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We're in the home stretch
for Michigan Pet Fund Alliance's 2018 No Kill conference,
Getting to the Goal,
scheduled for September 27-28 in
Kalamazoo at the
Radisson Plaza Hotel.
Registration closes September 19.
Friday's luncheon will include the 2018 Shelter Awards, recognizing Michigan shelters based on their performance in 2017.
Using data submitted to the state by all licensed animal shelters,
Michigan Pet Fund Alliance calculates each shelter's live release rate. Live release includes adoptions, lost pets returned to owners, and animals transferred to other shelters and rescue groups that have space. Based on these reports, the live release rate for all Michigan shelters combined is
88%. See the 2017 Save Rate Report and Awards here.
The awards this year go to:
- Jim Barcia, Executive, Bay County
- Alyssa Chapman, Deputy, Lake County Sheriff's Department
- Catherine Lemunyon, Director, Arenac County Animal Control
- Katie Timber, Executive Director, SPCA of Southwest Michigan
Another session highlighting awards is the
2017 MPFA Outside the Box Award Winners
panel
discussion. Thinking outside of the box paid off for some Michigan shelters and rescues, both financially and in lives saved. Join the winners of the first Michigan Pet Fund Alliance/Humane Society of Macomb Foundation "Outside the Box-Lifesaving Programs/Projects" awards. You are guaranteed to say: "Wow, why didn't I think of that?!" Get inspired and start thinking about new and creative ways to increase live release rates in your own community.
View the Outside the Box Award winning projects
here
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| Mindy Martenez and Marie Green at GAIN's food bank |
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Marie Green -
President / Treasurer, G.A.I.N.
will share GAIN-Companions pet retention and adoption outreach program.
Involved in rescue since 2009 in Gratiot County, Marie Green is an organizing member of Help Furry Friends and Gratiot Animals in Need aka G.A.I.N. Originally founded in 2014 to provide low-cost spay and neuter to the residents of Gratiot County, G.A.I.N. also wanted to provide pet retention services to the same population. That was the beginning of the Companion Program to help lower-income senior citizens and individuals with special needs with financial support for the extras a pet requires. This might be food from G.A.I.N.'s food bank open 4 days a week, rental deposits, vetting, spaying and neutering, emergency care, or transportation to vet appointments. Sometimes G.A.I.N. provides temporary foster care and adoption services when that is the only solution. G.A.I.N. continues to add services to the Companion Program, this year having added a Pet Loss Support group and help with the cost of dog obedience classes. G.A.I.N.'s goal is to provide a lifelong human/animal bond.
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| Tania Jaczkowski |
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Tania Jaczkowski grew up in the Detroit area but moved to west Michigan to attend Grand Valley State University in 2007 and hasn't left! She has been working with animal welfare organizations in west Michigan for 8 years and has been working with the Humane Society of West Michigan for over 6 years. Currently, she is one of two veterinary technicians on the veterinary staff and is also in charge of coordinating all incoming transfers and grant writing for the organization. She has three dogs and three cats from various organizations and loves the ever-changing field of animal welfare!
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| Karen Kazyak |
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Karen Kazyak -
Director of Animal Welfare, Humane Society of Livingston County
Karen Kazyak has been in animal welfare for the past 30 years. She brings a genuine passion and positivity to her work and truly feels like this is her soul work. She is in charge of the "journey of the animal" at HSLC (a limited admission shelter): governing which animals come into the program, how they are cared for during their stay, and the exit strategy that serves their highest good. She is honored to be at this conference able to share a very exciting program dedicated to the physical and mental well being of the dogs and cats in their facility.
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| Amy Warner |
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Amy Warner -
Director, St. Clair County Animal Control
will discuss Genesee County Animal Control's Volunteer Training program.
Amy worked for Genesee County Animal Control for almost three years before being selected as Director for St. Clair
County
Animal Control. Her background experience is in breed specific rescue, volunteer management and event planning and she holds a BBA in Marketing and Management. Amy has two dogs of her own, both adopted from Genesee County Animal Control.
View the full conference agenda
here and session descriptions
here.
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About Michigan Pet Fund Alliance
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The single mission of Michigan Pet Fund Alliance is to stop the killing of healthy and treatable homeless cats and dogs in Michigan shelters.
MPFA is an all-volunteer
organization collaborating with shelter and rescue organizations to achieve No Kill through training, technical
assistance,
education and advocacy.
For more information:
877-FUR-PALS
(877-387-7257)
Michigan Pet Fund Alliance is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization
as defined by the IRS (EIN 20-0399162) and is a recipient of the
Contributions are tax deductible.
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