Volunteer Opportunities December 1 and Forward

• When: Saturday, December 6
• Where: Bay Street, Emeryville
• What: 2 1 person to help out at the Santa Paws event hosted by the mall. Represent Hopalong at this holiday event

• When: Every Weekend in December
• Where: Various pet stores in the East Bay and Marin
• What: Kitten Mobiles! Help staff cat adoption events- get the kitties home for the holidays!

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift in San Rafael or Mill Valley
• Where: Woodlands, San Rafael or Mill Valley (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Saturday, December 20
• Where: Pet Food Express, Rockridge
• What: Regular dog mobile, 2-3 dog handlers

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays available) 
• Where: The office
• What: Cat care at the office. Come in one morning a week and help keep the kittens clean. Lots of mess and lots of fun!! Usually start between 9 and 10 and stay about an hour (longer if you'd like!)

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift 
• Where: Emeryville or Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling! Hang out at our sites with our adoptable kitties! (Note: Emeryville is available 7 days/week, Alameda only M-F). Evening shifts available.

• When: Saturday, December 6
• Where: Pet Food Express, Berkeley
• What: Regular dog mobile, 2-3 dog handlers

Opportunities October 6th and Forward

Check for opportunities and holler at me!

• When: Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12th all day!
• Where: Marin Civic Center
• What: 15 Dog Handlers!! Dog handlers for a big adoptathon. Almost every dog gets adopted at this super fun event. Check out other rescues and lots and lots of schwag! Shifts are 10-1 and 1-5. We will "frontload" this event and it's likely that the shifts Sunday won't be needed. However, we REALLY need volunteers for Saturday

• When: Thursday and Friday, October 16-17th all day!
• Where: Office
• What: Help set up for Furball!

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help get ready for Furball! Lots of office projects, research projects from home, etc. Walk your block with Furball posters or auction solicitation letters- you name it, we've go it!

• When: Friday, October 17th afternoon/evening
• Where: Cerrutti Cellars (Oakland)
• What: 5-10 volunteers- staff the event! This is a really fun evening and we will need all kinds of event staffers. Help for a little bit or a long time!

• When: Saturday, October 18th
• Where: Pet Food Express, Rockridge
• What: Regular dog mobile2-3 dog handlers, driver to/from mobile

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift in San Rafael or Mill Valley
• Where: Woodlands, San Rafael or Mill Valley (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift 
• Where: Emeryville or Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling! Hang out at our sites with our adoptable kitties! (Note: Emeryville is available 7 days/week, Alameda only M-F). Evening shifts available. 

Opportunities 9/3/14 and forward

As we move into fall, Hopalong traditionally gets Very Busy! Lots of good stuff to sign up for, and more to come! Here it goes!

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift in San Rafael ** new!
• Where: Woodlands, San Rafael (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help get ready for Furball! Lots of office projects, research projects from home, etc. Walk your block with Furball posters or auction solicitation letters- you name it, we've go it!

• When: Saturday, September 20th 12-3 
• Where: Rockridge Pet Food Express
• What: 1-3 Dog Handlers for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Saturday, September 27th 12-3
• Where: Fenton's on Piedmont
• What: 1-3 Dog Handlers for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Saturday, October 4th 3:00-7:15
• Where: Emeryville Wine Walk
• What: 4 enthusiastic tablers- help us sell tickets, gather donations and talk up Hopalong!

• When: Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12th all day!
• Where: Marin Civic Center
• What: Dog handlers for a big adoptathon, mobile coordinators, cat helpers! Almost everyone gets adopted- really fun event!

• When: Thursday and Friday, October 16-17th all day!
• Where: Office
• What: Help set up for Furball!

• When: Friday, October 17th afternoon/evening
• Where: Cerrutti Cellars (Oakland)
• What: 5-10 volunteers- staff the event! This is a really fun evening and we will need all kinds of event staffers. Help for a little bit or a long time!

Upcoming Events- Plan Ahead!

As we move into fall, Hopalong traditionally gets Very Busy! Lots of good stuff to sign up for, and more to come! Here it goes!

