by Ashley House
Parkland students who love animals and are searching for a volunteer opportunity this winter can look no farther than the Champaign County Humane Society. Each winter when out of town students leave for the holiday break and others are traveling to visit family, the shelter experiences a shortage of volunteers, which leaves a lot to be done by few in a small amount of time. And luckily there are plenty of ways to get involved.
The first thing to know before volunteering your services is that you should plan on committing: training new volunteers takes up lots of time and resources, therefore they would like you to commit for at least 4 months. Not that that should be an issue; how can you resist so many cute furry faces and wonderful feeling of having done something truly good? You also must be at least 18 years of age to volunteer and attend an orientation meeting at which you can fill out their official paper application to volunteer, as well as gain more information on what exactly each job entails and why it’s important. The next orientation will take place just after you finish up your finals, on December 19 at 6:30pm at the Urbana Free Library, so it’s the perfect time to get involved.
Once you get registered and take a tour of the shelter, you can select the job you would like to volunteer for and receive the proper training for it. My personal favorite job when I volunteered there was walking and socializing the dogs. Each dog typically needs a 10 to 15 minute walk a few times day. When temperatures become too hot or too cold, however, they can only go out for quick potty breaks and then into the socialization rooms for playtime. The great thing about dog walking shifts is that there are 3 hour shifts all throughout the day from 8:30AM to 7:00PM that you can sign up for, so you can really find a way to squeeze it into any busy schedule.
Another great job to volunteer for is cat kennel assistant. These volunteers come in from 8:30AM to 11:00AM throughout the week to change out any litter or soiled bedding or toys in the cat kennels, as well as feed cats without dietary restrictions–employees with proper training take care of these special felines. This is one of the most important jobs at the shelter, as proper sanitation means everything in this kind of environment. Illnesses and disease can spread so easily with so many animals in any place, especially with the amount of visitors the shelter sees in a day. Volunteer efforts to keep the cats and kittens in clean, healthy kennels are crucial.
You can volunteer for a similar position cleaning small critter cages; these shifts take place at the same time as the cat kennel assistant shifts, and involve similar duties. Plus, according to their volunteer webpage, after the completion of 4 shifts you can move up to small critter socialization! Who doesn’t want to play with a fluffy bunny?
There are many, many more ways to get involved at CCHS, including folding newspapers, medical lab assisting (for those with proper certification and training), and even fostering! Even if you don’t have the time in your schedule, you can still make a contribution to the shelter in the form of donations. Not only do they have a wishlist on Amazon you can shop from (search for Champaign County Humane Society Wish List), they provide a pretty extensive list on their website detailing what they’re in need of. This includes items like Paw-Safe Ice Melt for the winter, food for any kind of creature (canned or dry), toys, treats, and more, as well as things like bleach, gloves, dish soap, and brooms. You can find the full list on their website (www.cuhumane.org or www.cuhumane.org/Donate/WishList.aspx).
On their website you can also find full information on volunteer opportunities, or email Breanne, their volunteer coordinator at Breanne@cuhumane.org, or you can simply visit their volunteer orientation meeting on the 19th of this month.
