The Great Grocery Stock Up is Back!

Posted in You Can Make a Difference by vokracommunications

Right now when you stock up on grocery cards from Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Nester’s and Stong’s VOKRA gets a higher percentage of the profits.

These profits can really add up fast! Last year with the help of our fosters and volunteers we raised more than $3,800 which we used to buy things like cat food, litter and flea medicine.

We need to bulk buy the gift cards in order to get this higher return and that’s where you come in. We need you to order your Safeway*, Save-on-Foods**, Nester’s and Stong’s cards by November 9.

Safeway cards are available in $25, $50, $100 or $250
Save-On-Foods and Nester’s cards are available in $25, $50 or $100
Stong’s cards are available in $100 or $250
Order now – but you don’t need to pay until November 9 (We’ll even take a post-dated cheque for November 9!)
The cards will be delivered in late mid-November in time for the holiday season.

This is a limited time offer so be sure to place your order by November 9 by emailing vokragiftcards@gmail.com and let the gift card team know what you’d like. They’ll confirm your order and contact you to arrange payment and delivery. Want to know more about our gift card program? Click here.

You can help us reach our goal of $40,000 in sales. That’s a profit of more than $3,000 for VOKRA kitties!

*Safeway gift cards can be used at Sobeys, Foodland, FreshCo, Thriftyfoods, Lawtons & Needs.

**Save-On-Foods cards can be used at PriceSmart, Overwaitea and Cooper’s Foods.

14Oct2018

2018 Board of Directors Election

Posted in volunteers by vokracommunications

VOKRA will be holding its 2018 Annual General Meeting on October 18 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Anyone can attend our AGM, however in order to vote you need to become a society member. Membership is only $10 and is a great way to show your support for VOKRA.

2018 VOKRA AGM
Thursday, October 18
7 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:15 p.m.)
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1573 – 18 Avenue E., Vancouver
RSVP & BECOME A SOCIETY MEMBER

Members will receive a full agenda package, but briefly, the points to be covered will be:

Minutes of the Previous AGM, October 19, 2017
Presentation: 2017 – 2018 in Review
Treasurer’s Report: 2017 Financial Statements
Motion to set membership fee post October AGM
Motions to change the bylaws to align with the new Societies Act
Election of board members
Thank you to the outgoing board
New business
Meeting adjourned

We have asked people to indicate whether or not they will be attending the meeting so we can get a rough idea of the number of people who will show up. People intending to run for Board positions must be present for both the nomination and the acceptance of the nomination. Under BC Society Act bylaws, no proxies are permitted.

At the AGM we will be electing six new members of the board of directors to serve a two-year term until 2020. Board membership is a leadership position within VOKRA that guides the organization to achieve its mission. Directors act in a position of trust for the community and are responsible for the effective governance of our organization.

Current board members seeking re-election:

Karen Duncan

Karen, along with Maria Soroski, founded VOKRA in 1999 with a mission to care for kittens that needed around the clock bottle feeding and treatment. With assistance and training from Dr. Brondwin at Arbutus West Animal Clinic, they were able to make their dream a reality and things grew from there. Over the years, Karen has seen VOKRA expand with ever growing teams of people who organize and share the work. She’s thrilled the organization now has the Operations Centre, which has enough space to allow for safely housing incoming cats, storage and all of VOKRA’s volunteers. She’s also proud of VOKRA’s TNR program that has effectively eliminated the endless flow of tiny kittens from Vancouver streets.

Karen Kohfeld

Karen was elected to the board in 2016 and currently serves as secretary. She’s been involved with VOKRA for more than eight years as a foster, helping at events and the Operations Centre, as well as serving on the Medical Research team. Additionally, she’s encouraged her daughter’s participation in small ways (fundraising through a lemonade stand.) and helped to set up an outreach activity at her daughter’s school. With Karen’s background in science and research, she thinks systematically about problems and operations and approaches issues with an open mind.

Helen Savkovic

Helen has been involved with animal rescue since 2005 when she went down to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. After returning home, she became involved with a local rescue where she worked on the campaign to ban the sale of puppies in Richmond pet stores and organized their entry in the Pepsi Challenge where they won $25,000. Helen strongly believes in the cause of animal welfare and the no-kill philosophy and brings a wealth of knowledge to VOKRA.