• When: Weekly- Monday or Fridays
• Where: The office
• What: Cat Care! Come help one week a morning with cat care at the office during kitten season! We've got kittens and the kittens make a mess! Help us with cleaning (and socialize!). If you're feeling brave, learn the in's and out's of vaccinating and microchipping.

• When: Saturday, August 30th, 12-3
• Where: Fenton's on Piedmont
• What: 1 Dog Handler for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Weekly- pick a weekly shift (Saturdays in Mill Valley, any day in San Rafael ** new!)
• Where: Woodlands, Mill Valley and San Rafael (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help get ready for Furball!

• When: Saturday, September 6th 12-3
• Where: Berkeley Pet Food Express
• What: 1-3 Dog Handlers for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Saturday, September 20th 12-3 (fixed date!)
• Where: Rockridge Pet Food Express
• What: 1-3 Dog Handlers for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Saturday, September 27th 12-3
• Where: Fenton's on Piedmont
• What: 1-3 Dog Handlers for our regular mobile, 1 driver to/from

• When: Saturday, October 4th 3:00-7:15
• Where: Emeryville Wine Walk
• What: 4 enthusiastic tablers- help us sell tickets, gather donations and talk up Hopalong!

• When: Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12th all day!
• Where: Marin Civic Center
• What: Dog handlers for a big adoptathon, mobile coordinators, cat helpers! Almost everyone gets adopted- really fun event!

• When: Thursday and Friday, October 16-17th all day!
• Where: Office
• What: Help set up for Furball!

• When: Friday, October 17th afternoon/evening
• Where: Cerrutti Cellars (Oakland)
• What: 5-10 volunteers- staff the event! This is a really fun evening and we will need all kinds of event staffers. Help for a little bit or a long time!

Hi All!

If you haven’t heard already, we are participating in the Alameda 4^th of July Parade on Friday and are inviting all of you to join us! Fosters and volunteers- everyone!

The details:

• Confirm with me today (tomorrow morning at the latest) that you are interested in walking!
• Kids welcome and encouraged! You must walk with your kids if they come, but we know they are part of the Hopalong family!
• You will meet the See Spot Run contingent at about 9:45 in Alameda near Park and Lincoln- I’ll give you exact location.
• The walk is about 3 miles, but if you know Alameda, you know it’s flat, and the parade doesn’t move too quickly.
• Wear a Hopalong shirt (we’ll give you one if you don’t have one), smile, wave, and show off!

You’ll be done by noon, so you’ll have plenty of time to go catch your picnic, fireworks and other patriotic activities!

Again, please email me ASAP if you’re interested in participating. We’re looking for at least 10 people to walk with us, and I want to make sure I get you all the details you’ll need!

Thanks everyone, and have a safe and happy holiday!

Opportunities June 23 and forward

The fun never stops!

• When: Saturday, June 28th, 12-3
• Where: Fenton's
• What: 1 dog handlers for the dog mobile

• When: Monday, June 30th, morning
• Where: from vet in Fremont to office
• What: bring a dog back from vet in Fremont to Oakland. Van available, or take your car.

• When: Last Wednesday of the month, 5-7pm (June 25, July 30, etc. Pick one or all!)
• Where: Tiburon Tavern, Marin
• What: 1 volunteer to set up and manage an event table at Yappy Hour. Every month, the Tiburon Tavern hosts a happy hour where guests can bring their dogs. We're the featured nonprofit! Schmooze and talk up Hopalong!

• When: Friday, July 4th, 11:30-2:30ish
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! Help talk up Hopalong- smile, wave, hand out postcards, drink water, etc!

• When: Saturday, July 5th, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express, Rockridge
• What: 3 dog handlers for the dog mobile, 1 driver to, 1 from

• When: Daily- pick a weekly shift (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday available)
• Where: Woodlands, Mill Valley (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Saturday, July 19th, 10-3
• Where: East Bay SPCA adoptathon- Jack London Square
• What: 3 dog handlers for the dog mobile, 1 driver to, 1 from, 1 coordinator

• When: Anytime!
• Where: Home!
• What: Help research events where Hopalong can have a presence. Think street fairs, festivals, etc. 

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help build out the humane education program. We've got big plans for the 2014-2015 school year and need help putting them into place. If you've got education experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday!

Hi everyone!

