Stray Thoughts Fall 2019
Bid for the Animals at the WSHS
Holiday Gift PAWCTION!
G
et great gifts that give back! A weekend getaway in Lake Geneva,
designer handbags, family outings all over the Chicago area, gift
certificates – all great gifts for others or yourself!
Every dollar raised goes to help the West Suburban Humane Society
provide medical care to the homeless dogs and cats. From puppies
who need heart surgery to kittens with broken legs, every animal
deserves a chance at a loving, forever home.
Bidding starts December 4th at
https://wshs2019.givesmart.com
Volunteer Spotlight
W
hen you walk into the cattery on a Wednesday
afternoon, you will be greeted by up to 30 cats and
four welcoming women! Janice Mack, Karen Putnam,
Tracy Tureson, and Julie Appler love getting to know
all of the cats that stay in the cattery until adoption.
They appreciate each of the distinctive personalities
of their feline friends. In addition to providing hours of
socialization and affection, the women on this shift deep
clean all of the cattery litterboxes and give the cattery a
weekly dose of “fresh air!”
Julie is the newest member on the shift; she started
volunteering in May. Since Julie does not have any kitties
at home, she loves coming in each week to be with
the cats in the cattery. Julie often finds herself staying
past the end of her shift and subbing on other shifts as
well. Julie keeps active in her spare time by walking,
swimming and playing Mahjong.
her grandchildren and loves the movies while Janice
likes reading, landscaping and traveling. Janice is mom
to Moonstruck, her black velvet short-hair beauty, and
foster mom to recent cattery resident, shy Chelsea.
Tracy loves cats and has certainly found a way to be
around them as much as she can since she started
volunteering a year ago. Tracy also volunteers on
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in house cats and is
a foster mom to kitten Amber. She enjoys spending time
with her kids and volunteering at her daughter’s school.
The Wednesday afternoon shift also hosts the Little
Friends’ Bridge High School program where students
with autism gain job experience. The Business
Development Specialist for this program is thankful for
the opportunities that this shift gives to her students,
saying that the women on the shift “radiate love and
passion for the animals.”
Janice and Karen have both been volunteering with
WSHS cats for more than 20 years. In that time, they
have seen a lot of changes, the biggest and best being
the addition of our free-roam cattery. They appreciate
that WSHS volunteers have always jumped in to take care
of whatever needs fixing at the shelter. They also marvel
at the number of cats that have been helped in “our little
ol’ building.” Karen spends as much time as she can with
Janice, Karen, Tracy and Julie all started out volunteering
at the shelter for the cats, but they have stayed to be
around fellow animal lovers. Stop in to chat with them
when you are here on Wednesday!
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