3rd Quarter, 2015 - North Shore Animal League America

“North Shore Animal League
America is a blessing,”
- Martinsville-Henry County SPCA’s
Executive Director Nicole Harris
QUARTERLY ISSUE SEPT 2015
Long Island and Virginia:
Two Decades of a Lifesaving Partnership.
In 1991, North Shore Animal League America launched
its innovative National Humane Relocation Program, the
first of its kind to rescue animals slated for euthanasia in
overcrowded shelters in the South. We’re proud that, today,
this method is widely imitated by organizations across the
country, saving countless lives.
One of our earliest partners was the SPCA of MartinsvilleHenry County, in Virginia, a progressive shelter in a city
of about 15,000 just 50 miles north of the North Carolina
border. Eager for a chance to adopt the no-kill agenda,
Martinsville became one of our staunchest colleagues, and
after 20 years our relationship is still going strong.
Three times a month, we travel to Martinsville, returning
with an average of 180 animals whose journey north
means a second chance at successful adoption. It also
means that the Martinsville shelter can accept more needy
animals. Because of our alliance, the Martinsville SPCA has
grown into a regional hub serving 16 counties and cutting
euthanasia rates drastically. And in 2013, two years ahead
of schedule, it became an official no-kill shelter.
Animal League America’s Senior Director of Operations
Sylvia Ottaka has worked with the Virginia team for 19
years. “We really are of the same mind,” she says. “They’re
passionate and caring, a complete pleasure to work with.
And they’re incredibly kind. After Superstorm Sandy hit us
in 2012, Martinsville called to say, ‘Hey, we’re here for you.
If there’s anything we can do…’ Well, that tells you a lot!”
Ultimately, Nicole Harris, Martinsville’s Executive Director, credits
Animal League America with making her organization a no-kill
success. “North Shore charted and perfected the course for
progressive shelters everywhere,” she says. “We model 90
percent of our programs on North Shore’s ideas, whether it’s
intake, medical care, fostering, spay and neuter, or adoption.
Why reinvent the wheel when it runs so smoothly? The people
at North Shore are my superheroes. Whenever I talk to them, I
envision them wearing big red capes, flying animals to safety.”
To meet one of our Martinsville Mutt-i-grees®, see page 4.
Global Pet Adoptathon 2015:
A Month of Perfect Matches
Dear Friends,
As President of North Shore Animal League America, I’m happy to
introduce you to our Get Your Rescue On® campaign, an exciting
new way to support our lifesaving work.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the gel wristbands, lapel pins, and
colored ribbons that people proudly sport to promote a variety
of worthy causes. Well, at North Shore Animal League America,
we’re delighted to take this phenomenon one step further,
creating a handsome, stainless steel unisex Rescue Cuff to raise
awareness of our no-kill mission to rescue, nurture, adopt, and
educate. The cuff will communicate your commitment to the ideals
of Mutt-i-gree® rescue and, at the same time, help you recognize
that commitment in others.
Imagine meeting someone for the first time, reaching out to shake
hands, and realizing that you’re both wearing our Rescue Cuffs!
Not only will you have discovered a kindred spirit, you’ll also have
reinforced a sense of mission and community that can lead to
more cuffs, more support, and, hence, more lives saved.
That’s what we’re trying to capture with this campaign, a sense
of partnership in the lifesaving cause we all so deeply believe in.
But to make this effort a true success, we’ll need you to Get Your
Rescue On. Each cuff is just $25, a small price for such a powerful
statement. Every time you wear your cuff, you’ll send a priceless
message about your values and compassion, while providing
Animal League America with much-needed revenue for our
lifesaving work.
Once you receive your cuff, we ask you to take a “selfie” featuring
your new accessory and, if you like, your rescue pet. Then post
the photo on social media and share it with your friends and
family. Encourage them to do the same. With your help, we’ll
go viral in no time, and more and more Mutt-i-grees — whether
mixed or purebred, young or old, canine or feline — will find
loving, responsible homes.
Traditionally, the sixth month of the year has been reserved
for weddings and happily-ever-after.
But there are many ways to make love matches, as proven
once again by North Shore Animal League America’s 21st
annual Pet Adoptathon®, a month-long festival of very
special matchmaking. The kick-off began on Saturday, June
6, and ran for 36 hours straight on our Long Island, N.Y.
campus.
