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Thanks to our dedicated staff and volunteers, as well as our generous donors and business partners, the SPCA is able to positively impact thousands of animals and people in our community. We are very proud of everyone’s hard work and would like to share just a few of the many accomplishments in 2011:
- Surrenders have declined from a high of 10,824 in 2006 to 6,279 pets in 2011, which we attribute, in part, to the success of the SPCA spay/neuter initiatives.
Thanks to generous donors Daisy and lots of other deserving pets are able to live happy, healthy lives.
- Guardian Angel Fund donations made life-saving treatments possible for 231 surrendered pets. Close to $45,000 was spent treating diseases and injuries, making these pets healthy and adoptable.
- The SPCA McClurg Animal Medical Center provided 16,684 animals with affordable, skilled veterinary care and 6,050 owned animals were spayed or neutered, helping to control pet overpopulation. Overall, our talented medical staff helped over 10,500 pet owners throughout the year.
- The SPCA’s Wellness Wagon provided vaccinations, heartworm testing, and preventive products to 1,916 pets belonging to 1,701 human clients.
- Over 30 animals received treatments funded though the Mend-a-Friend Fund, which enables Medical Center clients who demonstrate a history of providing for their pet and who otherwise, would not be able to afford a major medical expense to receive financial aid.
Deserving pets like Gilligan received necessary medical treatment through our Mend-a-Friend Fund.
- A $36,000 grant from PetSmart Charities enabled the SPCA to control PolkCounty’s feral cat population by sterilizing 740 cats in the Kathleen area.
- 700 active volunteers donated over 31,000 hours by lending a paw on our Campus of Kindness or at our various offsite outreach programs and events.
- One hundred senior pet owners on limited incomes receive bi-monthly donations of pet food and supplies. The items are collected from 25 SPCA donation boxes at local businesses and are bagged by SPCA volunteers for distribution by Elder Point Ministries, Polk County Elderly Services and Meals on Wheels.
- Through Paws to Read 255 children gained confidence and improved their reading abilities while enriching the lives of our homeless pets.
Critter Campers got hands-on experience grooming animals at our Adoption Center during their week-long summer camp.
- Critter Camp offered 60 youth in grades three through eight hands-on experience with its week-long immersion in kindness and compassion, responsible pet ownership, pet safety and SPCA behind the scenes operations. Critter Campers also enjoyed humane education guest speakers from Natural Encounters and Feral Fanciers.
On behalf of all the animals and people you helped us serve last year, and all the ones you will help us care for this year, thank you!
The holidays are the perfect time to reinforce lessons of kindness and charity with your children or grandchildren. During a time when happiness abounds, it’s important to reflect on those less fortunate, including our homeless animals. Orphaned pets like Candy long to share their unconditional love, cozy up on the couch or chase a ball in the backyard of their forever home.
Through monetary donations or hands-on volunteering, you can teach a tremendous lesson on compassion, while instilling appreciation of animals, people and the unique bond they share. Take some time to talk with your children about the ways the SPCA helps the people and animals in the community. Your family could pick up some SPCA Wish List supplies while you’re shopping or make a donation to the Guardian Angel Fund (to help animals like Blue the Poodle). If your child is 12 years or older, you could volunteer together, seeing first-hand the impact kindness and love can have on the animals we serve.
Orphaned pets like Candy long to share their unconditional love.
Children are never too young to learn about giving back to their community and taking care of those less fortunate, even those with four legs! Introducing and reinforcing kindness towards animals and people from a young age solidifies those lessons into adulthood, resulting in more compassionate citizens. It’s not about the amount you give, but the feeling that you are helping, making a difference in your community.
The fenced small dog and puppy area Daniel built.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Troop Quartermaster Daniel Partlow, the SPCA small dogs and puppies now have an outdoor space to play in and visit with potential adoptive families. A former member of the St. Paul Lutheran School Builders Club, Daniel spent quite a few Fridays on the SPCA Campus of Kindness helping out with various SPCA tasks. When the time came for his Mulberry Boy Scout Troop project, he again turned his efforts to help our animals.
Director of Community Relations, Jessica Lawson visits with The Partlows (Rick, Daniel and Erin) as they show off their recent Campus service project.
Daniel and his father Rick Partlow, Mulberry’s Troop 445 Assistant Scout Master, began the project in early spring of this year. Since the SPCA already had fence donated by the county from one of its replacement projects in the Christina area, Daniel’s first step was to request fence material donations from local businesses. Williams Fence Company of Lakeland went above and beyond to help Daniel with his SPCA project. “Williams Fence Company gave us everything we needed. They donated over $500 worth of materials to us,” said Daniel.
