Ashe County Humane Society Celebrates First Birthday Annual Report Available Now By Fawn Roark The new Ashe County Humane Society is celebrating their one-year birthday after meeting last February for the first time and is pleased to announce that the 2004 Annual Report is available now. The recent spay/neuter event held in collaboration with the Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic in Winston Salem was a huge success and is listed in the Humane Society’s annual report. Photo by Fawn Roark The 2004 Annual Report discusses the Humane Society’s recent accomplishments and a short history of the new organization. Some of the accomplishments listed in the annual report included the organization’s volunteers that spent time helping Ashe Animal Control officers at the Animal Control adoption events and the start-up of the Safe Family Safe Pets program that helps victims of domestic violence situations by providing housing for pets while the victim is in shelter or living in a safe place. Other achievements were the spay/neuter clinic that was held in collaboration with the Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic in Winston Salem and 18 pets were altered. Another project is the education program and some of the members of the Humane Society have shown an interest in developing this program, but it has not yet been formally established, according to the report. Plans for 2005 are to form a Board of Directors, who will then create formal goals and objectives for the upcoming year and set up standing committees to work with Gaylene Lee, the Humane Society coordinator in order to achieve these goals. “I think that the progress in our first year was remarkable and far outdistanced any of our expectations. The progress, in my mind, was due to the sincere interest and terrific response from the Ashe County community, both in terms of volunteer help and outside support for our activities,” Chairman John Lisk of the Ashe County Humane Society explained. “We expect an even bigger year this year and will be announcing our goals and objectives, shortly, after our Board completes its planning process. Having our efforts coordinated by an animal welfare professional in the person of Gaylene Lee was essential to our success. It simply would not have happened without her.” For a copy of the 2004 Annual Report, contact Lee at 336-973-0295. To make a donation to the Ashe County Humane Society as the organization kicks off their second year, mail it to the Ashe County Humane Society, PO Box 1776, West Jefferson, NC 28694