Bark your calendars!
Dear friends and supporters,
Greenhill Humane Society is now in its 72nd year saving lives and sheltering animals in Lane County. We provide care for over 3,000 animals each year, including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and even a pig as of the writing of this letter. The high level and quality of care, sheltering, and TLC that we provide would not be possible without you. We are grateful for the ongoing support of our community as we continue our mission of caring for the community’s most vulnerable pets.
This year also marks our 23rd annual Bark in the Park Run/walk for homeless pets. It’s our biggest and most exciting fundraiser of the year. We’ll be back at Alton Baker Park on Sunday, May 15th. Over 1,100 people and their dogs attended last year, enjoying vendors, agility demonstrations, and of course, a gorgeous run or walk through the park.
Last year, our attendees also raised over $85,000 through Bark in the Park, all of which goes to helping the animals in our care. This year, we hope to raise over $90,000 to help even more animals in our shelters.
In this newsletter, you’ll also find highlights of some of the work we’ve been doing. year. You can also learn how we (quite literally) mended a cat’s broken heart.
Thank you as always for your continued support so that we can be here to care for the animals. I look forward to seeing you in May at Bark in the Park!
For the animals,
Cary Lieberman, Executive Director
Fiscal Year
7/1/14-6/30/15
Annual Report
1,871 Total Adoptions
•778 dogs
•1,039 cats
•54 small animals
804 Returned to owner
•712 dogs
•83 cats
•9 small animals
The surgery team at Greenhill performed 2,350 spay/neuter procedures on shelter pets, and 395 other necessary surgeries, such as dentals.
961 feral, stray and free-roaming cats were spayed or neutered through our free Trap Neuter Return program.
1,100 volunteers provided 38,370 hours of care. 131 fosters cared for 658 animals.
From the Vets’ Desk
Tallulah: The Cat with the Broken Heart
The First Avenue Shelter staff told us that a good Samaritan brought Tallulah to the shelter after finding her huddled over her kittens, trying desperately to keep them warm during that spell of cold winter weather in November. Thankfully the kittens were found to be healthy, and almost as quickly as they arrived at the shelter, they were adopted into loving homes.
Tallulah, however, appeared to be having trouble breathing, so the staff requested a full veterinary examination. What we found was very surprising for a 1 year old cat with a litter of healthy kittens. She had a very loud heart murmur and abnormal sounding lungs.
We knew we would need advanced diagnostics in order to determine the impact of the murmur on her health. She needed x-rays of her chest, and possibly an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and referral to a cardiologist. But these would be expensive, so we chose Tallulah as a candidate for Greenhill’s Mend-A-Friend fund.
Mend-A-Friend is a special fund for animals who need this kind of extra help. Generous donors to Greenhill contribute specifically to this fund, in order to save animals that most shelters would be forced to euthanize due to lack of funding for their expensive medical care. We hoped that with the help of the Mend-a-Friend fund, we could save this kitten’s life.
Tallulah first received tests at Oregon Veterinary Referral Associates, which confirmed that she was in the initial stages of congestive heart failure. She needed to go for more advanced testing, to identify the source of the problem. We referred her to Oregon State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where the cardiologist performed an echocardiogram. The cardiologist diagnosed her with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) which is a congenital heart defect that results in abnormal flow of blood through the heart. Tallulah’s prognosis was grave without surgery to repair the hole in her heart.
Talulah was granted her surgery thanks to the collaborative generosity of the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s cardiology and soft tissue surgery services, the Olive K. Britt Fund, the ASPCA, Lil Bub’s Big Fund and the Mend–a-Friend fund. Surgery was a success, and Tallulah quickly started feeling better. As it turns out, her outcome was as good as her kittens’. One of the veterinarians at the college’s hospital fell in love with this incredible cat, and adopted her shortly after her surgery. Talk about filling a hole in a heart!
We loved being able to help Tallulah because of generous, caring donors like you. Thank you for helping us provide the best medical care possible for the pets in our shelters. If you want to donate to the Mend-a- Friend fund to help more pets like Tallulah, please call the shelter at 541-689-1503.
Best,
Dr. Gail Schroder, DVM Dr. Varinia Acosta, DVM
2014-2015 Financial Report
2014-2015 Expenses 2014-2015 Revenue
Sheltering and adoption – $1,496,458 – 68.3% Donations and Bequests – $1,003,721 – 50.8%
Spay/Neuter – $180,682 – 8.25% In-Kind Donations – $81,985 -4.1%
Humane Education – $161,858 – 7.39% Special Events – $72,746 – 4%
Management – $136,404 – 6.23% Investment & Misc – $26,373 – 1.33$
Fundraising – $215,271 – 9.83% Sales and Program Fees – $791,163 – 40.4%
Total Expenses – $2,190,673 – 100% Total Revenue – $1,975,988 – 100%
Net Assets as of year start (7/1/14) – $1,567,001
Net Assets as of year end (6/30/15) – $1,352,316
Looking Forward
You Can Help Us Save Lives!
•Become a sustaining donor with your automatic, monthly gift. Call Mischa Davis, 541-689-1503×136
•Leave a legacy of support for Lane County’s animals in your will. Call Glenda Lonstron, 541-689-1503×125
•Join over 1,000 other animals lovers in volunteering at our shelters. Email our volunteer coordinators at volunteer@green-hill.org
Greenhill’s 2016 Board of Directors
President – Cathy Worthington
Vice President – Josh Smith
Secretary – Renee Watts
Treasurer – Amanda Weselak
Past President – Amy Valentine, DVM
Willy Hart
Amber Fossen
Robbin Freedman
Danielle Livingston
Lisa McCourt
Christy McElroy
Lisa Romano
2015 Dedications
What a wonderful way to help homeless animals in our community while remembering or honoring a loved one or a cherished pet. It’s also the purr-fect gift to celebrate any occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or Bar/bat Mitzvah.
Or, give the gift of love to that special someone who has ‘everything.’
Greenhill will send a notification on your behalf if requested. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your gift is tax deductible as allowed by law. You will receive a thank you letter and receipt in the mail.