I hope today finds you well and celebrating a great A’s win! Or at least celebrating all of the great adoptions- we can barely keep kittens in and send thanks to all of the dog fosters who have been answering our requests so quickly! We hope those guys will go very quickly as well.

Today is one of those “ask-y” emails- I’ve got a ton of things coming up and lots of cool ways you can participate!

As always, all of the details are on the weekly blog- this is something I started about 6 months ago to help all of us (me included) to help keep track of what’s available. I think that blogs might be a little 2007, but it is a quick way to both share the details of what’s coming up in case you want to jump on something AND to keep these emails from being newspaper length (newspapers might also be a little 2007, but you know what I mean!)

Here are the short versions of what’s needed- any and all help is really REALLY appreciated! There are a ton of other things- things from home, further out events, etc.

·         This Friday: A drive to pick up fixed kittens at Aborn (Fremont). Van available, timing flexible!

·         This Saturday (the 21^st) from 12-3: Basically EVERYTHING for a dog mobile at the Pet Food Express in Rockridge- a coordinator, 3 handlers, a driver to/from.

·         Tuesday, June 24^th: A morning drive (between 7:30 and 8:30) to shuttle a little dog for her neuter appointment from a daycare in Emeryville to a vet in Berkeley. Short drive, your car.

·         Ongoing Marin opportunities- cats and events- talk to me or read the details.

·         July 4^th: walk in the Alameda 4^th of July Parade! Have a great time, hold a banner, hand out postcards, etc. 11:30-2:30 ish. Still plenty of time for other events. Bring the kids!

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities: June 17 and forward

Start your engines, summer is here!

• When: Saturday, June 21st, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express Rockridge
• What: 1 dog handler for the dog mobile, 1 coordinator, 1 driver to the event, 1 from.

• When: Last Wednesday of the month, 5-7pm (June 25, July 30, etc. Pick one or all!)
• Where: Tiburon Tavern, Marin
• What: 1 volunteer to set up and manage an event table at Yappy Hour. Every month, the Tiburon Tavern hosts a happy hour where guests can bring their dogs. We're the featured nonprofit! Schmooze and talk up Hopalong!

• When: Daily- pick a weekly shift (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday available)
• Where: Woodlands, Mill Valley (Marin)
• What: Cat Care! Join our Cat Care Team as we adopt out kittens through December. This is one of our favorite places for adoptions- last year we did over 100 adoptions! These volunteers socialize kittens and help keep the place clean and healthy. Cleaning is involved :)

• When: Saturday, June 28th, 12-3
• Where: Fenton's
• What: 1 dog handler for the dog mobile

• When: Friday, July 4th, 11:30-2:30ish
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! Help talk up Hopalong- smile, wave, hand out postcards, drink water, etc!

• When: Anytime!
• Where: Home!
• What: Help research events where Hopalong can have a presence. Think street fairs, festivals, etc. 

• When: Ongoing
• Where: Wherever you'd like
• What: Help build out the humane education program. We've got big plans for the 2014-2015 school year and need help putting them into place. If you've got education experience, we'd love to hear from you.

• When: Anytime!
• Where: Home!
• What: Help find appropriate corporate sponsors. This can be approached various ways- if you've got grant experience, great, if not, start learning! We're learning, too!

• When: Tuesday, June 24th one drive between 7:30 and 8:30 and one at 4:30
• Where: Every Dog (Emeryville) to Campus Vet (Berkeley)
• What: pick up a dog at Every Dog and bring him to Campus in the morning; pick up the dog at Campus and bring him back to Every Dog in the afternoon. Your car.

• When: Monday, June 23
• Where: Drive to Fremont
• What: Pick up kittens in Fremont! Van available or take your own car!

Opportunities April 28 and Forward!

• When: Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 9:30ish-10:30ish (ongoing) 
• Where: The Office
• What: Weekly Cat Care shift. Kitten season is here and it's messy! We need volunteers to love on these guys and not mind scooping and scrubbing! Sign up to get down and dirty and your kitten fix at the same time.

