conditions. VPP volunteers Tamara
Fink,
Malay
Hajra , Barb Jones , Craig Miller, Cindy
Nolan, Kim
Pizzo, Tobi Provenzano, Denise Schoen, Candice
Sirmon, Claire Sommers, Maria Thornton, Laura
Williams and Suzie Wilson
participated in
this special
visit. Held in Fontainebleau State Park in
Mandeville,
this camp annually serves about 50 Louisiana
campers, ages six to twenty years old,
offering a
traditional summer camp experience. A visit
from our
special pets added a little untraditional
flavor.
As
always, our volunteers were exceptionally
generous
with their time and talents to make sure the
campers
had a memorable pet therapy experience.
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| Ochsner All-Around Volunteer of 2009 |
Fay Schultz, along with JJ
and
Mozart , was honored by Ochsner as All-
Around Volunteer of the year for 2009.
Fay has
been volunteering at Ochsner for seven years.
She
volunteers with The Visiting Pet Program,
Ochsner's
Pet Therapy Program and in the NICU rocking
babies.
The following is what was said by Ochsner
about Fay
and
her four legged therapists at their awards
luncheon.
"Fay's cheerful attitude and her
dedication to
patients, family members, and staff makes her
a very
special person. When she comes to the 11th
Floor
she really brings cheer and joy to our oncology
patients, many of whom have been away from their
pets and families for long periods of time.
We ask
Fay to go see certain patients and she never
fails to
complete requests. She sends us cards and
updates
on her pets and really brings a special sense
of family
to our unit."
Congratulations to Fay, JJ, and Mozart on their
recognition.
We are all proud of you.
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| GUARDIAN ANGELS |
A
donation
was received from Dr. Diane Smith
in memory of
Kathy Singleton's
Sheltie, Peabo.
Donations were
received
in memory of Logan,
Bea Cottingham's dog
from
Brenda Chetta
and Claire
Sommers
A
donation
was received from Mina Lea Crais
in memory of
Don Hughes'
dog, Chester
Donations were
received
in memory of Janice Schubert
from
Lonnie Moore, Louise
and
Don Berkowicz and
Bill and Fay Schultz
A
donation
was received from Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Alison Cook's
dog, Jazz.
A
donation
was received from Bill and Fay
Schultz
in memory of
James Tilon
Donations were
received
in memory of Susan Falcon's
dog, Calli
from
Claire Sommers and
Brenda
Chetta
A
donation
was received from Bill and Fay
Schultz
in memory of
Sky
A
donation
was received from Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Edye Conkerton's
Boxer, Carnie
Donations were
received
from Leslie Davis and Joyce
Lashley
A
donation
was received from Lee and Tom
Gaffney
in memory of
Peggy Lae's
horse, Kool
Donations were
received
through United Way from Lee
Gaffneyand anonymous donors at Entergy and The Times
Picayune
A
donation
was received from Jill Dolese
in memory of her beloved
Golden
Rocky
A
donation
was received from Mina Lea Crais
in memory of
Eleanor Maier's
cat, Onyx
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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 23 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
23 SUCCESSFUL
YEARSNew Pet/Handler
Evaluation
Saturday, September 12th
Harahan Senior Center 100 Elodie
Pre-registration required Contact Barbara
Hyland
to register
504-481-6288
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 conjunction
with the
STAIR program. Please contact Fay for
upcoming
times and locations
Contact Fay Schultz
fibrofay@cox.net
or 504-835-9571
to confirm your slot at any of these
Reading To
Rover
events.
OUR DEEPEST
SYMPATHIES
to Bea
Cottingham,
who lost her beloved dog,
Logan in April.
Logan had
been a
visiting pet since 2004 and was a regular
visitor to
Chateau Living Center.
and to Susan Falcon,
who lost her
cherished dog,
Calli.
Calli had just
completed
her
probationary period in May.
The love and joy these pets brought into
the lives of
the nursing home residents will not be
forgotten.
Logan and Calli will be deeply missed by all who
knew them. Our deepest sympathies to Bea and
Susan on theloss of their beloved
companions.
UPDATED VPP WEBSITE
Our webmistress, Danna Morris is updating
the VPP website to incorporate new features and
pictures. The updated website will be
unveiled in
August, 2009.
VPP on FACEBOOK
If you
have a Facebook account, please join Visiting
Pet
Progam on Facebook.
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