PHS Board of Directors Meeting
June 16, 2015
Call to Order: 5:30pm
Board Members Present: Suzanne Smith, Betty Wolf, Amber Lindsey, Tim Donahue, Rob Jewett, Debbie Finnegan, Karen McAllister, Ruth Huckle, Bonnie Boyd, Lucille Waterson, Irene Hargrave
Board Members Absent: Tony Beane, Amanda Crump, Deborah Massell
Guests: FoPHS- Leila Thurston and Lorry Bass (FoPHS), Randy Page (prospective board member), and Linda Caamano.
Shelter Director: Alysia Maynard
Meeting Minutes: May 19, 2015 minutes were approved. Tim made the motion to approve; Amber, second. Posted online: https://potsdamhumanesociety.org/?p=2503
Directors Report:
Check from Center Plate for $311.70 (Disney show)
St. Lawrence Art Council October art show will donate 50% of each piece of art sold to PHS.
Matt Anable posted a picture of a mother cat and her kittens that has received a lot of attention over the internet.
An upcoming jewelry fundraiser will donate $3-4 per item sold to PHS.
Committee Reports:
Finance:
Budget vs Actuals: PHS 2015 Budget to Date Posted online: https://potsdamhumanesociety.org/?p=2508
Profit and Loss May 2015
Posted online: https://potsdamhumanesociety.org/?p=2510
Balance Sheet As of May 31, 2015
Posted online: https://potsdamhumanesociety.org/?p=2506
We have received $2,800 to date from Larry, the groomer.
Irene reminded the board that she will be done at the end of the year and that a committee should be formed to address PHS bookkeeping after she leaves. The job could be divided into three parts: bill-paying, making deposits and reconciling accounts at the end of the month.
Bonnie made a motion to approve the finance reports. Ruth seconded. Motion passed.
Fund Raising: Golf Tournament – Still need sponsors. Karen will provide a list of politicians in St. Lawrence County to the Golf Tournament committee who will be asked to sponsor this event.
FoPHS: FoPHS had a booth at the Norwood Craft Fair and Vendors Market. They sold Quilt Raffle Tickets for Best Friends Thrift Store ($65.00), candy bars to benefit the Dog Park ($9.00), collected $39.00 in donations for PHS, and sold $11.00 worth of hand-crafted jewelry by Ann Sessions. They spent the whole day promoting the Shelter, the adoptable animals and the different programs they have available.
Personnel/Operations: Nothing to report.
Technology Committee: The website is up and running. FoPHS requested a FoPHS “tab” on our website pages to make it easier for visitors to get to FoPHS information. The Technology Committee will meet to discuss how to address this issue for FoPHS as well as for Best Friends, and the Dog Park.
Public Relations/Donor Recognition: Bonnie talked to Joss Young about the Leaves of Love cabinet and he said it is next to be worked on.
Best Friends: Bonnie reported that things are going well at the store. She also reported that CPH recently visited the building as a potential buyer. We need a contingency plan for the eventual sale of the building.
Dog Park: nothing to report
Old Business:
Talented Tails – Betty said that Maureen Rain will be the trainer of service dogs. There will be no cost for those who are in need of a service dog. She would like to do this under the aegis of Potsdam Humane Society. Talented Tails would like to train shelter dogs that meet their requirements. Maureen would evaluate any potential candidates for training and they would be adopted by Talented Tails. Doing this could educate the public about what a “real” service dog does. Eligibility for getting a service dog would be determined by a physician.
Linda Camaano, who has had 20 years of experience training service dogs, does not feel it is a good idea to use shelter dogs. She is concerned about the stress this will create for a dog assigned to help those with PTSD.
Lucille asked what would be needed to serve individuals suffering from PTSD. Linda felt that an established, reputable organization that trains service dogs should be used. She is going to meet next week with Maureen to discuss these issues. She strongly advises us not to get involved with TADSAW because it is not well established and doesn’t have sufficient experience with selecting and training service dogs.
Betty will take this feedback and information back to the Talented Tails committee for further discussion.
Alysia feels that educating the public about service dogs is important since some animals adopted from PHS are being designated as service dogs by their owners.
Tim moved that this issue be tabled until additional information is obtained. Karen seconded the motion. Motion carried.
New Business: none
Adjournment: Betty made the motion to adjourn; Ruth second. 7:12 pm