• When: Saturday, May 3, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express, Berkeley (San Pablo and University)
• What: 1 dog handlers, 1 transporter to/from

• When: Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime (ongoing) and some other shifts during the week
• Where: PetCo, Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Alameda

• When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (ongoing), afternoons
• Where: The Office
• What: Cat Cuddling at the office

• When: An evening TBD 
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon. We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting this month on a weekday evening that works for as many volunteers as possible. If you're interested in this, please let me know what weekday is best so we can get started!

• When: Sundays, Ongoing (and some other shifts)
• Where: Petsmart, Pinole
• What: Cat cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Pinole

UNUSUAL BUT AWESOME!

• When: Saturday, May 10th
• Where: San Francisco
• What: Skip-a-thon! This is a walk-a-thon type event but skipping! The whole world is invited to, well, skip! We'll need 2 volunteers, but mostly we'll need you to come, have fun, and skip! More info coming soon, but registration now available here.

• When: Ongoing, about an hour a week, spread out
• Where: Home
• What: Write posts for our new blog! We've got the topics, you provide the content!

WAY IN THE FUTURE! Mark your calendars and sign up now!

• When: Saturday, May 31st-Sunday June 1st
• Where: Emeryville
• What: Maddie's Adoptathon! We'll need everything- dog handlers and coordinators, cat handlers and coordinators, basically everyone! So fun, so busy!

• When: Friday, July 4th
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! We may have a mobile, we'll definitely have kids, and it will be really hot and fun :)

• When: Sautrday, May 17th, 2-6:30 PM
• Where: Emeryville (Bay Street)
• What: 4 3 people to help out at the Wine Walk! This is a SUPER fun event where people buy tickets and drink wine! All proceeds go to Hopalong. Schmooze, talk up Hopalong, dance a little!

Opportunities April 2nd and Forward!

• When: Saturday, April 19th, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express in Rockridge
• What: 1-2 dog handlers, 1 transporter to/from

• When: Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime (ongoing) and some other shifts during the week
• Where: PetCo, Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Alameda

• When: Saturday, April 26th, 12-3
• Where: Fenton's on Piedmont
• What: 3-4 dog handlers, 1 transporter to/from

• When: An evening TBD 
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon. We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting this month on a weekday evening that works for as many volunteers as possible. If you're interested in this, please let me know what weekday is best so we can get started!

• When: Sundays, Ongoing (and some other shifts)
• Where: Petsmart, Pinole
• What: Cat cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Pinole

WAY IN THE FUTURE! Mark your calendars and sign up now!

• When: Saturday, May 10th
• Where: San Francisco
• What: Skip-a-thon! This is a walk-a-thon type event but skipping! The whole world is invited to, well, skip! We'll need some volunteers, but mostly we'll need you to come, have fun, and skip! More info coming soon, but registration now available here.

• When: Saturday, May 31st-Sunday June 1st
• Where: TBD (Oakland or Emeryville)
• What: Maddie's Adoptathon! We'll need everything- dog handlers and coordinators, cat handlers and coordinators, basically everyone! So fun, so busy!

• When: Friday, July 4th
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! We may have a mobile, we'll definitely have kids, and it will be really hot and fun :)

Cinco de Mayo with OAS!

This Cinco de Mayo we'll be sharing a booth with Oakland Animal Services to promote our Humane Education program!

The event is Sunday, April 4th and we'll be right in the middle of things with some animal control officers and fun prizes. We need at least one volunteer to come talk up the program and before that, a crafty crafter to help us make a prize wheel like this. Let me know if your'e interested!

Volunteer Opportunities: March 26th and Forward

• When: Saturday, April 5th, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express in Berkeley
• What: 1 mobile coordinator, 3-5 dog handlers, 1 transporter to/from

• When: Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime (ongoing) and some other shifts during the week
• Where: PetCo, Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Alameda

• When: An evening TBD 
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon. We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting this month on a weekday evening that works for as many volunteers as possible. If you're interested in this, please let me know what weekday is best so we can get started!

• When: Sundays, Ongoing (and some other shifts)
• Where: Petsmart, Pinole
• What: Cat cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Pinole

WAY IN THE FUTURE! Mark your calendars and sign up now!

• When: Saturday, May 10th
• Where: San Francisco
• What: Skip-a-thon! This is a walk-a-thon type event but skipping! The whole world is invited to, well, skip! We'll need some volunteers, but mostly we'll need you to come, have fun, and skip!

