Greetings MaxFund Volunteers!
If your newsletter doesn't look pretty, with cool graphics and things, check out http://www.maxfundvolunteers.org/newsletters/newsletter0609.html

Summer Project 09 - Have you taken the challenge?

SUMMER PROJECT 09 - How is your Summer Project going? Have you taken the challenge, and figured out which cat or dog is going to be your mission to get adopted? Have you started the process or had any success yet? Check out maxfundvolunteers.org/summerproject09.html for the details of Summer Project 09, as well as a few stories of some volunteers who have taken the challenge and had some great results! In addition to the adoption challenge, how about you encourage just one person to become a MaxFund member? Membership is one of the great ways to support MaxFund and is only $25/year for an individual membership or $100/family!

Some new stuff in the online store! - If you haven't checked out the online store lately, there may be some new stuff! Several of the dog walkers, mobile volunteers, etc. have been asking for some shirts with something on them to indicate that the dog they are walking is up for adoption and get them noticed more! There are two new apparel items in the Volunteer Section of the store that feature the new "Adopt This Dog at MaxFund" logo (thanks to input from a lot of volunteers!)

Adopt This Dog at MaxFund shirts and Adopt This Dog at MaxFund safety vests are now available for ordering.
If you order by June 10th (only a few days!) you'll be able to "customize" your shirt orders by offering different colors, different styles (t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, hooded sweatshirt, and pullover pouch jackets). If you don't order by June 10th we'll still be stocking this item but will be limited to Purple Gildan t-shirts. At some point in the next few months we will do another custom clothing run and more options will be available for this and other shirts, but this will be the last order until then!
Also, don't forget the specials still going on that were announced in the last newsletter! MaxFund Volunteer Shirts for $10 (was $12-15), Polycarbon Water Bottles for $5 (was $7.50), Paw Print embroidered hats for $12 (was $15), and MaxFund Safety Whistle Flashlight Carabiners for $3 (was $5). Another new item in the store is the "slightly flawed" deluxe waist packs that are fine except the water bottle holder was sewn too tight to hold the polycarbon water bottles - offered for a greatly reduced price of $5! Order several items and save on shipping!

New "Help Wanted/Jobs Wanted" section added to the forums! - If you are one of the many volunteers who is looking for employment, or if your employer has some positions open, what better way than to network with other volunteers than via the Volunteer Forums! Statistics show that most people who get jobs get them through friends or people they network with, so who better to connect with then fellow volunteers? Check out the new forum at www.themaxfund.org/forums. If you aren't yet a member you will need to register before you can access the forums as these are confidential to volunteers. If you are registering, you may want to send me an email at matt@maxfundvolunteers.org to make sure I authenticate your account quickly!

The Animal Rescue site (theanimalrescuesite.com) and Petfinder (petfinder.com) are once again doing their shelter contest for the possibility of a $25,000 prize for the shelter! You can vote for MaxFund once a day, and not only do the votes help MaxFund potentially win up to $25,000 but also helps provide funds for animal shelters across america. During the last contest, MaxFund was the top ranked shelter in Colorado and won $1,000 and I'm sure we can do at least that much again so get in there and click! You can vote once a day so keep on clicking and voting!

Quality Paws Natural Pet Store is a dog and cat specialty store with natural food and supplies for yoru furry friends. On Friday August 7th, Quality Paws will donate 10% of its total sales to MaxFund. Please be sure to shop for your natural pet food and supplies on that day and visit the store at 46 Broadway in denver. Store hours are 11:00am-7:00pm.

Do you still need a photo volunteer badge, but don't have one? (if you volunteer at the shelter and don't have one yet, the answer is yes, you need one) - If you have completed the process to get a photo badge, your badge should be at the shelter! Just ask the front office if you haven't picked yours up yet and they should be there! Several months ago we held several volunteer meetings for volunteers still wanting to volunteer at the shelter who signed up prior to 2009 and have been trying to get everyone contacted with the goal of getting all shelter volunteers on the same page but I know I still haven't contacted everyone. By now, the staff expects all shelter volunteers to have photo badges and if you don't have one, you may be asked to get one. If you still haven't taken the steps to get your new photo badge (it isn't that hard, assuming you can get me a photo and a new application), please contact me at matt@maxfundvolunteers.org and let me know! Information on some of the changes and how to proceed if you still haven't gotten your badge are located at www.maxfundvolunteers.org/currentvolunteer.html.

