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Take Note!
CELEBRATING
27 SUCCESSFUL YEARS
New Volunteer Orientation
Saturday,
October 18, 2014
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Harahan Senior Center
100 Elodie
Pre-registration required
Contact Claire Sommers at paws4visits@gmail.com to register
Pet/Handler Evaluation
Saturday,
September 6, 2014 and January 10, 2015 Harahan Senior Center 100 Elodie Pre-registration required
Contact Barbara Hyland to register at greytpets2@gmail.com if you would like to have an additional pet tested.
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
In Orleans Parish
Held on the second Thursday of each month, Rosa Keller Library,
4300 South Broad
New Orleans
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
On the West Bank Held on the second Sunday of each month 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey from 2:00pm-3:00pm Contact Fay Schultz fibrofay@cox.net to confirm your slot at any of these
Reading To Rover events.
Our Deepest Sympathies
to
Joyce Lashley,
who lost her beloved golden retriever,
Mills
in July.
Mills
served with VPP for about eight years at Bayside and Jo Ellen and every month at Reading to Rover.
Happy Retirement
The following VPP members recently retired their pets from service to the community. Our sincere thanks goes to:
Cathy Burch,
who retired her
dog,
Rosie.
Rosie joined VPP in 2006 and was a regular at Oschner. Rosie also participated in the visits to Children's hospital.
Claire Sommers,
who retired her dog,
Forrest.
Forest joined VPP in 2007 and was a regular visitro at Covenant. He also participated in the Reading to Rover program.
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Camp Lighthouse
On June 26th, VPP teams of Diana and Lilou, Mike and Olive, Beth and Nachi, Lee and Gabby, Joy and Benny, Zan and Lucy, Mary and Kokomo, Julie Ann and Oscar and Janice and Kizmet visited Lighthouse Louisiana's Camp Lighthouse. A great time was had by both our teams and the campers!
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Summer Seminars
Sharon McDonald and Gee!
On June 1, ten VPP pet-handler teams enjoyed a fabulous afternoon of doggy trick training with the remarkable instructor, Sharon McDonald and her amazing dog, Gee!. The pet-handler teams learned tricks like, touch paw, roll-over, hold position, carry an object in mouth, drop an object and others. A big thank you goes to Sharon McDonald and Gee! for showing us how to have a good time with our pets and build our wonderful bond with them.
 Clinical Social Worker Sharon Henry gave a wonderful presentation on how to the handle difficult situations we sometimes encounter. The group of more than 30 VPP members and guest were enthralled with the fabulous information Sharon shared with us. We were all so impressed with Sharon's presentation that we have already booked her for a repeat of her Pet Bereavement seminar for next summer.
She left us with a wonderful saying
The Healer's Prayer
I am here only to be truly helpful
I am here to represent You Who sent me
I do not worry about what I will say,
Or what I will do
Knowing that You Who sent me will direct my words and my actions
Lead me, Guide me, Direct me
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 Greetings!
Time to start our visits once again!Hard to believe we are entering our 27th year of service to Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes.
Our volunteers didn't take much of a break during the summer months. Read below about some of their many activities during the summer. We're ready to get the fall started with our Evaluation in early September and then welcome our new volunteers through out the fall.
If you have not already done so, be sure to send in your visit confirmations for September through December. Your schedules are due by August 15th. Also, read about our new Members in Training (MITs) program in your Guidelines for Volunteers. We are excited to finally be able to welcome a younger group to our visits.
I am honored and excited to tell you all of a very generous donation from Madeline Deirdre Burns. In honor of her kindness, we have named the Annual Meeting for her. It will now be called the Madeline Deirdre Burns Annual Volunteer Appreciation Meeting. The date for the 2015 event is Sunday, March 8, 2015. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us all!
Have a wonderful year of "Bringing Love and Leaving Smiles"!
With thanks for all you do,
Lee Gaffney
President
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VPP at Camp Tiger
On Friday, May 23, seven VPP pet-handler teams joined the fun at Camp Tiger hosted by the LSUHSC Med Students for special needs children. What a great camp and what a great day!
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VPP at
Care Cadet Camp
Recently my greyhound Alex and I gave presentations to the LA/SPCA Care Cadet Program and The New Orleans Charter Science & Mathematics High School, a/k/a Sci High.
It was exciting to share with the Care Cadets our new Members in Training Program/MIT. They will now have an opportunity to become members of VPP.
The VPP was also invited to participate at Sci High for their first Health & Wellness Day Expo. An overview of the VPP was given to the students together with a handout outlining the physical and emotional benefits of pet therapy. Alex won everyone's heart.
Barbara Hyland
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Finals at Loyola
On May 5, 12 VPP pet-handler teams visited Loyola University New Orleans
to give students a much needed finals study break.
Many students spoke about counting down the days until they returned home to their family pets. Others spoke about stressful finals and long nights of additional studying and paper writing.
However, for a hour that night, nothing was more important than finding another dog to pet. As much fun as the students had, the volunteers had just as much fun. The teams are already looking forward to fall finals!
Nicole Parks
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A donation was received from
Crossroads Foundation, Inc.
A donation was received from
Claire Sommers
in memory of
Denise and Chet Mehurin's dog, Gigi
A donation was received from
Fay and Bill Schultz
in memory of
Louise and Don Berkowicz's
dog,
Bentley
A donation was received from
Jill Dolese
in memory of her dog,
Rocky
A donation was received from
New York Community Trust
and
Madeline Deirdre Burns
A donation was received from
Christina Fay
in memory of
Kevin Kornman's
pet,
Sonja
Donations were received from
Claire Sommers,
Fay and Bill Schultz,
Cathy Burch,
and Barbara Hyland
in memory of
Nancy Field's dog,
Tookie
A donation was received from
Lee Gaffney
in memory of
Edye Conkerton's dog,
Little Bit
Donations were received from
AT&T Employee Giving Campaign
A donation was received from CustomInk
Donations were received from United Way
A donation was received from
Claire Sommers
in memory of
Joyce Lashley's dog,
Mills
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About 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 27 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 P.O. Box 24748, New Orleans, LA 70184-4748. 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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