The BrightSide Banner Newsletter - Spring 2019

I

I'm 1 year old and arrived as a semi-feral kitten. I’m a very lively and playful guy but still slow to warm up to new faces. I’d like a quieter home with a person or two I can entertain for life.

I am an affectionate husky boy. I want an active home with no young kiddos or cats. I know I would thrive with an owner familiar with my breed type.

--CLOVER

-- MANNING

Dedicated to our mission of high-save sheltering

BrightSide Banner eee ER THE

Our valued volunteers

Meet five of the people who contribute so much to our success KATIE HALDEMAN

Katie is a dog-walker extraordinaire whose soft, gentle spirit contributes so much to the shelter and the many dogs she cares for. Bend has been Katie’s home since 2014, ever since she relocated from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Making that move, on her own, came after Katie partially recovered from debilitating years-long medical conditions. Katie always had a dream of moving west, and once she found Bend nothing was going to stop her.

ISSUE NO. 04 SPRING

2019

SAVE THE DATE! Volunteer Appreciation Picnic set for Aug. 10

All BrightSide volunteers are invited to a summer picnic to celebrate . . . YOU! Volunteers make the world go ‘round for us and we want to say “thank you!” Details to come in the summer newsletter.

Before coming to Central Oregon and BrightSide, Katie volunteered for three years at an animal shelter in

Katie with her dog, Asher. She is one of about 120 active volunteers who work at the shelter or on events.

Pennsylvania. Katie found that her health condition enhanced her connection with the dogs, which quickly led her to BrightSide a few months after she arrived in Central “CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

A good time was had by all at last year’s picnic.

Companies volunteer, too Shelter Manager Pat Bowling with Webfoot Painting’s co-founder Gavin Hepp. See The results of the paint project at the shelter’s Grand Reopening celebration, Sat. June 1.

We love when a Central Oregon business becomes part of our family, and we are so excited to announce our newest addition to our volunteers: Webfoot Painting! Webfoot does an annual painting project for a nonprofit. This year, to mark their 10th anniversary, they are donating $25,000 worth of work. The nonprofit is selected through a video contest. Our volunteers rallied to make a video, coming in on a Sunday to shoot it, and submitted it, but it didn't meet guidelines! With only two days left, we made another video. After two weeks of voting Mary Meier is a vital volunteer in the Cans & Bottles recycling program. Central Oregon has been Mary’s home since 2013, when she relocated from Maui.

(Yes, Mary prefers Central Oregon to Maui!) Roberta Shirley, one of the founders of the Cans & Bottles program, introduced Mary to BrightSide a couple of years ago, and ever since Mary has dutifully toiled at preparing the cans and bottles.

BrightSide isn’t the only beneficiary of Mary’s generous spirit. She serves the homeless at Shepherd’s House Ministries, and cooks for groups as part of OSU extension nutrition

via Webfoot's Facebook page and Instagram account, three finalists were selected by the public, then the company workers voted for a winner. In a nail-biting live Facebook video, many of us watched in real time as workers’ votes were tallied. We had won!

Gavin Hepp, one of Webfoot's founders, came out recently to meet with Pat to discuss the project. Painting is scheduled May 18-19, so the shelter will close that weekend. More news on this project will follow in the summer newsletter.

-- Erica Psaltis, volunteer coordinator

MARY MEIER

See sign-up information for Dog Gone Run below.

6 this 6 season things to do

NaMEOWste Yoga with cats is fun for all ages and abilities.

Sundays 2-3 p.m. at the shelter on May 19, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11; $10 suggested donation.

Kitten Shower Help with kitten season supplies at Mud Bay on Robal Rd. in Bend, May 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Dog Gone Run Fundraiser fun run and walk Sat., June 15, 911 a.m. at Sam Johnson Park in Redmond.

Register at https://runsignup.com/ Race/OR/Redmond/dogonerun.

Black Dog Yappy Hour July 27, happy hour fundraiser with specialty cocktails. Details to come in summer newsletter.

education. Mary has three cats: Pualani, Hoaiki and the latest addition, Nutmeg from BrightSide. Thank you, Mary!

To find out more ways you can help BrightSide, please contact the front desk at 541-923-0882 or visit www.brightsideanimals.org

Red Dog Classic Golf tournament fundraiser Tues., Aug. 27, 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Juniper Golf Course in Redmond. Register yourself or your foursome now at http://brightsideanimals.org/event/red-dogclassic.