We’ll officially debut our Rescue Cuff on Sept. 8, so please visit
getyourrescueon.org for details about how to order. And as the
holidays approach, consider ordering cuffs as gifts so everyone
you know will get their rescue on, too. This will surely be your
most meaningful purchase, symbolizing your commitment to
saving innocent lives and spreading the word that adoption really
is the only compassionate option.
Besides entertainment provided by Purina’s® Incredible Dog
Show and a visit from the New York Mets’ mascot (aka Mr.
Met), visitors also had a chance to meet Poh, a terminally
ill Mutt-i-gree® adopted as a puppy from Animal League
America in 1999. Poh, who returned to Long Island to
complete his “bucket list” journey, cut the opening ribbon
with his lifetime buddy, Thomas Neil Rodriguez, during a
moving tribute to this special dog and his family.
Warm regards,
By Sunday evening, 481 of our wonderful Mutt-i-grees had
found responsible, loving homes, and we couldn’t be happier!
J. John Stevenson, President
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June.
Swoon.
Honeymoon.
But that was just the start of something bigger and even
more powerful. For the entire month of June, special
activities brought more adopters through our doors…and
equally important, through the doors of more than 2,900
of our dedicated partner shelters around the world — a
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
Photography by Lori Cannava
number that breaks the record for Adoptathon participants.
Sponsored by Purina, the global event brought together
thousands of homeless pets and happy adopters in all 50
states, as well as on five continents and in seven countries,
including Australia, Canada, India, the Philippines, and
Saint Kitts and Nevis — making Pet Adoptathon an
increasingly significant international event.
Our dedicated shelter and rescue partners worked tirelessly
to promote, organize, and support this collective effort,
turning their cities, hometowns, and villages into a lifesaving
network of compassion and Mutt-i-gree celebration.
At press time, we were busy compiling the worldwide
totals, which we’ll include in the next issue of “Pawprints”.
For more about Pet Adoptathon, visit us at animalleague.org/petadoptathon
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
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A Little Dog Named Marley:
The (Sweet) Face of a
Lifesaving Partnership
disorder has resulted in an abnormal gait. At the moment,
doctors see no need for treatment, though if lameness
develops in the future they’ll re-evaluate him.
Marley’s stay on campus was short. He arrived on Jan. 13,
2015. Eleven days later, he was on his way to a loving,
responsible new home. His lucky adopters, Dianna and
Mario Mendoza, of Elmhurst, N.Y., were not the slightest
bit put off by his condition. In fact, they think Marley is the
most adorable Mutt-i-gree ever.
“Marley is doing amazing,” says Dianna. He loves to
sleep and is so playful and loveable. He gets along great
with everyone in the house! In fact, we’re interested in
adopting another Chihuahua/Terrier Mutt-i-gree to keep
him company! We couldn’t have asked for a better dog for
our family!”
Since Animal League America teamed up with the SPCA of
Martinsvillle-Henry County two decades ago, our Mobile
Adoption Units have brought more than 20,000 pets from
Virginia to the safety of our Long Island campus.
Karla Agostinello, who works in our Rescue Department, has
made countless rescue runs, locally as well as to states as
distant as Virginia, Oklahoma, and Georgia. She’s seen more
Marleys than she can count, and yet each is a vivid individual.
Among those little pilgrims was a dog named Marley,
whose deformed front legs would have meant certain
euthanasia had Animal League America and Martinsville not
established this powerful relationship.
“You can only imagine how happy I feel when I pull a dog
or cat who is on the list for euthanasia, and help bring the
pet here to be adopted,” says Karla. “I really believe that
rescued dogs know they’re getting a second chance at life.
You can see joy in their faces as they hop in the backseat of
the family car and ride into their happy futures.”
Our veterinarians believe Marley was either born with this
problem or suffered some sort of trauma. In either case, the
Partners for the Future:
LEAVE YOUR
LEGACY WITHOUT
LEGAL FEES
Do you have a checking or savings account? Perhaps an IRA
or a life insurance policy, as well?
If so, with just a few simple steps you can become a Legacy
member of Animal League America’s Pet Protectors Society
and do more than you may have ever thought possible to help
save the lives of homeless dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.