When asked what the biggest obstacle of the project was, Daniel replied, “Concrete. When we were putting the poles in on the far right side there was a giant piece of concrete 17 inches down.” The diligent team spent over half an hour trying to break up the concrete with a wrecking bar. “Finally, we ended up just cutting the pole with a hack saw, W-D, and lots of elbow grease,” said Rick.
Another obstacle surfaced when the Partlows were installing the gates. “We stretched the fence out, and we were three inches short,” said Rick. Luckily Williams Fence Company was happy to help. Williams provided the Partlow duo with poles, straps, and latches, which enabled them to block the gap in the fence. The project finale last around four hours and included eight youth and four adults from Troop 445. The group tugged and pulled to stretch out the fencing material and installed all the poles and latches, providing the SPCA puppies with a fun and safe area to romp around and visit. The Partlows even went the extra mile, supplying each of the outdoor fenced play areas with hand-crafted wooden signs.
Daniel, now a freshman and swim team member at George Jenkins High School reflected back on the project, “It was hard because we had never worked with fence before. And it was around one hundred degrees outside, incredibly hot. If we had previous experience working with something like that we could have gotten it done a lot sooner, but we learned as we went.”
Did you know the SPCA Campus of Kindness is home to one of only five Florida-Friendly Demonstration Gardens in Polk County? What’s a Florida-Friendly Demonstration Garden? These are educational gardens open to the public and designed to feature Florida-Friendly plants and mulch, micro-irrigation, rain barrels as well as plant signage for easy identification.
Florida-Friendly plants such as Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata and Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) add low maintenance color to the Demonstration Garden between the Medical Center and Adoption Center entrances.
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) Program creates environmentally sound gardens that conserve and protect Florida’s waterways, soil, wildlife and energy while still achieving an aesthetically pleasing landscape. The FFL program is a joint venture of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (US/IFAS) Extension Service. Based on University of Florida research, nine interrelated principles are the cornerstone of the FFL program. These principles, which can be applied to both residential and commercial property, are demonstrated throughout the SPCA garden beds.
They include:
- Right Plant, Right Place
- Water Efficiently
- Fertilize Appropriately
- Mulch
- Attract Wildlife
- Manage Yard Pests Responsibly
- Recycle
- Manage Stormwater Runoff
- Protect the Waterfront
The first principle, Right Plant, Right Place is a critical one. The main idea when placing plants in your landscape is not to waste time, energy and money caring for a plant that is not adapted to the spot where it’s planted. Florida-Friendly plants, which include both native plants and adapted, non-native plants survive with little maintenance and thrive in the climate and soils of our Central Florida region. Regardless of the heat and climate we face, there are many plants that meet these criteria with no sacrifice to beauty in terms of color, texture and style. Locate a chosen plant in the areas of the landscape that best meet the plants’ requirements for growth—pretty logical, right?
Creating a Florida-Friendly landscape is not difficult and the gardens do not have to conform to any particular style. Florida-Friendly garden is a type of landscape adaptable to many styles and provides the benefit of working with the natural ecosystem rather than against it.
All the Demonstration Gardens in Polk County are maintained by volunteers and the gardens located on the SPCA campus are no exception. Along with help from various SPCA volunteers, the gardens on the campus have been planted and maintained by Brenda Joyce-Shrom, a Master Gardener for the Polk County Extension Service.
Master Gardener and SPCA Advisory Board Member Brenda Joyce-Shrom
Beyond her Master Gardener role, Brenda is a member of the SPCA’s Advisory Board, conducts the training courses for the Volunteer Adoption Counselor program and participates in many Community Outreach events. She and her husband, Dr. Stanley Shrom are long-time supporters of the SPCA and its mission to re-home the animals surrendered to the SPCA.
FFL principles recommend using mulch to protect against soil erosion, maintain soil moisture and inhibit weed growth. Brenda and a few of the SPCA volunteers, including Chris Hearon and Justin Golan put down more than 85 bags of Melaleuca mulch in the early summer. This Florida-Friendly mulch was donated by the Polk County Master Gardeners. The result of a “design” competition with SPCA volunteers, decorated rain barrels were installed on the property several years ago and feed the micro-irrigation system that provides efficient watering, which is the second principle.
