This was an off-site, in-person meeting and no recording is available.
Visiting Rotarians
Michelle Gardiner, member of Kitchener Westmount Rotary and guest of Louise Gardiner
Graham Gardiner, member of Kitchener Westmount Rotary and guest of Louise Gardiner
Guests
Serena Gillespie, our new outbound exchange student and her mother Emily.
Cathie DeCoo, guest of Adrian DeCoo
Sharon MacDonald, guest of Ailton Santana
Judy Proctor, guest of Bill Proctor
Special Recognitions / Presentations
We were very pleased to induct a new member into the club this evening – Sharon MacDonald, wife of member Ailton Santana, as an Alternate Family Member.
Program Highlights
Our meeting today was an off-site event at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth in Waterloo. The evening began with a presentation by Nick Burke, the Director of Development, introduced by his mother-in-law Louise Gardiner
Nick Burke is the Director of Development for the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth, where he has held the role for the last 3.5 years. He has spent time in advertising sales with Bell Media and in event operations & business development with the LPGA Tour. His experience and knowledge in business development and relationship building has helped lead the humane society to successfully hitting fundraising targets during his time here, including the COVID years. He also adopted his dog Fitz from the Kitchener centre. His wife, Michelle, is a member of the Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club and he often volunteers for local club activities.
The Strategic Priorities for the organization are:
P – Promote Human Animal Bonds
E – Engage and Innovate
T – Tell Stories to Raise Awareness
S – Enhance Organization Sustainability
They provide a wide range of services including:
Veterinary Services
Spaying / Neutering
Microchipping
Rabies Vaccinations
TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release of feral cats))
Community Outreach
An example of the kind of innovative community outreach they do is that they now have staff visit homeless encampments and areas like the Better Tent City to provide free services and care for the animals. They understand how important human animals bonds can be for these people and are working hard to develop trust in these marginalized communities.
Community Services
Animal Control
By Law Services
Emergency Boarding
Emergency Food Bank
Emergency services are provided in situations such as when there has been a house fire and the family has to relocate temporarily, boarding and/or food supplies are provided free of charge.
Volunteer Services
Dog Walking
Animal Care
Special Events
Fostering
Events and Programs
Bake for the Animals
Dash and Splash
Paws for Laughs
Summer Camps
Vets in Training
And Many More
Some interesting and telling statistics from 2022
322 Active Volunteers
2,193 Wildlife Calls
2,204 Animals Helped
820 Families Helped
750 Dogs seen
1,499 Cats seen
2,544 Total domestic animals seen
1,195 Surgeries on own animals
847 Surgeries on animals from other organizations
153 Surgeries on outreach animals
639 Surgeries on TNR animals
5,362 Total surgeries (up from 624 in 2021)
Their annual total spending is about $5,000,000 and all of the funding they receive is from organizations and community donations.
Ways to help
Foster Animals
Donate – Funds / Supplies
Support – Spread Awareness / Attend Events
Nick’s presentation was followed by a tour of the facility including many of the treatment and boarding areas not normally open to the public.
Nick Burke is the Director of Development for the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth, where he has held the role for the last 3.5 years. He has spent time in advertising sales with Bell Media and in event operations & business development with the LPGA Tour. His experience and knowledge in business development and relationship building has helped lead the humane society to successfully hitting fundraising targets during his time here, including the COVID years. He also adopted his dog Fitz from the Kitchener centre. His wife, Michelle, is a member of the Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club and he often volunteers for local club activities.