Each of these accounts can be easily assigned to North
Shore Animal League America so that after your life, all or a
portion of the funds they hold can be used to help support
our no-kill mission.
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2. Ask for a Change of Beneficiary form.
3. Use the following information to add our organization
as a TOD (transfer on death) beneficiary of the account:
Name: North Shore Animal League America, Inc.
Address: 16 Lewyt St., Port Washington, NY 11050
Tax ID Number: 11-1666852
4. Return the form to your financial institution.
With those four easy steps you can play a crucial role in
ensuring that our no-kill mission can continue long into
the future.
Once you’ve updated the designation on your account(s),
please let us know so we can properly recognize you as an
important member of our Pet Protectors Society and, if you
choose, list your name in future editions of our annual report.
Updating your designation(s) is simple. Please follow
these steps:
To inform us of your gift, please contact Eric N. Lieberman,
Senior Manager of Planned Giving, at (516) 812-7218 or
[email protected].
1. Contact the financial institution that manages your
account (your bank, life insurance company, etc.).
On behalf of all the innocent animals you’ll help us save,
thank you!
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
National Mutt-i-grees Ambassadors
CELEBRATE YEAR ONE
From Bixby, Okla., to
Ashland, Ky., to Bee
Branch, Ark., the word
“Mutt-i-grees” is now part
of the local vocabulary,
thanks to the creative
leadership of our three
inaugural National Mutt-igrees Ambassadors.
Though separated by
hundreds of miles, these
teens share one overriding
concern: the wellbeing of
animals. Their enthusiasm
for the Mutt-i-grees
Curriculum — and their
Ragan
willingness to work hard
to save lives and educate
their peers — made their freshman year in high school one
that neither they, nor their communities, will soon forget.
Looking back at a school year well spent, they agree that their
service as ambassadors was both life-changing and lifesaving.
All three led successful fundraising and awareness
campaigns for their shelters, organized adoption events,
coordinated volunteer programs and pet food drives, and
helped animal welfare groups forge links to political and
business leaders in their communities.
• Ragan Fletcher, of Bixby, Okla., calls her year as an
Ambassador “inspirational.” As Miss Okmulgee County
Outstanding Teen (part of the Miss America pageant), Ragan
used the Curriculum as her pageant platform, spending
the school year organizing volunteers for the Tulsa Humane
Society, representing the Curriculum at the Oklahoma
City ANIMAL Conference, working adoption events, and
spreading the word about shelter pets as an adviser to a
fifth grade M.U.T.T.S. Club. “The kids’ personalities changed
drastically as they became more outgoing,” says Ragan.
“The most exciting part was the fact that the kids did not
want this to end at all.”
• Layne Meek, of Ashland, Ky., created a Mutt-i-grees Teen
Council that attracted more than 34 eager and creative
student volunteers, ages 13 to 18, from six area schools.
“Students from schools that often meet as opponents
in academic or athletic competitions,” he says “joined
together for the same great cause — shelter animal
awareness and the belief in no-kill.” He readily admits that,
in years past, he’d have been too shy to speak in front
of a group. “But leading the council and interacting with
community members and volunteers gave me a chance to
develop skills that will help me in future interactions with
people of all ages,” he says.
• Madalyn Pennington, of Bee Branch, Ark., was thrilled
to have our Tour For Life® visit nearby Clinton, Ark., where
she and her band of volunteers bathed and groomed the
adoptable pets so they could make their best impressions.
She is also helping to organize a summer Mutt-i-grees
Camp, which includes volunteering at local animal shelters
and nursing homes. For Madalyn, the most crucial lesson
she’s learned is the importance of spay/neuter.
Layne
Madalyn
Partners for Humane Education:
New Programs and Workshops
Introduce Educators to the
Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum
Queens College’s Professional and Continuing Studies is
joining forces with Animal League America to offer the
first 20-hour Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum certificate course
for teachers and librarians. The course will be an extensive
review of the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, which is applicable
to early childhood education, K-12, special education,
guidance and counseling, character education, humane
education, information sciences, character education,
life skills, and health education. Participants will explore
the Curriculum’s theoretical and practical applications,
discovering the educational benefits of human-animal
interactions and how social and emotional learning combines
with humane education to create calm, caring, and confident
students. For more information or to register for the course,
please call (718) 997-5700 or visit www.qc.cuny.edu/pcs.