Bark in the Park BrightSide's anniversary celebration closes out the summer. Food, drink, vendors and adoptable pets. Sat., Sept. 7, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Centennial Park in downtown Redmond.

KATIE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Oregon. Ever since early 2015, Katie has volunteered multiple mornings commuting to BrightSide from Bend. Her skill with withdrawn dogs has made such a difference in developing their social skills to the point that adoption is possible. The dogs love and appreciate Katie just as much as BrightSide does her.

As this wonderful story goes, Katie met the doggie love of her life, Asher, at BrightSide in November 2017. Through a period walking and fostering Asher with his special needs, they developed a special bond that led Katie to adopt Asher. We’re so happy for Katie and Asher, and for all that they mean to BrightSide. Thank you, Katie!

JERRY BOYSEN This lead dog walker and BrightSide Board member hails from California where he and his wife, Pam, worked and raised their two children before retiring and moving to Central Oregon 11 years ago. Seven years ago Jerry joined with BrightSide to begin an adventure that now has him at the shelter at least a few hours most every day, walking dogs, coordinating the many volunteer dog walkers, mingling with the shelter staff, and serving as a sounding board for Shelter Manager Pat Bowling.

Jerry likes to photograph the dogs.

Then, at his home that he shares with

Sharon’s been at the Brightside Thrift Store for several years now, volunteering in children’s clothing. Sharon stepped up to manage the entire clothing department when it was between full-time managers.

Sharon is one of about 55 volunteers at the thrift store or Cans & Bottles.

SHARON PETERSON Sharon is a committed volunteer at the Thrift Store.

She and her husband moved to Redmond in 2000 from Eugene, where she grew up and then raised her own family. Sharon’s a former nurse, who also worked in the local schools in Eugene and Redmond, with special needs students.

As you may have guessed, Sharon’s a real people person. She mentors several developmentally disabled volunteers at the thrift store and strives to make every visitor’s experience at the thrift store a positive one. Her top priorities are an orderly, clean, and organized department, and extending kindness and respect to all.

Sharon particularly enjoys that the Thrift Store not only supports the animals, but that it benefits the people of Redmond as well.

Thank you, Sharon!

Pam and their two golden retrievers, Tatanka and Ellie Mae, Jerry processes the photographs and attends to issues that concern the BrightSide Board, on which he’s served for the past four years. Even with this extraordinary commitment, Jerry will tell you that he derives way more benefit from it than what he gives. To Jerry, it’s all about developing bonds with the dogs, fostering their socialization and witnessing the joy that surrounds every adoption, knowing that the dog friends he’s made are moving on to a better life. It’s Jerry’s way of giving back to dogs.

Nothing better shows Jerry’s deep commitment to BrightSide than his collection of photographs of virtually every dog that’s passed through the shelter over the past seven years, a number Jerry estimates to be about 3,500. These are the photos he shares on the BrightSide Facebook page and at events. This collection embodies Jerry’s abiding commitment to BrightSide and is an archival testament to our mission to shelter and advance the prospects for every dog that comes to us.

JIM BYERLY Jim Byerly and his wife Kate moved to Central Oregon from Logan, Utah a decade or so ago. Kate pulled Jim into the shelter in the beginning to do some dog-walking. Ever since, Jim has been a whirlwind of volunteerism at the shelter and thrift store. And even in their home, where they host foster and fospice dogs for BrightSide, three of which currently reside with them.

Being the handy type, Jim has done such diverse work at the Shelter as repairing the dog gates in the lobby and diagnosing the cause of a malfunctioning dryer.

“You can’t imagine how much hair was lodged in the vent!” he said.

These days Jim helps out at the thrift store taking care of the media section: videos, games, puzzles.

Jim with wife Kate At home, he handcrafts dog leashes and collars that he sells and donates for the benefit of BrightSide.

Over the years, Jim has served at countless public events promoting BrightSide. All of this generosity flows from Jim’s lifelong love of dogs and desire to ensure they get the protection and care they deserve.

Thank you, Jim!

Event spotlight Annual Spay-Ghetti Dinner raised more than $18,000 Many thanks to volunteer Melanie Hirata for the photos!

The cash bar included some signature cocktails.

BrightSide supporters packed the Juniper Golf Course restaurant for dinner.

BrightSide Animal Center 1355 NE Hemlock Ave. Redmond, OR 97756 Mailing address: PO Box 1404 Redmond, OR 97756 541-923-0882 brightsideanimals.org

At left, the ever-popular dessert auction.

Above, patrons check out the items offered in the silent auction.