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Our
volunteer program is a
great way to spend time, help your community and make
some animals (and
yourself) very happy. Volunteers play a critical role
in keeping our animals
healthy and happy, thereby improving the quality of
their lives while here at
the shelter. Volunteers help with everything from
animal handling to stuffing
envelopes. We offer many opportunities. Listed below
are critical positions
where your help is needed.
KENNEL AND CATTERY CARE: Are you a morning
person? Are you able and willing to commit to a regular
weekly schedule? This
position allows you to "get down and dirty."
Volunteers maintain healthy
conditions in our dog kennel and cattery. They clean
runs, cages, litter boxes,
food and water bowls, and bedding. Before their shift
is over they ensure that
the shelter is sparkling clean and the areas are set up
for the day. Much of
this work is done in the hours before the shelter
opens. Morning shifts are
available in the cattery and the dog kennels every day
of the week.
ANIMAL SOCIALIZING:
Spend time with individual
cats and dogs to improve their social skills and
provide them with exercise and
mental stimulation. Animals happy to see people are
more adoptable. This is a
good opportunity for those that need a flexible
schedule and enjoy direct animal
contact. Animal socializers are needed Tuesday through
Saturday mornings and
afternoons.
FOSTER PROGRAM:
Fostering for C.A.R.E. helps to provide a homeless dog or cat with a loving, caring temporary home
until a "forever" home and family is found. Fostering an animal is a big responsibility and is not
to be taken lightly.
FRONT OFFICE RECEPTION: We never get a
second chance to make a first impression! Do you enjoy
working in an office
environment? Volunteers are needed to greet the public
and answer their
questions, direct visitors, help comfort people in
distress over pet-related
issues, and educate as appropriate. The phone rings a
lot here. Since we deal
with live animals, some callers can be quite emotional.
Your smiling face can
make a difference to someone who has lost an animal or
is looking for a new
companion. Please note that additional training to gain
familiarity with our
policies and procedures will be required. Volunteers
are needed Tuesday through
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CLERICAL:
Volunteers are needed to work
behind the scene to help support a number of shelter
areas. There is always a
need for volunteer help with computer data entry,
filing, proofreading,
preparing bulk mailings, and copying. Volunteers can
also help by distributing
C.A.R.E. brochures and flyers to public libraries and
staffing information
displays at community and sporting events. If you enjoy
this type of work but
cannot commit to a specific weekly schedule this could
be the job for you.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE: Let us
put your ""handy" skills or green thumbs
to us. We have lots of ongoing
maintenance projects we can use your help with. Several
of our flower beds could
use a bit more loving care than they currently receive.
And there is weeding,
mulching, trimming and watering. If these are the types
of things you enjoy
doing, we can put you to work Tuesday through Saturday
from 9 am to 3 pm.
PROFESSIONAL ANIMAL TRAINERS: Many of the
animals turned into shelters have been admitted due to
behavior-related issues.
Yet, many of these issues are common and can be easily
remedied with time and
consistent training. If you are a professional trainer
we could use your help
working with our dogs on basic commands and to work on
more challenging issues
as needed. Help is needed Tuesday through Saturday
morning or afternoon.
OUTREACH AND FUNDRAISING: As a
not-for-profit agency, C.A.R.E. must rely on
contributions and the support of
our surrounding communities. We must work daily to
raise the necessary money to
care for our animals. Here are some of the ways you can
help.
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Your
experience in "grant
writing" or that of "chairing" community
and marketing events such as fashion
shows, auctions, raffles, etc., could be invaluable to
us.
-
Help
us with or host your own
fundraising event. Each of our special events provides
a diverse range of
opportunities to use your skills and creativity. And
there are a number of
smaller events which are simply a fun and easy way to
send an afternoon or an
evening.
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Staff
a C.A.R.E. booth or
information table at local community and marketing
events throughout the year
and help promote our programs and services.
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Do
you enjoy public speaking?
Your communications skills could help us elicit support
for the shelter. Our
Speakers Bureau makes presentations to various
businesses, organizations and
civic clubs about our mission and programs, and works
"hands-on" educating the
public on topics such as pet adoption, cat/dog care,
spay-neuter, and other
animal-related issues.
PET WEB: The C.A.R.E. website
is a valuable venue for promoting the adoption of
homeless pets. It is often the
starting point for many people looking for a pet. In
order that the information
on our site is current and accurate and to help place
animals awaiting adoption,
volunteers maintain the list of animals available for
adoption by taking,
preparing, and uploading digital pictures of the
animals for posting on the web
and other media outlets. They also write and upload
creative and descriptive
blurbs to represent the animal's personality. As a
"Pet Web" volunteer you have
the opportunity to directly impact the number of
animals that are adopted by the
shelter.
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS: We
encourage high school and college students to volunteer
their time in support of the animals. Volunteer time at
C.A.R.E. can be used for
credit toward Florida's Bright Futures Scholarship
requirements.
For additional information about any of these volunteer opportunities please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at (813) 645-2273 or
VolunteerCARE@aol.com.
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