Participants can gain two Continuing Education Units (CEU’s).
Other valuable partners, TD Charitable Foundation and The
Karma Foundation, provided funds for several professional
development sessions across Long Island and New Jersey,
respectively, during the 2014-15 academic year. Teachers
and librarians attending these informative and inspiring
programs saw firsthand how powerfully the Curriculum
supports social and emotional development and how best
to implement its lessons in a classroom or library setting.
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
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14th Lewyt Humane
Awards Luncheon:
Donor Spotlight: Anna and Mitchell E. Hart
Hart family held that long-ago canine companion: “In
Loving Memory of Bridget. No Stone Marks Where She
Lies. Her Life Is Engraved In Our Hearts.”
Comedian Scott Blakeman
and host Brian Balthazar
For the Harts, these gifts represent a personal
commitment to North Shore Animal League America
based on firsthand knowledge and a thoughtful respect
for the work we do.
Giving from the Heart
For Anna and Mitchell Hart, of Great Neck, N.Y., the
most meaningful way to honor the memory of those
they’ve loved and lost is to help provide a loving future
for homeless animals in need.
Since 1988, the Harts have generously supported
our no-kill mission through a variety of gifts. Then, in
the fall of 2013, the Harts made memorial donations
for Mitchell’s parents, Murray and Sylvia, who died
just four months apart. In honor of Mitchell’s mother,
they donated a much-needed cat-condo. The eloquent
plaque reads simply: “In Cherished Memory of Sylvia
Hart Who Loved Animals of All Kinds.”
They also dedicated a Tribute Bench, located directly
outside our main adoption center. The plaque honors
Mitchell’s childhood companion, a dog named Bridget,
and speaks tenderly of the love in which the entire
Clearly, the Hart family has discovered the power of
Animal League America’s Tribute Gifts Program, which
offers three personalized options to choose from
when honoring a special person or pet. These include
a Tribute Brick for our Memory Lane Campus Walkway,
a Tribute Tile for display in our Tribute Tile Gallery, or
a handsome bronze plaque for placement on benches,
landscaped rocks, or trees on our campus. For additional
information, please visit animalleague.org/tribute.
To learn more about how you can support our lifesaving mission with a gift, please contact Jill Burkhardt, at [email protected], or call 516-883-7900, ext 833.
Thank you to our Pet Rescue-Friendly Partners
Corporate Partners supporting our mission
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Joanne Yohannan, Senior
Vice President of Operations,
presented the Scarlett Award
for Animal Heroism to Joey,
a 10-year-old Pomeranian.
The award is named for the
legendary Calico Scarlett, who
came to us in 1996 after risking
her life to save her five kittens
from a burning building in
Foster partners Joey and
Brooklyn. Though less dramatic,
Peggy O’Connell and family
Joey’s story reveals how one
good dog can serve as a role
model for needy puppy mill rescues, quietly helping other
canines discover the joys of home.
“I’ve made several visits to the facility,” says Mitchell,
“and the care given to these homeless animals — and
to the families who wish to adopt them — is first rate,
supported by an enthusiastic, friendly staff. Of course,
we’d all prefer to live in a world where no animal is
homeless or abused. Supporting North Shore Animal
League America is the next best thing.”
Senior Vice President of Development Jill Burkhardt
praises the Harts as genuine friends. “I’ll never forget
Mitchell’s passionate response to our Tribute Gifts
Program. He was able to pay tribute to his parents’
memory, as well as that of his beloved childhood
dog, with special gifts in their honor — gifts that had
immediate impact on the pets in our care. The Harts’
continued support has not waivered, and we are
extremely grateful.”
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
Popular television personality
Brian Balthazar hosted the event
with panache, while comedian
Scott Blakeman injected a
lively dose of humor to the
proceedings. Our national
spokesperson and foster parent
extraordinaire, Beth Stern, also
took the stage to thank the
guests for their ongoing support
of Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline
Adoption Center.
The 14th Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon, held on
Wednesday, June 24, at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck,
N.Y., brought together more than 250 guests to support
our ongoing campaign for Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline
Adoption Center.