“Working on the SPCA Demo Garden gives me the chance to do two of things that I love; gardening and supporting the SPCA” Brenda says. She went on to say “We get hundreds of visitors to the campus on a daily basis and it’s important that the campus projects a positive first impression. Many people have a negative image of what a ‘shelter’ looks like, but this is the Campus of Kindness! Our outward appearance should reflect the care and professionalism that a customer will experience once they enter our buildings. Besides, the employees who work here and the animals who stay with us deserve to have a pleasant environment.”
Brenda laughingly reports two biggest challenges to the SPCA landscape are weeds (of course!) and designing around the areas where our doggie visitors are most likely to ‘ah, relieve themselves of the pressure that comes from a Vet visit or spending time in the Adoption Center’. “There are a few spots where no plants would thrive because it’s a natural stopping place for the dogs”, she said. “But that’s certainly not a problem I mind working around!”
The next landscape project is the courtyard between the SPCA’s McClurg Animal Medical Center and the Adoption Center entrance. The Memory Lane bricks will be extended to create a customer sitting area, complete with a shade tarp, and of course some enjoyable Florida-Friendly plantings. You can support this activity by purchasing a brick to serve as a tribute to a loved one or pet through the SPCA’s Ways to Give.
The next time you make a trip to the SPCA Campus, take some time to look at the gardens and educate yourself on various FFL techniques. There are brochures available in the Administration building that describe the plants, discuss rain barrels as well as provide more information on the FFL program.
For more information on the Demonstration Gardens and the Florida Friendly Landscaping™ Program in Polk County, visit http://polkfyn.ifas.ufl.edu.
If you are interested in the Master Gardening program, please visit http://polkhort.ifas.ufl.edu or call the Polk County Extension Service office at 863-519-8677.
Through the tireless efforts of dedicated staff, volunteers and local groups, the SPCA Campus of Kindness maintains its welcoming appearance and continues to function as an essential community organization. The SPCA relies on volunteers to help with everything from kennel cleaning and kitty feeding to cleaning up the campus and dog walking.
Medulla Baptist Church members were on campus today clearing out and weeding some of the SPCA’s overgrown dog walking trails, and cleaning our SPCA vehicles to prepare them for pet transportation and outreach services. Retreating from the summer heat, Medulla Baptist Church volunteers took a break and played with some of the SPCA pups in our shaded outdoor visitation areas.
Our animals love showing their appreciation for our volunteers with slobbery, wet kisses.
Thanks to caring individuals and groups like Medulla Baptist Church, the SPCA is able to care for over 7,000 homeless or abandoned animals each year, and provide countless other services to the community.
Click here to check out more photos!
Not all of our volunteers assist “hands on” in the Adoption Center or Medical Center. For some, self-described “tender hearted” or “emotional” individuals, we offer a variety of solutions to aid our homeless pets. From off-site events, to office work, to posting flyers about upcoming events; all of these ways help our organization operate, and continue to save lives of homeless animals in our community. Without these integral “outside” roles, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Jill Bainbridge is one such individual who finds it “too difficult” to help inside our Adoption Center, but she has shined out in the community. This month I want to honor Jill for all of her work and dedication to the cause. Originally from Pennsylvania, near Valley Forge, Jill has been a Lakeland resident for over 16 years. She’s married and has two pets; Oscar, an Indian-Ring neck Parrot who is 16 years old, and Peppermint Patti, “a very sweet cat” who “found us,” she says. She says she’s always wanted to do something with animals but never had the stomach to be a vet. Once she retired, she says it gave her “the opportunity to help, if only in a little way, doing something to help animals. They’ve always given so much to me. It makes me feel good about myself that I can give back a little.”
Jill started volunteering with us in December 2009. Since she began, she has logged more than 80 hours with us. Jill is kind, professional and very dependable. She is always willing to be on call if we’re in a pinch at the last minute for events. Jill has assisted at Lakeside Village Adoption & Pet Boutique, Pet Supermarket, pet therapy and so much more. She even drives to Davenport for us and fills in knowing it’s a tough location to staff with volunteers. Katy Campbell, SPCA staff member who works with Jill at several off-sites, says “Jill is a reliable volunteer willing to work with both cats and dogs. She is friendly and always willing to talk to the public about the pet she’s handling and the programs that the SPCA offers. Jill’s helpfulness and cheerful attitude make her a real asset to the SPCA.”