New candidates seeking election:

Ann Peters

Ann is a project management professional with 30+ years experience in business and a longtime supporter of VOKRA. She has a background in business administration, project and change management and has provided management consulting support to major Canadian companies, Crown corporations and private and public sector organizations. Ann was a volunteer executive director to a non-profit environmental education organization from 2000 to 2015 and still actively volunteers with the charity.

Ann has a strong financial analysis background, has extensive experience managing large demanding projects and an excellent track record for getting things completed on time and on budget. She also has excellent operational and human resources management experience and has provided contract senior management support to various organizations moving through change. Ann has provided support in the design and delivery of policy, process and procedure documentation for large to medium sized organization which provided much needed structure to organizations facing change.

Lea Tkatch

Lea has a deep seated love for all animals and is especially passionate about kitties. Over the past two years, she’s fostered more than 35 cats and kittens and also volunteers weekly doing cat care at our Operations Centre. Through her professional life, Lea has extensive experience working as a career administrator with a focus on office management, executive support, human resources and recruiting, and project and events management.

Lea’s core strengths include being resourceful, detail oriented and diplomatic. She has excellent organizational and leadership abilities that are complimented by a positive attitude, a tireless work ethic and a love of all things feline.

David West

David’s the proud cat dad to three VOKRA kitties and has been volunteering as a foster, driver and receptionist since 2016. David, along with his wife Pat, were named as the VOKRA Volunteers of the Month for December 2017. Prior to his involvement with VOKRA, David spent more than 20 years as a Sail Canada Instructor Evaluator and served on the Learn to Cruise Committee of the Canadian Yachting Association. David also has extensive management experience after spending 15 years as the operations manager for Canada’s largest pleasure craft charter company.

13Oct2018

Piper’s Happy Tail

Posted in Happy Tails by vokracommunications

Piper (formerly Sasha) is now singing a happier tune. This little cat had a rough start to her life but luckily she’s found a home, thanks to VOKRA and her adoptive kitty-mom.

Piper and her siblings were found in a ditch, covered with fleas and lesions from the fungal skin infection ringworm. It was VOKRA and vets who stepped in to help, said Eeva Wanders, who adopted six-month old Piper.

At first, the newly healthy Piper was very shy and VOKRA recommended a quiet home for this little kitty. At Eeva’s, it didn’t take long for Piper to come out of her shell. “For all [Piper’s] shyness, she took to me quickly and on the second night she jumped into my lap,” Eeva marveled. “The next morning I woke to her lying on my stomach.”

Eeva herself was delighted to meet Piper. Having lived with cats all her life, Eeva suddenly found herself alone and lonely after the death of her beloved Cairo. “I missed him terribly,” she said. “And I knew only a cat could help.”

Happily, Piper was there to fill this cat-shaped hole. Eeva says that even Piper’s markings seemed fortuitous. “I had hoped to find a silver tabby with a pink nose as I had one growing up. Lo and behold, there she was!”

Now, after six years together, Eeva and Piper are still very much enjoying each other’s company. The formerly shy Piper is “quite comfortable and curious of people and is keen to sniff their hair or ears,” said Eeva. “She LOVES to play and investigate boxes and paper bags. She loves her grey mouse, her felted braids and milk jug rings. And she plays fetch…but only when she wants to.”

“She truly is an amazing and special cat,” Eeva said, “I’m glad to be owned by her.”

We’re glad, too, that Piper and Eeva have found each other and that Piper now has a forever home where she can be happy!

Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at communications@vokra.ca.

6Oct2018

Volunteer of the Month – October 2018

Posted in volunteers, You Can Make a Difference by vokracommunications

Paul with Spitfire

October’s the month of Thanksgiving and we couldn’t be more thankful for all of our volunteers. Without the hundreds of individuals who give thousands of hours of their time each month, VOKRA, quite simply, wouldn’t exist. One of those volunteer is our Volunteer of the Month October – Paul Breland.

