New Year, New Goals, Give Back

It's a new year, and many of you might have written resolutions for 2017, like lose weight, pay off bills, or get in shape.  Here's a thought for you.  How about adding some volunteering to that list?  The only thing it costs you is your time, and what it gives back is absolutely priceless.

If you're parents, what a great gift to give your kids.  If they're old enough, they can volunteer too, and learn a lifetime of lessons.  Just an hour a week playing with the cats (we call it socializing), means that we have information to give a prospective adopter, like does it get along with other cats?  Is it a lap cat?  Playful, or a 'sit in the sun' kind of cat?

At  The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes, our volunteer needs are many.  There always seem to be folks that want to work with the dogs, but the cats struggle, as they do in shelters all over the country.  There's the manual labor of cleaning the kennels of course, but there is so much more needed.  For example, we need a list of foster parents, who are willing to take a kitty home with them that otherwise won't survive in a shelter environment.  Someone that we can teach to administer fluids if necessary, syringe feed, or just give love and warmth.  When we get a cat that has been injured or is obviously sick, we seek out a rescue to take them, and have transported as far as Wisconsin to get them the necessary care.  But this time of year, the rescues are as full as we are, and sometimes have to say no.

Maybe you want to help, but are afraid of getting attached, or have an allergy.  Another volunteer opportunity that we struggle with is grant writing.  We miss out on thousands of dollars simply because we don't have the time to research the available grants and apply for them.

Maybe you're a sales person - how about helping us fund raise?  We are ALWAYS raising funds.  It might be as simple as selling raffle tickets or calendars, or more involved like organizing one of our fundraisers or putting together our annual calendar for 2018.

Are you creative?  We'd love to sell t-shirts, but again, who has the time?  I took a stab at designing one, using the Bonfire.com service.  I KNOW you can do better than I can!

Now see, I just gave you a bunch of great New Year's resolutions, and none of them cost a cent.  If you're in the Detroit Lakes area, please check out the website for The Marshmallow Foundation, and fill out a volunteer application.  Call or Facebook us to set up a time to have a tour of the facility, or talk about volunteer opportunities.  We'd love to have you on the team!

Yes, I'm a Crazy Cat Lady (and Proud of It)

We all know the stereotype - single, middle aged, female with cats.  The title of crazy cat lady is not meant to flatter; the emphasis is usually on the adjective "crazy".

I am single, of a certain age, and I do have two cats that I adopted from The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes.  What makes me crazy is that I volunteer my time at the very same shelter!

Friends tell me that they don't understand how I can do it.  "It's so sad", they say.

And sometimes it is.  Today was one of those days.  Yunger, one of the more affectionate cats, has been sick for several weeks with what was thought to be an upper respiratory infection, which is very common in shelter cats and equivelent to the common cold.  He's been to the Vet a couple of times and been treated with antibiotics with no improvement.  He has lost a lot of weight, and can no longer stand or sit.  Still, when I opened the door to his kennel, he greeted me with a virtually silent meow, and struggled to find his balance long enough to put his paws on my chest to be picked up.  I held him several times today, walking around the room petting him, scratching him behind the ears and telling him what a good cat he was.  He would push his nose against my cheek telling me that he heard me.

But comforting a dying cat isn't the really sad part.  Knowing that if the foundation had more donations, Yunger would be in the hospital right now getting fluids, medication, and the necessary diagnostic tests is the truly tragic story.  The wonderful employees and volunteers are even now trying to find transport for Yunger to the Twin Cities, which is the closest veterinary clinic found that would offer no cost or low cost emergency treatment.

Yes, today was a sad day.  But knowing that I was there to offer a little kindness to one of God's precious creatures made my decision to volunteer at the animal shelter an easy one.

**Happy Update:  Yunger made it to Gregory's Gift of Hope, in New Richmond, WI  and is in the arms of caring humans who have the funds to help him.  He's not out of the woods, and his vet bill for one night is already $1200.  If you'd like to donate,  they accept Paypal.