by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know, there is very little I will not do for this organization? Those that know me know that I will respond to any animal in distress at any time of day or night. And I have the stories to prove it. One day maybe that book will get written. Until then and for as long as I remain at the helm, I will have to make myself available whenever possible to participate in doing things I would not normally do. One that comes to mind that I was able to escape was actually doing the Polar Plunge that we hosted in Greenwood Lake several years ago. I felt that if I jumped into the freezing lake and had a heart attack there would be no one to take over running the shelter. Thankfully it worked.
During our Jordan’s Way fundraiser, I was subjected to multiple whipped cream pies to the face, being hosed down in the kennel, having an ice water bucket poured very slowly over my head and dunked in the dunk tank, not once but several times. We hosted Jordan’s Way twice at the shelter, so the second time was a repeat of the first. A kind of déjà vu or nightmare if you will. Yes, we raised a lot of money for the shelter but I must say, I earned it!
Although not a public speaker, I have done several speaking engagements which I am not 100% comfortable with but which are actually easy for me because I am speaking about something I am passionate about.
This past weekend I was invited to be a “celebrity bartender” for the charity of my choice (?) at the Pine Island Taphouse 4th year anniversary celebration. I have never bartended in my life but said yes of course anyway. Lucky for me I didn’t actually have to make or serve the drinks, just stand behind the bar and talk to people and collect donations. Asking for money is not my forte at all. Lee used to spend every Saturday from April to October selling raffle tickets in front of one of our local businesses and chatting with the public. She loved it. Me, not so much. Truthfully, not at all. Given the opportunity I would bring a kitten or two or a litter to an event to draw attention to our cause.
So I brought a little “celebrity” with me to the Pine Island Taphouse who was an instant hit. How could I not? Ryder is a 5 week old jet black male kitten who was found in a driveway covered in flystrike (fly eggs which hatch into maggots). He had maggots too on a small flesh wound. He is fully recovered and quite the charmer. He charmed the crowd, posed for pictures and was completely exhausted at day’s end. We gratefully walked away with $400 for our one hour appearance. Our thanks to the donors and our hosts, Peter and Tammy Artusa, for the invitation to fundraise during their business’s 4th year celebration!
Pet of the Week
Cat adoption applications can be found at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information
