Volunteer Spotlight:
Josh Belz

Josh with "Michelle"

Nearly two years ago Josh Belz moved to Kansas City, Kansas from Richmond, Missouri. To help him meet new people and get more involved with his new community, his family encouraged him to find a volunteer job in the area. After searching around for a few months, Josh found the HSGKC and started volunteering. He has loved it here ever since and feels as if the shelter staff have become a second family for him.

Josh spends most of his time helping in the volunteer department. Whether it’s stuffing mailers, rolling newspapers, or shredding he is always ready to help. Although Josh loves the animals and visits them frequently, he feels that doing things in the office for the animals is just as important. “I want to make sure they have everything they need, including newspapers for their beds,” said Josh.

“Volunteering here gives me a sense of accomplishment,” he shared. “You can help in so many little ways.” Josh encourages anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity to stop by the HSGKC for a tour, meet the staff and find out if the shelter would be a good fit for them. “I always tell people about how great the shelter is,” Josh said. “I share with them about the great atmosphere, how clean it is and how there’s always something to do.”

When not volunteering, Josh enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and his family. You can also find him hard at work in the grocery department as Chas Ball on Parallel Parkway.

Last month in CyberTails we shared our goal of having 12 groups come on the Pet Telethon and present a “jumbo check” for the pets.

Henry Wurst, Inc. has taken our challenge to heart and arranged a Jeans Day for the Pets. Employees can donate $5 to the HSGKC and in return they get to wear jeans to work. Their goal is to raise $500 and present their jumbo check on-air to Gary Lezak during the Telethon.

Will you join Henry Wurst employees and show your support too? Groups that raise $500 or more will be able to come on air to present their jumbo check and share with 40,000 Kansas Citians how much they love animals. Your group can be from work, your bunko group, from church, etc. Call Robin at 913-596-1000 x 14 or send an email to confirm your involvement.

Crissy McNellis and "Arty" hanging out together in the newly remodeled dog adoption room.

Month after month, volunteers go out of their way to help the animals at the Humane Society. Here are a few volunteers we’d like to thank for going above and beyond:

Sara Lienau and Rhonda Thieme donated countless hours of their time helping with data conversion. Amanda Stevens organized a successful in-kind donation drive at Sam’s Club. Floyd Rogers got down and dirty and helped with the very stinky job of fixing the dog beds.

Finally, a great big thank you goes out to Mike Sands, for patching up the holes in our Adoption Room and volunteering to raise extra money for the project. Now our dogs have a stylish new room to meet and greet their future owners.

Mark Your Calendars:
2008 Events

• Annual Meeting: THIS SUNDAY, February 10, 2pm, at the shelter. Join us for our Annual Meeting at the shelter. We will review our activities from 2007, and share with you our plans for 2008. There will also be special volunteer recognition you won’t want to miss. Help us recognize those volunteers that have gone above and beyond for the animals. If you plan to attend, please let Jo know so that we can a save a seat for you! Complimentary refreshments will be served.

• The Kansas City Pet Telethon: March 9, 6:30-9:30pm, on 38 the Spot (Channel 8 for cable viewers). Encourage all your friends and family to watch the show this year. Even better, invite everyone over to your house and organize a Telethon Watch Party! Last year the Westport Flea Market, a local bar and grill, held a watch party. The restaurant then donated $1 from every veggie burger sold that night to support the animals. A watch party is a great way to earn money for the shelter and have a ton of fun at the same time. For more event information, visit our website, or call 913-596-1000 x 22.

• Dog-n-Jog: Sunday, June 8 on The Country Club Plaza

• Art Unleashed: Friday, August 22 at The Uptown Theater

• Golf Classic: Saturday, September 27 at Ironhorse Golf Course

• Pet Reunion: Saturday, October 25 at the HSGKC

Watch your e-mail for information about one of our upcoming mailing parties. We will need volunteers to help us prepare bulk mailings. Volunteer duties include affixing labels to brochures, and tabbing and sorting pieces by zip code. Call or email Jo at 913-596-1000 x 22 for more information and upcoming needs.

Are you an animal lover who needs hours to fulfill a school service project? Consider organizing a collection drive for the shelter. Any hours you devote to collecting items will count towards your project. Donated goods save us lots of money, and allow us to concentrate on finding great homes for all of our pets. Right now, we could really use magic wand cat toys, dog and cat treats, toilet paper, Dawn dish soap, and copy paper.

If you were among the early birds who pre-ordered one of our great new HSGKC sweatshirts, please pick them up in the volunteer room.

Approximately 150 dogs and cats call the shelter their home, and these little guys are masters at making messes! We wash literally hundreds of loads of blankets and towels each month.

Help us with our never-ending pile of laundry – the next time you are out, pick up an extra gallon of laundry detergent for our four-legged friends. For a list of other items and services we need, check out our Sit Up and Beg Wish List.

Please help us welcome our newest group of volunteers, who braved the frigid January weather to attend our volunteer class: Amy, Will, Rachel and Jayme Frazee; Cathy Drew; Joi Wiliamson; Mike Abrams; Floyd Rogers; Amanda Harris – spring intern; Kate Schuller; Jessica Rapos; Jessica Cano; Camille Abdel; Melissa and Sharon Rakos; Brad O’Brym; Holly Robertson – spring intern; Jill and Zac Stower; and Kim and Hailey Tassone.

Spread the word about animal welfare. Invite Jo to talk to your group and raise community awareness for our furry friends in need. Call her at 913-596-1000 x 22 if you have somewhere for her and Cooper (her dog) to visit.

We've Been Adopted!
2008 is off to a good start with lots of great adoptions, including some dogs who'd been
residing with us for a long time: Wendie, Keaton & Sky!

Betsy, Blue, Carter & Wendie (together!), Cricket, Dina & Hollywood (together!),

Edie, Elliott, Elwood, Fannie & Floyd (together!), Georgia

Ginger, Harold, Jackson, Keaton, Larry, Miley

Mr. Mouth, Murphy, Noah, Oreo, Peaches

Sadie, Sammy, Sky, Sophie, Spruce... and several others not pictured!