Jill says her favorite things to do are off-site adoption events, especially the networking events like the Women’s Show at the Lakeland Center and the “Resident Appreciation Event” recently at Beacon Hill Colony. She adds, “It gets the animals out and exposed to the public and I get to network with other people.” She also truly enjoys her trips to the nursing homes for pet therapy, realizing the enormous impact this program has on the residents’ day. Most recently, Jill has taken on some extra projects and helped in the Administration Department. She assisted the fundraising committee by placing Pets on Parade posters and brochures, and she now heads up the donation canister program. She visits the 30-40 business owners every few weeks, empties the donation boxes and keeps careful account of when and where she goes. Her organization with this program has really been a blessing. By Jill tracking which locations are successful and which ones are not producing much revenue, it has allowed us to find the fundraising canisters “better homes”. We now can raise more money for our animals in need.
Jill says she is honored to be chosen as our Volunteer of the Month. She adds, “I am so pleased about the people I have met through the SPCA. So many caring people… it’s so heartwarming.”
We would like to thank you, Jill, and our team of dedicated volunteers, for your part in changing the lives of animals in need.
Though you may think that your part is “little”, WE think that you are giving back A LOT! You touch the lives of not only our animals, but everyone that you meet! We feel so lucky to have you wearing our turquoise tee.
To become a dedicated animal advocate like Jill, please apply online at www.lovemyspca.com or call 863.646.7722.
- Owner Darryl Thomas and Mongo Man present Community Outreach Coordinator Mary Church with a check for almost $400 for the SPCA’s May 4 event.
Lakeland, Fla. – The SPCA held a fundraiser at BD’s Mongolian Grill in Lakeside Village on Tuesday, May 4. Through a combination of tips given to celebrity grillers and 20% of the evening’s sales, over $400 was raised to help the animals at the SPCA.
Celebrity grillers included the City of Lakeland’s Deputy City Manager Tony Delgado, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, the Lakeland Police Department’s Assistant Chief Bill LePere, 97 Country’s Melissa Moran, MAX 98.3’s Eric Michaels and Mike Lee, Ross Vecchio’s Dennis Ross, FOX 13’s Ken Suarez, and Lakeland City Commissioners Justin Troller and Howard Wiggs.
For more information about the SPCA and other upcoming events, visit www.lovemyspca.com, call 863/646-7722 or e-mail info@lovemyspca.com.
From our Volunteer Coordinator, Alane:
This month’s featured volunteer is one of our hardest workers here. John Gotthardt (Jack as we know him) moved to Florida from Texas in January of 2009. He started working part-time at Home Depot and was looking to give back and volunteer his time working with animals. He decided to check out our facility. He was amazed and truly enjoyed his visit. He applied to volunteer, and the rest was history! Since attending last July’s orientation, Jack has donated close to 300 hours to our organization. Besides working diligently in the puppy room a few days a week, Jack also helps out with off-site adoption events such as PetSmart Davenport and special events in his area. He assists with some of our pet therapy events, driving to Manor at Carpenters and also delivers Ani-meals food. It’s crucial to have volunteers that we can trust to drive our pets safely to their off-site event or location. He always says “yes” to our last minute requests when he is able, and always shows a great attitude, no matter how mundane the task.
Jack drives from Winter Haven twice a week, arriving sometimes as early as 7:30 a.m. some mornings to get his start walking the small dogs and scrubbing the puppy room cages. He does this knowing that he will be working by himself until most of the staff arrive at 9 a.m., but happy that he can help them out and have them start their days with less of a mess and less of a “to do” list. He then stays almost 7 hours, working with the customers and facilitating adoptions once we open to the public at 11 a.m. It’s no surprise that the staff is blown away by him. Not many people thank US when they are the ones volunteering their time, but Jack is one of those very special people. He always has a smile and gives 110%. I hope he does not mind my mentioning that he is 79 years of age…. and doesn’t look or act a day over 50!
In his life outside the SPCA, Jack has two daughters who live in Pennsylvania and Texas, and four grandchildren. He had been looking for a dog, and he fell in love with his perfect match a few months ago when he adopted Hilde, a four year old min-pin from the SPCA. He is a dedicated dad. He takes her to obiedence classes with Debbi Snyder and is also helping her get healthy (she was quite overweight when he took her home!).
Jack, words cannot express our appreciation for being such a great team player and ambassador for the animals. We have ALL noticed your hard work and dedication these past 8 months and are so thankful that you stepped onto our campus. It’s individuals like you that render it the “Campus of Kindness.”
To become a member of our volunteer team, please apply online at www.lovemyspca.com or call 863.646.7722 x 112.