Paul began volunteering with VOKRA in the spring of 2013 and, since that time, he’s fostered 16 litters, including 15 moms and 67 kittens.

Paul started volunteering after being sent a link to a webcam run by a kitten foster for Purrfect Pals in Seattle. After watching him foster a mom and kittens for a while, Paul thought it looked like fun and there was no reason why he couldn’t do it.

“I had been going through my own kind of midlife crisis at the time, wondering what I was doing with my life besides working and playing PC games,” said Paul. “Helping kittens is a way to do something more meaningful with my spare time.”

As a foster of moms plus their kittens, Paul’s main focus is ensuring the kittens grow up to be healthy, friendly and well-trained. If the kittens are around a week old when they arrive, it’s mostly a matter of making sure mom is well-fed and her litter scooped. As the kittens grow, Paul gets them used to being around people and being handled. He watches for any sign of ill health and weighs them frequently to ensure they’re going in the right direction. At around five weeks old Paul helps transition them to eating wet food and using the litterbox. As they near adoption age, he then submits pictures and bios for the website and answers questions when potential adopters come to view them.

“Obviously, my favourite part of volunteering is getting to sit in a room surrounded by kittens!”, said Paul. “But aside from that, the best part is seeing how happy the adopters are when they pick up their new furry friends. Many have left in tears they’re so happy to be adding a new family member (or two or three).”

It’s hard for Paul to pick a favourite story out of so many, but when pressed he said fostering the “Shovel Kittens” is one of the best. “They were discovered on a cold, rainy November day when their mom was trying to shelter them under a shovel leaning against a house,” explains Paul. “When they came into my care, they were really hissy and didn’t like attention at all. But after weeks of socialisation and handling (and a bit of reverse psychology!), they discovered they loved attention and became purring lap kitties.”

It’s even more difficult to pick a favourite kitty out of the 82 he’s fostered so far, but Paul must go with Hurricane and Spitfire, two kittens he just adopted from his most recent litter as company for his 10-year-old girl kitty. Outside of family bias, one kitty who stands out is Dusty, adopted by a couple of Paul’s friends earlier this year. He’s a friendly little black floofball who became a little brother to another VOKRA kitty. He helped fill the void of a departed kitty and has become a huge part of their lives.

“Another one of my favourites is Elle, a dilute torbie who was over-the-top friendly and loved being held,” adds Paul. “She also went to a family who was having some tough times and immediately lifted everyone’s spirits.”

THANK YOU Paul for all the time, effort and love you put into ensuring all the moms and kittens in your care are set up for success! We can’t wait to hear more stories from the next 16 litters!

As a volunteer-driven non-profit, we clearly couldn’t do what we do without our extremely dedicated and hard working team of volunteers. Thank you to each and every one of you!

VOKRA’s always in need of volunteers and fosters. If you’re interested in volunteering with us visit our website at vokra.ca/volunteer or vokra.ca/fostering.

6Oct2018

Here Kitty Kitty!

Posted in cat care, Rescue Stories, You Can Make a Difference by vokracommunications

The rains have arrived and it’s time for all kitties to come in out of the cold. Here at the VOKRA, we work hard everyday to make sure cats who have no place to go have a roof over their head when the weather takes a turn.

Until recently, if you called “here Kitty Kitty” at our Operations Centre you’d have probably been talking to a single cat, an elderly gentleman named (you guessed it) Kitty Kitty.

This poor guy wouldn’t come running in answer though, as he has several age-related conditions that affect his mobility. He’s hyperglycemic and has arthritis in the lower part of his spine. When Kitty Kitty first came to VOKRA he couldn’t walk very well and our volunteers were concerned he was in a lot of pain. Everyone worked hard to find Kitty Kitty the right meds to help him move more comfortably.

Unfortunately, to make matters worse, Kitty Kitty started out not too relaxed in his temporary home and he had a tendency to nip. But after some medical care, and lots of cuddles and chin scratches from the team at Ops, Kitty Kitty started feeling much better. He’s still not the most agile of kitties, but he’s getting around and any volunteer or visitor who came to the back room where Kitty Kitty was staying was sure to be greeted by hopeful eyes and a little paw reaching out.