Molly-Dharmha Run June 14th - we still need help with this event both the day of the event, as well as helping organize things with sponsors ahead of time. Please contact Ken at kenmann@hotmail.com. Flier for the run with dates and so forth is available on the maxfund.org website! Even if you can't go if you have some biker buddies pass the info along to them! June 14th will be a jumping day at the shelter with the block party and everything and I'm sure they can use your help that day for Molly-Dharmha run or just helping set up/tear down the block party, etc.!

Even though it's not a MaxFund event, the Misha May Foundation who we have worked a lot with in the past is having a Moment for Mutts fundraiser June 16th. More information can be found on their website at www.mishamayfoundation.org!

Note that in the "Volunteer Opportunities" section below - we are also going to be looking for some Mobile Adoption Location coordinators. Daniel Palen is doing a lot of these now but he will be heading off to school in the fall so can use some help in transitioning! See the Volunteer Opportunities page for more details!

Some of the things we can use more volunteers for currently. For more detailed information click the applicable links or just visit the Volunteer Opportunities page!

Mobile Adoption Location Coordinators - Helping with a specific (or multiple) locations to make sure mobile adoptions are scheduled properly and run smoothly! We need at least three location coordinators but if we had more, we have plenty of locations they can help at!
Champs Program - CHAMPS program is starting again June 6th (not much time), if you are interested in continuing with CHAMPS please contact Diane at dianekirkpatrick@comcast.net.
Recycling Volunteers Willing to help transfer the aluminum cans from MaxFund/Whole Foods Cherry Creek to the recycling center, and bring the money back to MaxFund! As a reminder regarding recycling, we accept ALUMINUM CANS ONLY! Please no steel, plastic, or glass!
Volunteer Mentors - Assisting new volunteers to get comfortable with the process and with the shelter. We can always use more mentors, the more people there is to help the newer volunteers the better! You must have the experience to feel comfortable with what you are doing at the shelter and be able to pass that experience along to others.
Foster Families - We are always looking to add more foster families to help get some of MaxFund's animals out of the shelter and transitiong into adoptable status! One thing we are always looking for is people who can take dogs but don't currently have dogs, as well as families who can take cats, but don't currently have cats for some of our animals that don't play well with others.

http://www.maxfundvolunteers.org/foster.html

Each month we highlight a few of our furries in need of a foster home, visit the Foster Family Page for the full list! If you are interested in helping out with foster care, please contact Donna.
I'm happy to report that James has now found a foster home with Chris the Champs Trainer! I'm so happy for James that he won't be surrounded by the craziness of the shelter and can learn from one of the best! We still have several animals in need of foster though!

	Cole - Cole recently had to have a leg amputated for cancer and may not be ready for foster just yet but once he recovers would love to recover in your home! (Can't foster/adopt Cole, but want to make him your project dog? Check out Summer Project 09!)
	Roger - Roger has had some recent health setbacks and may be looking for hospice care once he is released from the vet. He would love to live out his life in a calm peaceful setting away from the shelter! (Can't foster/adopt Roger, but want to make him your project cat? Check out Summer Project 09!)
	Thelma - Thelma is a rottweiler/catahoula mix and is one of the longest term residents at the shelter, but has a big fan base! He does need to be the only furry in the home though. If you have no cats or dogs, Thelma would be a great addition! (Can't foster/adopt Thelma, but want to make him your project dog? Check out Summer Project 09!)
	Teddie - Teddie has been at the shelter for 3 years and isn't the kindest to strange people which makes her hard to adopt. I predict she'd become a whole different cat in a home setting! (Can't foster/adopt Teddie, but want to make him your project cat? Check out Summer Project 09!)
	Ted - Ted is a lover dog who needs help learning how to be the best dog possible! He's eager to learn and would do best in a home environment! (Can't foster/adopt Ted, but want to make him your project dog? Check out Summer Project 09!)

Volunteer of the Month - The MaxFund greatly appreciates all volunteers, and we are so thankful to all of you who take time out of your lives to help our cats and dogs. We implemented the Volunteer of the Month award so we can honor those volunteers who go above and beyond. We received some great nominations, and June's Volunteer of the month is Ilene Johnson.

Ilene has been nominated several times for volunteer of the month and her winning the award is highly overdue. She is one of those volunteers who has been volunteering with MaxFund for so long and so consistently you can just about set your watch to her. One nominator titled her "Dog Walker Supreme", noting that Ilene is often at the shelter 6 days a week and has been doing so for over 11 years. Her ability to not just walk dogs but work with the dogs at the shelter to truly make life better for them and help find them homes, often working with some of the more challenging dogs despite her own busy schedule is absolutely amazing. Just a few recent examples of Ilene going above and beyond include the help that Caesar needed for an injury, which resulted in his adoption, and taking the reins in getting Tanuki's story in the forefront with the Blue Moon Akita Rescue which also resulted in Tanuki's adoption. "She has the spirit that makes MaxFund great".
On top of her regular dog walking, her assistance with new volunteers as a volunteer mentor has been helpful to countless new volunteers, and she has constantly been supportive and constructive with the volunteer program and the shelter as a whole no matter what seems to be going on at the time, which does not go unnoticed!
Thank you so much Ilene for all you do for MaxFund!