• When: Saturday, May 31st-Sunday June 1st
• Where: TBD (Oakland or Emeryville)
• What: Maddie's Adoptathon! We'll need everything- dog handlers and coordinators, cat handlers and coordinators, basically everyone! So fun, so busy!

• When: Friday, July 4th
• Where: Alameda
• What: We'll be joining Alameda See Spot run in the Alameda 4th of July parade- 3 miles of fun! We may have a mobile, we'll definitely have kids, and it will be really hot and fun :)

Wednesday Updates!

Hi All,

Hope you’re having a great  week and enjoying the sun!

Thank you everyone for all of your contributions this week!Thanks to the awesome group who came out last week to learn how to screen dog adoption applications- what a great group! Thanks to the cat crew for being flexible with a little last minute hoopla at the event Saturday, and for the dog crew for putting on a nice event. Adoptions are going really well- this is all thanks to all of your hard work and dedication. We also said a sad goodbye to longtime volunteer Christine who has come in weekly to socialize cats and send thank you letters to our donors. Tears were shed. We wish her the best of luck in her move.

For those of you not in the facebook group, Coco the longterm office cat was adopted from a site last week- very exciting!

We have a lot of varied opportunities coming up. I’ve put them all, along with details, on the blog. There are weekend and weekday opportunities including regular opportunities at the office and even something in Marin! Also, for those of you who like to plan ahead, mark your calendars! The Maddie’s Adoptathon (all hands on deck, for those of you who haven’t been there, and even those who have) is Saturday, May 31^st and Sunday, June 1^st. It’s not too early to sign up! After that, the EBSPCA Adoptathon is Saturday, July 19^th. Both of these events will need everything: dog handlers, dog coordinators, cat people- coordinators and assistants and floaters and, well, everything! They’re fun events! Also save the date of May 10^th for a Skip-a-Thon. If you don’t know what that is, well, neither do I, but it sounds really fun!

For those of you that have or know kids, stop by Alameda See Spot Run this Saturday at 1pm for a free educational event! Details here.

Thanks again, for all of your hard work!

Best,

Opportunities: February 24th and forward

• When: Saturday, March 1st
• Where: Pet Food Express in Berkeley (San Pablo and University)
• What: 3 handlers, driver to and from the event for dogs (van available!)

• When: Saturday, March 8th, 10-4
• Where: PetCo Unleashed (Lakeshore)
• What: 3-4 handlers, 2 coordinators 

• When: Wednesday, March 5th, 6 pm
• Where: the office (RSVP with Lauren)
• What: Dog Adoption Application Screening Training

• When: Monday, Thursdays anytime (ongoing) and some other shifts during the week
• Where: PetCo, Alameda
• What: Cat Cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Alameda

• When: An evening TBD (probably Wednesday, March 12th)
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon. We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting this month on a weekday evening that works for as many volunteers as possible. If you're interested in this, please let me know what weekday is best so we can get started!

• When: Sundays, Ongoing (and some other shifts)
• Where: Petsmart, Pinole
• What: Cat cuddling at our mobile adoption site in Pinole

• When: Saturday, March 15t
• Where: Pet Food Express in Rockridge
• What: 5ish handlers, driver to and from the event for dogs (van available!)

• When: ASAP!
• Where: Anywhere!
• What: Decorate/create some signage for our brand new dog mobile adoption site in Berkeley. We've got the site but we don't have the foot traffic because people don't know we're there. Help us get them there!

• When: ASAP
• Where: At the office
• What: Two strong people to pick up a copier and move it upstairs. My wish has been granted- a mondo copier is ours for the taking IF we can pick it up!

• When: Tuesday, March 9th
• Where: Office
• What: One strong person to come with staff to the White Elephant Sale Warehouse (right around the corner) to help us load up donations!

• When: Wednesday, February 26th, 4:30-7:15
• Where: Tiburon Lodge, Marin
• What: The Tiburon Lodge has invited us to participate in their "Yappy Hour"- a happy hour where people can bring their dogs! We need two people to set up/break down and schmooze.

• When: ASAP
• Where: Anywhere! (remote)
• What: Craigslist updater. Keep our Craigslist postings of animals and opportunities up-to-date. This takes about 15 minutes-1 hour a week. We've got the templates, you fill in the details.