After Kitty Kitty’s temporary stay, he’s happier and healthier and has now moved on to a new home. Everyone will miss this super senior, but we’re glad we were able to ensure Kitty Kitty stayed warm, dry and loved while he was waiting for a permanent situation to come along.

If you’d like to help us help more kitties like Kitty Kitty, please donate today at www.givetovokra.ca.

29Sep2018

Lincoln’s Happy Tail Ending

Posted in Happy Tails by vokracommunications

Nicole and her partner Bayani weren’t considering adopting another cat after their beloved 16-year-old tabby passed away. Even though she was still grieving, Nicole could see how her other cat Lex needed a friend. After a colleague showed her a picture of little Lincoln on our website, she couldn’t help but consider bringing another kitty into her home.

“I was pretty sure when I had seen his photo but it sealed the deal as soon as I met him in person,” said Nicole. “Out of all the kittens I had an instant bond with him…he came right up to me and curled up on my lap and fell asleep! My heart instantly melted!”

Before long, Lincoln became the newest member of Nicole’s household. Slow introductions are advised when introducing a new cat into a home, especially when there’s a kitten coming into a senior cat’s domain. It was hard for Nicole to keep Lincoln separate for those few days, but once he had access to the house he wasted no time making himself right at home.

Nicole and Bayani quickly learned life with a kitten is a lot different than with a senior cat. “My other cats have always been well behaved and not as playful so it’s definitely been challenging keeping up with him!” she said. “Lincoln has a serious case of the ‘zoomies’, so he constantly runs laps around the house. He’ll even leap at doors and run across walls. It’s crazy!”

Lincoln enjoys many comforts in his new home, such as a box full of kitty toys and endless belly rubs and cuddles. By far his biggest quirk is his love for water. He always comes quickly when he hears water running and will even jump in the shower! Lincoln’s also obsessed with people food – especially chicken. Nicole and Bayani have to keep an eye on him when they’re cooking and now have a good system of covering ingredients – but Lincoln still manages to sneak off with a nibble from time to time!

Lincoln’s high energy and big personality have brought a light to Nicole, Bayani and even feline big brother Lex’s life. “Lincoln has a lot of the same traits and habits as my cat Cedes who passed so I really connect with him. His big personality just brings constant happiness every day,” said Nicole. “He’s just really silly and we honestly couldn’t imagine life without him!”

Thank you to Nicole and Bayani for giving a loving home to a kitty in need!

Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at communications@vokra.ca.

MY sink!

MY screen…?

29Sep2018

2018 AGM on October 18

Posted in volunteers, You Can Make a Difference by vokracommunications

VOKRA’s 2018 AGM is coming up on October 18 and we’re actively recruiting for two new members to join the board as directors at large.

A director is fully informed on organizational matters and participates in the board’s deliberations and decisions in matters of policy, finance, programs, personnel and advocacy. They also review the bylaws and policy manual and recommend bylaw changes to the membership; participate in the development of VOKRA’s organizational plan and annual review; and assist in developing and maintaining positive relations among the board, committees, operations management team, volunteers and community to enhance VOKRA’s mission. Directors at large are required to attend monthly VOKRA board meeting, including preparation time to review materials.

Here’s what it takes to be a board member:

Membership in the VOKRA society. You must be a member to be a board member
Commitment to the work of the organization
Knowledge and skills in one or more areas of board governance: policy, finance, programs, personnel, fundraising and advocacy
Willingness to serve on committees and attend committee meetings
Attendance at monthly board meetings + preparation time to review materials
Attendance at meetings of assigned committees
Attendance at Annual General Meetings
Support of special events
Support of and participation in fundraising events

If you’ve got what it takes and want to learn more email communications@vokra.ca.

2018 VOKRA AGM
Thursday, October 18
7 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:15 p.m.)
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1573 – 18 Avenue E., Vancouver

Anyone can attend our AGM, however in order to vote you need to become a society member. Membership is only $10 and is a great way to show your support for VOKRA.

RSVP & BECOME A SOCIETY MEMBER