To begin the
program, President
John Stevenson
received a citation
from the New York
State Assembly and
Assemblywoman
Michelle Schimel,
John Stevenson, Beth Stern, Judi
honoring Animal
Bosworth, and Sandra Atlas Bass
League America
for its decades of
humane leadership. Special luncheon guests included Judi
Bosworth, Town Supervisor for North Hempstead, N.Y.;
Linda Church, PIX11 Morning News Weather Anchor; and
Sandra Atlas Bass, our event chairperson.
We appreciate all of our generous supporters, with special
thanks to our sponsors North Shore LIJ Health Systems, Mel
Karmazin Foundation, Canine Company, Chateau La Paws,
Marks Paneth LLP, PetPlan Pet Insurance, Abaxis, Direct Mail
Processors, eBay Enterprises, Henry Schein Animal Health,
Merck Animal Hospital, Merial, Neuberger Berman, and Zoetis.
Dorothy Graham, recipient
of the Sandra Atlas Bass
Philanthropist Award, supports
several of our programs,
especially those for felines.
In addition, through the Olga
Graham Fund, which honors
her mother, Dorothy provides
funding for our innovative
Seniors for Seniors Program,
Dorothy Graham and family
which promotes adoption of
older pets to senior citizens. It
also provides complimentary veterinary care to help seniors
keep their beloved pets. In her remarks, Dorothy told the
audience how important it is for people and pets to enjoy
the human-animal bond in their later years.
The Outstanding Corporate
Supporter Award went to the
New York Mets, who for the
past 11 years have invited us
into their stadiums to hold our
family-friendly Bark in the Park
fundraisers, proving that the
national pastime is even more fun
in the company of a Mutt-i-gree®.
Joanne Yohannan, Danielle
Parillo of the New York Mets,
and John Stevenson
PAWPRINTS ISSUE 3 2015
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Gala 2015:
Get Your
Rescue On™
Friday,
November 20th
Workplace
Giving to Animal
League America
• Do you work for a federal agency? What about your friends
Join our honorary chairpersons, Beth and Howard Stern,
our hilarious host, Lisa Lampanelli, and hundreds of your
compassionate colleagues — plus a few surprise celebrities — for
Gala 2015: Get Your Rescue On™.
or family members? If you answered yes, you have a unique
This year’s Gala will take place at Manhattan’s legendary Pierre
Hotel. As usual, it promises to be an evening filled with lively
entertainment and heartfelt tears and cheers, as we celebrate the
wonderful lives that you, our generous partners, help us save.
2015. Save the lives of even more homeless animals with your tax-
Net proceeds will support our capital campaign for Bianca’s Furry
Friends Feline Adoption Center, a 15,000-square-foot, cage-free
facility providing state-of-the-art care for our felines as well as
additional space for many homeless canines.
At press time, Gala sponsors include Canine Company, Diageo,
The Eric Trump Foundation, IBM, Mazda, Neuberger Berman, and
Petplan Pet Insurance.
For more information on individual reservations and sponsorships,
please visit animalleague.org/2015gala
opportunity to make a difference! Please choose to support North
Shore Animal League America (CFC #48902) during the 2015
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which begins on October 1,
deductible payroll deduction!
• If you don’t work for a federal agency, you can still help. Talk to
your human resources department to see if your employer offers
a charitable payroll deduction for contributions to North Shore
Animal League America. If your employer says that NSALA is not
on its list, see if you can have us added.
• And don’t forget: You can make your donation go even further
by taking advantage of your employer’s matching gift program,
if available. Please join our lifesaving mission today through
workplace giving! Thank you.
DONATE: List good stuff you don’t need anymore. Post it for sale and once sold we’ll receive the
majority of proceeds. You even get a tax receipt.
SHOP: Check out what other donors have posted; you may find something just perfect for you!
FEEL GOOD: Knowing you’re helping rescue, nurture and adopt the thousands of homeless dogs, cats,
puppies and kittens who come to North Shore Animal League America every year.
To get started, visit www.AnimalLeague.WebThriftStore.com.
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Pawprints is a newsletter of: North Shore Animal League America, 16 Lewyt Street, Port Washington, NY 11050
1.877.472.8373 • animalleague.org
NL-3-2015