Wednesday Email! Time to Get Together!

 Howdy, Guys,

I’ve got some news, some opportunities, and TWO invitations!

First news- Scooter, our longest term Hopalong animal, was adopted last week! Any of you who have been to the office in the last TWO years have probably met him- and he has left the building! Cats, staff and volunteers are still adjusting to his absence but we’re all thrilled for him and his new family.

Next comes opportunities, we’re really looking for some volunteers for this Saturday, the 8th. We need 3 more dog handlers and a coordinator for the event happening. Timing is 3-5pm, and it will be FUN! See next item!

First invitation: This Saturday, February 8th, we’re having a “Share the Love” social at Wooden Duck, a furniture store in Berkeley (1823 Eastshore Hwy) and everyone is invited! 3-5pm, bring your well-behaved canines! We’ve extended this invitation to EVERYONE in the Hopalong family including past adopters and donors and, well, everyone. Staff will be there- I promise to try not to talk about how excited I am about Spring Training for the WHOLE time.

Second Invitation: After much deliberation and coordination, we have created a facebook group for volunteers and fosters. This is totally optional but is a way to communicate and build community. We hope that it will be fun and productive. It will be a learning curve (I had to join facebook to do this, so forgive me as I learn!) Please check in with the group guidelines before joining. Because it’s a “secret” group (only members can see it exists), you’ll need to shoot me an email to get invited.

Thanks guys- I look forward to seeing you as a volunteer or attendee on Saturday and on facebook!

Best,

Upcoming Opportunities! (MANY!) (UPDATED)

Hi all, take a minute to scroll through these. They're in rough order of dates with ongoing events near the bottom. There is really something for many of you here, including people who can't come to the office and those of you who are only available on weekends. Many of these require more details, but don't worry, I've got you covered!

• When: Saturday, Feburary 8th, 3:00-5:00
• Where: Berkeley
• What: At this cool social event for the entire Hopalong community there will be dogs for adoption! We need three handlers, 1 coordinator and one driver.

• When: an evening TBD
• Where: At the office
• What: Thank-a-Thon: We will be calling all donors ($5-$50,000) starting in February on an evening TBD. If you're interested in doing this, please fill out this tiny poll to tell me what evening works for you so we can have a critical mass of a couple people.

• When: Fridays and Sundays
• Where: Petsmart Pinole
• What: Cat Cuddling. If you like cats and don't live too far from Pinole, this is a pretty cool set up for cuddling. This is one of our mobile sites that has a kitty room to take the cats out for playing.

• When: ASAP
• Where: Anywhere
• What: Decorate 2 sandwich boards for the new Berkeley Pet Food Express mobile. We have a brand new mobile event at the Pet Food Express in Berkeley. We need signage! We've got the boards, we need your skills!

• When: ASAP
• Where: Anywhere
• What: Donor solicitation. We have an upcoming event that needs some goodies donated. Think quick phone calls to ask for yummies for people and pets. Can be done at the office or home or while a passenger in a car (no talking while driving!).

• When: Anytime, M-F, 9-5, you pick!
• Where: At the office
• What: Testing the electronic devices. We have lots of possibly-working electronic devices around the office. Things like printers, computer towers, scanners- we're not even sure! If you've got any technical skills and can evaluate these things, we'd love to know what we've got and what we can get rid of!

• When: Saturday, February 1st, 12-3
• Where: Pet Food Express, Berkeley
• What: Dog Mobile Adoption Event. 1 more handler needed.

• When: Wednesday, January 28th, 7pm
• Where: At the office
• What: Dog screening training. If you'd like to learn how to screen adoption applications for dogs, please come to this training. It will last about an hour (maybe a little more) and will prepare you to do the initial phone call with potential dog adopters. These phone calls help us get information about people interested in adopting Hopalong dogs and can be made from home or the office for as much or as little time as you have to give each week. No commitment- just come and learn!

• When: Saturday, Feburary 8th, 2:15-5:30
• Where: Berkeley
• What: We're having a cool social event for the entire Hopalong community. We need a couple of people to help us socialize, set up and breakdown. Prefer people who have worked events before. 1 more socializer needed.

