There’s something promising about the dawn of a new year. Maybe the upcoming year will be better than the last. Maybe the profound political divisions of the past will give way to a newfound compassion for our fellow human beings. Maybe civility will be restored to our civic and public life.
We hope and pray those things come true, but sadly those mega-issues are beyond our personal control. In the meantime, what we can do is shift our focus to the things in our life we can control. We can radiate kindness and concern for our family, friends, and neighbors. We can believe in the transformative power of love. We can engage in local causes that ease the suffering of those less fortunate than ourselves.
If you love animals, there are thousands of neglected, homeless, and abused animals in Aiken County, over 5000 of which end up at the Aiken County Animal Shelter every year. They need comfort and attention, so becoming a FOTAS volunteer offers you the opportunity to help lonely, suffering animals; make friends; and feel good about yourself in the process.
The mission of FOTAS is to find a home for every adoptable animal picked up as a stray or surrendered to the shelter. This is no easy task—the animals at the shelter are pack animals isolated in a kennel in a busy, noisy shelter crowded with other anxious animals and human strangers. How do we make them less anxious and, thus, more adoptable?
In the words of John Lennon, all you need is love. Just 15-20 minutes/day of human attention and affection with a shelter animal—a short walk around the grounds, a romp in the play yard, some basic obedience instruction, a little praise and cuddle-time on the bench—makes all the difference in their world. FOTAS has been able to find a home for every adoptable animal at the shelter over the past five years thanks to the volunteers who bless those lost and homeless animals with time and affection.
It’s not all self-sacrifice. Our volunteers say the time they spend at the shelter makes a difference in their quality of life. Not only does it give them a happy place to go, a routine, a little exercise (not to mention the proven stress reduction of spending time with an animal), they make new friends through shared experiences. They chat about the dogs they walk and laugh about their escapades. They celebrate the animals who found homes and fret over the ones that haven’t. Your fellow volunteers are glad to see you and worry about you if you don’t show. For most volunteers, their time at the shelter is not an obligation, but a labor of love with unimaginable emotional and spiritual returns.
This year, make a New Year’s resolution that matters. Join our special community of FOTAS volunteers and fill your life with purpose, charity, and fellowship. Go to our website at www.fotasaiken.org and fill out a volunteer interest form, or email us at info@fotasaiken.org. We can’t wait to meet you.
God bless, and Happy New Year.
Their lives are in our hands.
By Joanna Dunn Samson, FOTAS Vice President