What is a volunteer? When the Board of Directors of Animal Advocates met to decide who should receive the honor for 2007's Volunteer of the Year, there were many volunteers to consider. One volunteer stood out, though. Gail Posey. From the time she was a child, helping her mother (Marianne Morris) caring for animals in their shelter in Olar, she has been the epitome of a volunteer for the cause of helping animals. She knows no county (or state) lines. She volunteers at MAMAS (in Bamberg, named after her mother), volunteers for Animal Advocates (in Barnwell), and fosters animals for Animal Advocates and the Barnwell County animal shelter. She made two trips to the 9th Ward of New Orleans to help rescue animals after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Gail Posey
The Animal Advocates Volunteer of the Year for 2007

FAIRFAX--The Allendale Correctional Institution (ACI) MuttMates animal rescue program played host to 18 dogs during the week of Christmas, who otherwise would have been destined to spend Christmas in the Friends for Life Center, owned and operated by The Animal Advocates and located in Barnwell. The animal hospitality also provided a much-needed break for the staff and volunteers there.

The Character-based Housing Unit (CHU) was transformed to a “canine nation” as Warden John R. Pate allowed 13 extra dogs to blend into the five-dog established dog-rescue program. In all 18 dogs were in the unit from December 23 through 30. Santa arrived with the dogs that were dressed for the holidays. During the week, the animals were also available to any inmate at ACI who would like to have a picture taken with them through the IRC fundraising efforts.

“The MeowMate/MuttMate Program with the ACI inmates is truly a win/win for all concerned,” said Vikki Scott, president of the organization. “When I visited ACI midway through the week, it was heartwarming to see the tails wagging and the residents smiling. Our staff and volunteers appreciated the opportunity to spend more time with their families, too.”

The Animal Advocates and Allendale Correctional Institution have teamed up to create a program where carefully chosen residents in the CHU are paired with a dog or cat from the shelter. In addition to providing basic love and attention, the handlers help socialize the animals. They interact with everyone in the unit, and they get to play with other animals to learn skills needed to make them more adoptable. Residents teach the dogs basic commands such as sit, stay, come, stop, lay, etc. The dogs and cats live in the cells with the residents, so they quickly become house trained, which again makes them more adoptable.

Warden Pate noted that the program has been a success in the past seven months, with several dogs and cats being adopted by ACI volunteers and staff.

On Tuesday, October 25th, The Animal Advocates were recognized at the annual meeting of The Barnwell County Chamber of Commerce. You are probably asking yourself why The Animal Advocates would be nominated, let alone actually receive the annual “Community Service” Award ……

Most people are aware that The Animal Advocates are an auxiliary organization that supports the animals of Barnwell County and the Barnwell County Animal Shelter and have provided the following programs for animals:

• Foster and Adoption Program – we pull animals from the Barnwell County Shelter into rescue where they are given all needed veterinary care, vaccines, spayed/neutered and placed for adoption.
• Rabies Clinics – we assist Barnwell Veterinary Clinic and DHEC with a county wide rabies clinic each spring. This year we did over 500 rabies vaccines!
• The Twig Fund – is used for the rescue, veterinary and rehabilitation costs for special needs dogs and cats that have been victims of neglect or abuse.
• Hutt’s for Mutt’s Program – we ask the community for donations of straw, dog houses, fencing, blankets, and dog beds so they may be given to families in Barnwell County in need of these items for their pets.
• Low Cost/No Cost Spay and Neuter Program – when residents in our community cannot afford spay/neuter surgery for their pets, The Animal Advocates provide assistance. This service is offered as part of the solution to the overpopulation of cats and dogs in Barnwell County. We are extremely pleased to announce that by the end of 2011, our organization will have provided well over 700 spay/ neuter surgeries through this program!

But what you may not know is that we help as many (if not more!) people than we do animals! How? Basically through our thrift shop, Pick of the Litter (POTL). As a non-profit organization, The Animal Advocates are dependent on donations. Therefore, in 2007, we decided to open a second hand shop to insure a constant means of income to enable us to bring our mission and goals to fruition. Our Pick of the Litter Shoppe has proven to be a great source of revenue for our organization as well as a great benefit to the animals and citizens of Barnwell County, and beyond…..

• In these difficult economic times, we provide clothing and house hold goods for our customers at reasonable prices.
• We assist Axis 1 with clothing and house hold goods for their clients.
• Assisted The CityServe Project by providing books to children at risk and by providing all of the clothing for a FREE Yard Sale for clients that qualified.
• Provided Christmas decorations for the Wounded Warrior Christmas Project.
• Collaborate with the Boy’s & Girls’ Club in Barnwell and Allendale Counties, assisting them as needed.
• Provide clothing and house hold goods for citizens in our community that are in need due to a fire in their home or are going through a difficult economic situation.
• Often times when the girls come to Ashleigh Place Home for Girls, they only have the clothes on their back. With just a quick phone call to us from their Director, these girls are given what they need FREE from POTL.
• Each year, The Animal Advocates have a Christmas Party at our Pick of the Litter Shoppe for the residents at Ashleigh Place Home for Girls. Last year, in addition to the party, each girl received a hand crotched Christmas tree ornament made by one of our volunteers. Each attendee was also given a $50.00 allowance to do their Christmas shopping at POTL. Their “purchases” were then wrapped by Animal Advocate volunteers.
• At our Pick of the Litter Shoppe, we only sell clothes that are in “good repair”. Often times we receive items of clothing that have a stain, are missing a button, or have a broken zipper & we do not feel that they can be sold at POTL. Instead of being tossed, these items of clothing are sorted, bagged, and placed in our “outgoing” storage building. We have sent clothing to coal miners and their families in West Virginia, to Axis 1 for their clients, and to victims of the recent tornadoes. In addition, every 2 weeks “There is Hope Mission” sends a truck for the “outgoing” clothing and it is taken to their distribution center in Miami where it is again sorted. When there are any natural disasters in the United States, the clothing is distributed as needed. If the clothing is not needed in the U.S., the winter clothes are sent to countries such as Romania and summer clothes to Haiti, Belize, and Honduras.

Future Plans

Unfortunately, at this time we do not have the money to do so, but after our Foster & Adoption Center is built and paid for, we plan to begin PHASE TWO of our complex, which includes The Teacher’s Pet Learning Pavilion. The Pavilion will include a resource room/library where we will house books about animals. Our Learning Center will provide educational programs that focus upon raising awareness among both our children and adult citizens about humaneness, compassion, and responsible pet ownership. We plan to offer summer camps, after school programs, field trips to our facility, and community service opportunities for our youth. By providing a “Community Center” atmosphere for all ages, community involvement will be welcomed and encouraged and our programs will be a win/win for both the animals and citizens of our community.

The Animal Advocates are honored to have been recognized by the Chamber of Commerce for our service to others. Making a positive impact in our community is both a privilege and labor of love. As we move forward, we will continue to seek new and innovative ways to provide diverse services in our community that are meaningful to BOTH the animals and humans.

The Animal Advocates need your continued support to achieve our goals. TOGETHER, we CAN make a difference!

A Friend for Life,
Vikki Scott, President