It was a year ago, January 2, 2010, that I, along with several other volunteers arrived at the shelter/thrift store on 23rd Street to begin the long overdue clean up and organization of the warehouse attached to the shelter/thrift store. This is where the donations of goods were stored until retail space was available inside the thrift store. It had become an unmanageable mess, an eyesore, a discredit to the many who had donated.
Those that showed up to begin the arduous task of making sense of the mess, vowed to clean house from top to bottom and to turn the situation around no matter what it took.
This was the beginning of a journey that has taken The Humane Society of Bay County through many changes during the year of 2010. It was shortly after this pivotal experience that I was elected President of the HSBC.
Little by little, a new Board of Directors emerged and the restructuring began. A new shelter manager was hired. An all volunteer marketing committee was formed and a new direction with a new focus and a new message was forged.
“We love animals.” Plain and simple.
The Board of Directors as a group established the following criteria for 2010:
Step up the efforts in getting animals adopted into forever homes.
Take animals out of Animal Control when we have the space available. Save lives!
Keep the shelter/thrift store clean and reduce the odor of the animals as much as possible.
Get the staff trained in animal healthcare, handling and caretaking of shelter animals.
Make the administrative end of the adoption process easier for prospective adopters.
Become a positive face for the homeless animals in our community.
Improve customer service.
Generate a genuine interest in the community for the HSBC and our mission to make a difference for the homeless animals.
Establish a cohesive branding of our organization.
Launch a marketing campaign that focuses on the positive, encourages adoptions, and shows people they can be a part of the solution.
Find a videographer that will work with us pro bono and do a video that shows how great it is to adopt a pet.
Launch a spay/neuter event or program that all the local pet rescue groups can participate in.
Get back into the larger shelter on Bay Avenue and secure the funding to do the needed renovations and sustain us on an ongoing basis.
Create a news magazine as an insert to the newspaper that will be our voice to the community.
Find board members that are willing to put in the time and effort to make all the above happen.
We thought we could accomplish all of this within six months on the outside, but when it comes to non-profits, the world moves slow. It has been a year.
As we roll into 2011, we stand ready. The shelter is everything we hoped for. We have begun the marketing campaign, a video was done, though not shown yet, the staff have a high level of animal training, customer service is at an all-time high, we are moving a record number of animals through and the groundwork is being laid to launch a spay/neuter event. It is going to be a good year! Join us in our efforts to make a difference.
Become a member of The Humane Society of Bay County!