Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia is having the 5th annual Cash Bash at the Elks Lodge #411, located on Chestnut Ridge Road, on April 19th. Tickets are $25.00 per person and include food and drinks.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the first drawing will take place at 6:00 p.m. Drawings will be held every 15 minutes, worth $200.00. The final drawing of the night will take place at 9:00 p.m., worth $1000.00. Winners need not be present to win. All proceeds benefit our no-kill sanctuary.

Mark your calendar, and plan to attend our biggest fundraiser of the year.

Kathy Orosz wants you all to know how well Lucky's is doing. We have donations coming in daily And things are selling well. Lucky's hours have been extended to include Tuesday. Our new hours are, Tuesday- 12:00-5:00, Thursday and Friday 12:00-7:00, and Saturday 10:00-7:00.

Donations are happily accepted during business hours. If you have a large item you would like to donate to us and need to arrange for pick-up, please call Kathy at 290-0601, or Lucky's Attic at 291-5825.

Lucky's continues to accept donations of household items, furniture, small appliances, and other miscellaneous items. Unfortuntely, due to space requirements and manpower, we can no longer accept computers, printers, clothing, shoes, food items, and large appliances. All items for sale at Lucky's have been generously donated by members of our community.

Lucky's is staffed by volunteers, and all proceeds from sales at Lucky's go directly to Animal Friends to help with costs at the shelter. By shopping at Lucky's you are helping us save the lives of animals in Mon.county and the counties of North Central West Virginia. Thank you to all our customers!

Animal Friends would like to extend a big welcome to our new Treasurer, Valerie Holsinger. Valerie is filling the position of our former Treasurer and board member, Suzanne Gainer.

Valerie brings her 18 years experience in banking and several years experience working with the Preston County Shelter to A.F. As a shelter volunteer, Valerie formed a fund-raising committee to successfully raise enough money to build an addition to the existing P.C. shelter. Now retired from banking, she will be spending her time poring over our books and volunteering at the shelter.

We look forward to working with Valerie and listening to her creative ideas for fund-raising here at Animal Friends.

More than 2,000 animals were euthanized in Monongalia County in 2007. Please help us reduce this tragic statistic by supporting our work. A $20 annual contribution (about a nickel a day) can help significantly.

Look for news of our annual contributions campaign in local media this spring, but you can help right now by completing the form below and mailing it with your tax-deductible contribution as soon as possible.

Can you afford a nickel a day to help save an innocent animal's life?

Contact Information:

Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Home Address: ____________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________

Home Phone: ________________     Email Address: ____________________________________________________________

Family or group: (Please list names)__________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Financial Support:

Please contact me with more information about:

Choose One:   ______ New      ______ Renewal

Choose One:   ______ Individual ($20 / year)      ______ Group/Family ($30 / year)

Volunteer Support:

Please contact me with more information about:

___ Volunteering          ___ Working at the Thrift Shop         ___ Fund Raising        ___ Fostering

___ Shelter Work         ___ Transporting/Rescue          ___ Other - Please describe:

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you prefer newsletters and information via (choose one)   __ Email or       __ US Postal Mail?

_____ Yes, you have my permission to publish my name as an Animal Friends supporter.

_____ No, please don't publish my name.

Last October, we received a blessing from Mr. Phil Weser, President of March-Westin Company. After reading an article in the Dominion Post titled "Poodles Health Wins; Puddles Remain at Animal Shelter", Mr. Weser, donated all of the building materials and provided workers to install a new roof to the shelter located on Brewer Road. Mr. Jim Thaler, March Westin's general superintendent, helped enormously by coordinating labor, purchasing materials, and setting up equipment.

Thank you March Westin and all those who participated for this wonderful display of generosity and compassion.

Currently at the shelter we have 7 dogs, 6 puppies, 8 cats, 2 litters of kittens, and on April 6th, our first litter of kittens born at the shelter this year. On Wednesday April 2, 2008, we joyously welcomed our very first litter of puppies ever born at the shelter. Mona, the mother, is doing well, and the babies are healthy and of course, absolutely beautiful.

On April 4, the generator came on for several hours to compensate for a power outage. This is the first time we have had to use the generator for an extended period. Our choice for generator purchase has proven to be a wise one. Local developer and contractor Pat Alexander contacted us about donating a modular for use as part of our facility. As of right now, the excavation is complete, the modular is in place, and we are moving forward with Phase II much earlier than projected. The generator will not only provide emergency power for the main building, but will now power Phase II as well.

There is much work to do before we are ready to move into the new building. Eventually it will house a surgical unit for our low cost spay neuter program for low income north central WV households. We will also have handicapped accessibility to our facility including parking.

Vounteers are needed for all aspects of the project including plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting, and eventually landscaping. All volunteers 18 or older, any skill level are welcome. Any volunteer under 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian with them at all times.

If you are interested in helping call Kathy Orosz at 290-0161.

A huge Thank You to Teddi Lester for her hard work and dedication selling the Enjoy 2008 coupon book. Thank you to all of the customers at Lucky's Attic who bought the coupon book and supported our cause. Teddi helped raise $200.00 for Animal Friends.

Randy Kirchberg has won the Mountaineer Mascot yard art donated to Animal Friends by Kate Fickey.
Congratulations Randy! Hope you enjoy your Mountaineer!

     After five years as Treasurer for Animal Friends, our friend Suzanne Gainer has retired to pursue other hobbies, interests, and spend time with her family and beautiful grandchildren. Most of you will remember Suzanne as the manager of Lucky's Attic. We hope we can continue the work at Lucky's that Suzanne started.

     We hope you enjoy your retirement, Suzanne. Best of luck always; we will miss you.

We are in the process of re-configuring our newsletter. To help offset the cost of printing, paper, ink, and postage we would like to encourage as many of you as possible to receive your newsletter by e-mail. This would allow Animal Friends to use the funds normally allocated to the newsletter to be put toward the care of animals at our shelter.

We understand your privacy is important. It is our strict policy to never sell or give away the names on our database. Your support is important to us, and we would never jeopardize that. If this is something you are interested in please send your e-mail address to ddjackson@netscape.com

Many of you ask where do your animals come from? What if … ? How do I…?

We thought we'd answer with our policy. Animal Friends does not accept pets from the general public. We do, however, work with local and neighboring county kill shelters, Bartlett House, RDVIC, Hospice, and area Red Cross offices to save animals from unwarranted euthanasia. We help pets find a permanent and loving home to live out the rest of their lives knowing peace of mind and love. If you have a pet you can no longer take care of, or find a stray or injured animal, please call your local shelter.