If you are interested in nominating a fellow volunteer for volunteer of the month, please visit the Volunteer of the Month page, and jump to the bottom of the page for nomination information. Volunteers of the month not only get the "award" of being in the newsletter and on the webpage, their name on volunteer of the month plaque at the shelter (currently being updated) but also receive this cool gold-plated lapel pin (lapel pin not shown actual size)

These are a few different ways you can help MaxFund, aside from volunteering your time... by raising funds and awareness! More detailed information can be found on the Other Ways to Help page or by clicking on each item!

escrip.com automatic fundraiser Register your credit card with this organization and purchases made at hundreds of participating organizations will result in automatic donations to MaxFund by those companies!	MaxFunds Online Store! A lot of great items including the Deluxe Stainless Steel/Acrylic Coffee mugs, polycarbon water bottles, MaxFund supporter License Plate frames, shirts, MaxFund safety whistle flashlight carabiners, hats, magnetic car ribbons, dog walking kits, and lots of other great MaxFund-related merchandise! Since 100% of the profits go to MaxFund, this is a great way to get some cool stuff and help the shelter out as well!

Buy pet supplies through pawscorp.com A variety of items for pets of all kind, and at least 15% of every purchase goes to benefit MaxFund! This is a local company helping out a great local cause!

Amazon.com Wish List Purchase items for Maxfund from amazon and they'll be shipped right to MaxFund!	Become a MaxFund Member! $25 a year and includes a subscription to Paw Prints newsletter!

Pennies for Pets Program Bring in your change jar, we will put it to good use! Remember, a little change can change a lot, so bring in a lot of change! Typically the change adds up to several hundred dollars, so it really helps out!	Recycling Help the environment and MaxFund by recycling aluminum cans and certain Electronic Equipment (Toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, used cell phones, IPODS, used PDA's, laptops, and video game systems as well). Just a reminder that MaxFund accepts only aluminum cans! Please no steel or tin cans, plastic, or glass jars!

Use Goodsearch.com for your internet searches Just put MaxFund in for the "I'm supporting..." and one cent from each search goes to MaxFund! One cent might not seem like a lot but if you search frequently, and everyone is using it, those pennies add up quick!	Donate your old vehicle! Wheels West works with us to arrange pickup of used cars, trucks, SUV's, motorcycles, even motorhomes! They can help arrange for towing when necessary, as well as title transfers etc.! Got a car you rarely use? Consider donating it to MaxFund! Completely tax deductible and the money will go to a good cause!

I introduced the Summer Project last month, a way for volunteers to pick one cat or dog and make it their mission to get them adopted! I was a bit suprised that I actually received some negative comments about the project! Well, I get constructive criticism all the time, but I thought the summer project was a pretty good idea... I wouldn't think that working to adopt out a dog or cat was a bad thing. Some felt it isn't right to concentrate on just one animal when there are so many at the shelter in need of love, affection, and help! I suppose this is a valid concern... but the point of the project is not to pick one animal and just ignore the rest... just to put more of yourself into one specific animal with the goal of getting them exposure beyond what they typically might get. If you choose to accept it and take part in the project, it'll be the animals that win! For more information on the Summer Project, check out www.maxfundvolunteers.org/summerproject09.html.

On an unrelated note... it has been quite a month... I went in for surgery the beginning of the month, was supposed to be outpatient but ended up spending 2 1/2 days in the hospital with horrible nausea (anasthesiologist says worst nausea he's seen in 3 years or more! That's like some kind of a record!). Even once the nausea got better, I was super dizzy for at least 2-3 weeks after that (doctors best guess was diziness was a side effect of all the nausea meds they had given me). Pain is still a constant but I'm finally getting back into everything and am almost up to full speed. Hopefully you didn't have to wait too long for anything from me and hopefully I'll be back to my normal self in no time! Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes, it was great to hear from you!

As always, I appreciate feedback! if you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, ideas, etc. feel free to email them to matt@maxfundvolunteers.org or use the Suggestion Box.

Matt Adams
Volunteer Coordinator, MaxFund Animal Shelter
Webmaster, MaxFund Volunteer Website