Updated December Volunteer Opportunities

Now with better dates, an added dog mobile and an RSVP link for the Foster and Volunteer Appreciation Party!

As always, let me know what you'd like to do!

Coming up in rough Chronological Order:

As always, let me know what you'd like to do!

Friday, November 22nd Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Saturday, November 30th Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Sunday, December 1st Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Thursday, December 5th Volunteer/Foster Appreciation Party!

• Where: The Office!
• When: 5:30-7:30ish
• Needed: YOU! RSVP here.
• How Many: You, your family, your kids (and a dessert IF you feel like it.) Dinner is provided.

Saturday, December 7th Dog Mobile (new!!)

• Where: Emeryville Bay Street
• When: Noon-4pm
• Needed: Mobile Coordinator, dog handlers
• How Many: 1 coordinator, 3 dog handlers

Saturday, December 7th Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Sunday, December 8th Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Sunday, December 15th- FULL! Thank you!

Saturday, December 21st Dog Mobile Adoption Event

• Where: Pet Food Express Rockridge
• When: 12-3
• Needed: Dog Handlers
• How Many: TBD

Saturday, December 21st Santa Paws- FULL! Thank you!

Sunday, December 22nd Santa Paws

• Where: North Oakland Pet Food Express
• When: TBD (probably 12-3)
• Needed: Santa, assistants, coordinator
• How Many: 1 Santa, 1 assistants, 1 coordinator

New Volunteer Ops!

Coming up in rough Chronological Order:

As always, let me know what you'd like to do!

Friday, November 22nd Santa Paws

• Where: Pet Food Express Corporate HQ, Oakland
• When: 1-4pm
• Needed: Santa, assistants
• How many: 1 Santa, 1 assistants

Saturday, November 30th Santa Paws

• Where: Woodlands Mill Valley
• When: 11:30am-3:30pm
• Needed: Santa, assistants, coordinator
• How Many: 1 Santa, three assistants, 1 coordinator

Sunday, December 1st Santa Paws

• Where: Woodlands Novato
• When: 11:30am-3:30pm
• Needed: Santa, assistants, coordinator
• How Many: 1 Santa, four assistants, 1 coordinator

Thursday, December 5th Volunteer/Foster Appreciation Party!

• Where: The Office!
• When: 5:30-7:30ish
• Needed: YOU!
• How Many: You, your family, your kids (and a dessert IF you feel like it.) Dinner is provided.

Saturday, December 7th Santa Paws

• Where: Emeryville Bay Street
• When: 11:30am-4:30pm
• Needed: Santa, assistants, coordinator
• How Many: 1 Santa, 3 assistants, 1 coordinator

Sunday, December 7th Santa Paws

• Where: An East Bay Pet Food Express (to be determined)
• When: TBD (probably 12-3)
• Needed: Santa, assistants
• How Many: 1 Santa, 2 assistants

Sunday, December 15th 

• Where: San Leandro Pet Food Express 
• When: TBD (probably 12-3)
• Needed: Santa, assistants
• How Many: 1 Santa, 3 assistants

Saturday, December 21st Dog Mobile Adoption Event

• Where: Pet Food Express Rockridge
• When: 12-3
• Needed: Dog Handlers
• How Many: TBD

Saturday, December 21st Santa Paws

• Where: Pet Food Express Rockridge
• When: 11:30-3:30
• Needed: Santa, Coordinator, assistants
• How Many: 1 Santa, 3 assistants, 1 Coordinator

Sunday, December 22nd Santa Paws

• Where: An East Bay Pet Food Express (to be determined)
• When: TBD (probably 12-3)
• Needed: Santa, assistants, coordinator
• How Many: 1 Santa, 4 assistants, 1 coordinator

Fun Things to Do With Hopalong!

Once again, I come to you with a little something for everyone. Monday - Friday, 9-5ers, this just might be the time for you! Contact Lauren to sign up or with questions.

