VOLUNTEERS S-T-R-E-T-C-H-DONOR DOLLARS

By Board President Anne McKenna

In 1967, two organizations were founded in New York City with widely different missions: Phoenix House which is the nation's leading substance abuse service organization and Animal Haven with its mission to find homes for needy cats and dogs. At Animal Haven Acres we provide training in a homelike atmosphere for dogs that need rehabilitation or that, for various reasons, are difficult to place. Whether by coincidence or Karma, these organizations joined forces last year in the Catskill Mountains to help fulfill both their goals.

For the past few months, under the direction of Phoenix House administrator, Barbara Doyle, half a dozen volunteers from the Belle Terre residential treatment facility in Delaware County, New York, have been spending their weekends doing massive amounts of volunteer work at our Sanctuary at Animal Haven Acres.

Eric B. was in charge of the "Pea Gravel Project". This was really a major innovation to protect the dogs from the dirt and discomfort of the mud that filled the runs and fields after heavy rain or melting snow. It was a backbreaking job involving building a frame and hauling the gravel by hand to each individual run. Donor contributions paid for the gravel, but the labor was purely a volunteer effort.

Khahil Installs Outside Lights

Eric B Renovates Garage

Don Fixes Porch Step

Phoenix Volunteers Group

Another major project was converting the three car garage attached to the main house into a combination of volunteer space, indoor training area and rehabilitation rooms. So far, the volunteers have installed insulation and drywall, created a stairway to the attic, put in a ceiling, built a utility closet and added lighting. They built special rooms for Duke and Anastasia who can no longer climb the stairs to the dog rooms inside the house. These new large comfortable "bedrooms" double as a perfect space for volunteers to spend "quiet time" with Duke, Annie and the other Sanctuary dogs. Generous donations purchased the material, but volunteer skill and sweat converted the space.

Don M. who is a carpenter by trade directed most of this work and says "Volunteering as a carpenter makes me feel at home. I like to see the final outcome. I enjoy teaching the other Phoenix House residents different trades in the construction field."

So many other projects have been accomplished by this great group of men and women. They power washed the barn and organized it for storage; built a side enclosure for the porch; strengthened and painted the big dog shelters; removed an ancient rug inside the house, painted two rooms, shored up the stairway to the second floor, added electrical outlets and outdoor lighting by the front door and on the porch, and vented the driers through the stone foundation to the outdoors. This latter project had the unexpected bonus of melting the snow and ice near the front door. If we had had to pay the cost of labor for this work, the price would have been prohibitive.

Jay P. grew up on a farm that had all types of animals. He says: "I find it relaxing to work around the dogs and I enjoy using my skills to better their life.

The lives of Anastasia, Duke, Jake, Nellie, Georgia, Sheba, Brit, Petey, Leo, and the other Sanctuary dogs have been made more comfortable by these physical improvements and their spirits have been enriched by the attention and compassion of these new friends.

As Khalil I. says: "I feel good about myself when I am helping animals. I want the dogs at Animal Haven Acres Sanctuary to feel loved too."

Thankfully, volunteering for Animal Haven is a sought after "job" for other residents of Belle Terre. Karen Miller, Director of the Sanctuary, said it was touching to see the joy in the face of Chris A. when he was finally chosen to join the group after hoping for some time to be selected. And one of the volunteers whose family lives in a nearby town has promised to continue volunteering even after he has completed the program.

Karen sums up their efforts: "The men and women who have volunteered here have been very modest about how much they have done for Animal Haven and the animals that live here. It is obvious to anyone looking in on any given weekend that these volunteers are putting their heart and soul into the work they do. We could never have accomplished these physical tasks without the amazing dedication of the volunteers from Phoenix House and the commitment to the community from the Phoenix House Administration."

Surely, not coincidence, but Karma.

If you are interested in more information regarding Phoenix House, please contact Director Jerome Pryor at jpryor@phoenixhouse.org