• SANTAPAWS! Every year Hopalong puts on Santa events for people and their pets- we're not just talking dogs and cats here, as you can see! This year these events will be every Saturday and Sunday in December. This is a wonderful chance to share holiday cheer with pet lovers from all over the Bay Area. We will need three to four handlers and helpers at each event and one coordinator for each event. Get your date now!
• LEARN TO COORDINATE: Contact Lauren if you'd like to learn how to be a coordinator for these events! (You don't have to commit to all of them- even one date is wonderful!)
• Assist at an event:
• Saturdays: November 30th, December 7th, 14th, 21st, (4 needed at each event)
• Sundays: December 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd (4 needed at each event)

• THANK-A-THON: Help us say "thank you" to all of all of our donors! This is a fun twist on the cold call: Call people and instead of asking for something, just say "thanks" on behalf of Hopalong! Can be done at home and for as much or as little time as you want. Kinda fun, right?

• DECORATE A LOBBY- A large Oakland based company is going to be turning over their lobby to us. Our task: make donating to Hopalong *so fun* that staff won't be able to resist! This task involves creativity and craftiness. Up for the job?

• ORIENTATION: Want to reach out to new volunteers? Help them realize how amazing Hopalong is? I'm looking for a superstar to help me out one Saturday a month orienting new volunteers. This is a tricky one and requires super reliability, a gregarious personality and ability to speak in front of small to medium groups. 

• UPCOMING INTERNSHIP: We are working out the details of our next internship, probably starting mid-January to line up with winter semester. This internship will focus on marketing and spreading the word. If you know any students or are a student, stay tuned, or get ahead of the game and contact me!

• SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAM: Got a passion for spay/neuter?We do, too! Next year we're going to be growing our outreach program and need help! This opportunity will combine data entry, answering some questions and doing some outreach about the program. Estimated start date is January 1st, 2014. 

• AMAZON WISHLIST: We are looking for one volunteer to help us build up and maintain our brand new Amazon wishlist. This is a great way for people to give us items we need (I know you've heard me complain about our copy machine!). Great opportunity to volunteer from home!

So Many Opportunities!

Here's what we've got coming up; what will you be doing?

Listed roughly by date:

Myrtle's Sundae Selling- Fenton's Creamery on Piedmont Ave is selling a specially created and delicious- looking sundae all month and 25% of proceeds go to Hopalong! Sales do better when we've got a volunteer out talking up the organization. Shifts available:

• Saturday, September 21st, 12-3
• Saturday, September 28th, 12-3
• Any other day you are free and would like to go!

Cat Mobiles and Mobile Training- Our fabulous Cat Crew has been handling mobile adoptions for years and are ready for more Cat Slaves! Learn how to assist at cat mobile adoption events and help find cats new homes this month!

• Cat Mobile Training: Saturday, September 21st, 11am, at the office
• Mobile Adoption: Sunday, September 22nd, 12-3, Your Basic Bird in Berkeley (need to have been trained in some way to attend this mobile)
• Mobile Adoption: Sunday, September 29th, 12-3, Fenton's (need to have been trained in some way to attend this mobile)
• Adoptathon: Saturday, October 5th and Sunday, October 6th, 10-5, Marin (we will have coordinators at this event, so no training required, but encouraged!)

Dog Mobiles- In the midst of all of this, we've got our normal dog adoption events coming up!

• Pet Food Express- Saturday, September 21st, 12-3, 3 or 4 dog handlers, transport to and from
• Fenton's- Saturday, September 28th, 12-3, 1 or two dog handlers, transport to and from

Wine Walk- Emeryville Bay Street (the same place Maddie's was this year) is hosting a charity event and donating the proceeds to Hopalong! There will be music, wine and... Hopalong representing!

• Saturday, October 5th, 3:30-7 at Emeryville Bay Street, 3 1 volunteers needed.

Marin Pet Fair- This is an annual adoptathon in Marin that runs for two days- Saturday October 5th and Sunday October 6th from 10-5. We'll have lots of dogs and cats and will need lots of volunteers! I'm happy to help organize carpools.

• Dog Coordinators- both days
• Dog Handlers- we probably need 5-6 each day, possibly more if you only want to work a half day
• Cat Handlers- Sunday, October 6th only; trained or untrained is fine for this event as we will have staff at this event
• Set up and break down- both days

Furball- this is our big event on October 12th and I don't have details on what exactly we need yet. If you would like to commit to volunteering for an unknown position yet, please let me know!