After more than 50 years of service to animals, the Ramona Humane Society in San Jacinto is on the verge of some major changes. There will be an announcement of all of them via social media on Nov. 28 in conjunction with the celebration of generosity, GivingTuesday. Created in 2012 as a day that encourages people to do good, RHS determined it to be the perfect time to share all the positive and meaningful changes in store for the community.

Katie Stout, Director of Development since March, brings 13 years of experience working with nonprofit animal and human shelters to RHS and has enjoyed helping President and CEO Jeff Sheppard bring his hopes and dreams of the betterment of all animals to fruition.

“We chose GivingTuesday to reveal our exciting news as it represents a global generosity movement that empowers individuals and organizations to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. This day is dedicated to the spirit of giving, making it the perfect occasion to share our announcement,” Stout said. “We will be sharing and discussing our rebranding initiatives and the transition to a no-kill platform with our supporters and the communities we serve.”

Stout said, “We invite everyone to join us live on our social media platforms for a special announcement on that significant day. Our primary feature will be our video posting at 8 a.m., complemented by the sharing of heartwarming adoption stories from our adopters to further support our efforts.”

The transition is expected to take effect on Jan. 1 after RHS’s contract for animal control services in San Jacinto ends. Its contract with the city of Hemet has already expired. Seeing animals unnecessarily euthanized has bothered Sheppard for years but the needs of the community and lack of space to house so many stray and relinquished pets led to it being done way too often. The shelter’s capacity is about 250 animals, and the new platform will allow RHS to support municipal shelters and organizations by saving lives.

“Change is coming, and we’ve put a lot of thought into what changes we want to make,” Sheppard said. “This move guarantees that every animal that deserves to be adopted will be adopted.”

But it is not just about adoptions. The special announcement will also include details about all the exciting resources and services that will be made available to meet the needs of the community. The center will continue to offer low cost spay and neuter, vaccinations, wellness packages and its popular dog park located on its premises at 690 Humane Way in San Jacinto. While many services and programs are new, there will be an expansion to some of the existing programs as well. The journey ahead is expected to include specialized volunteer opportunities, dog training services and increased veterinary care support for senior pet owners.

“We really want to focus on how we can support families keeping their pets and helping loving animals find a forever home through adoptions,” Stout said.

For more information, www.ramonahumanesociety.org, www.instagram.com/ramona_humane_society, www.facebook.com/Ramona.Humane.Society, or 951-654-8002.

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The fundraiser to celebrate animals by not celebrating in person is the brainstorm of RHS Board Vice Chairman Wayne Disher, who has served on its board of directors for more than 10 years. “The idea came to me in a conversation I was having with several of our board members about possible fundraising ideas,” Disher said. “We were all saddened that we were not able to have our annual Bow Wow Meow Luau – which generated such critical funds for the animal shelter. As we were throwing out potential ideas, I noted that all the ideas they were offering required people to come together for a live gathering.” Since mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic are not allowed, he said the next logical step was to try and think of ideas that would generate critical funds but would not require crowds getting together. A discussion about hosting a virtual event came about and a possible Zoom meeting for New Year’s Eve. “And my brain just went, ‘You mean NO Year’s Eve’?” Disher said. “The more I thought about it, the more I thought we could market a non-event to help us raise funds. It took some clever thinking, but the result was offering people the opportunity to stay home and be safe but still help animals by donating the money they’d save by not going to an event to help animals.”

Revenue expected from this past summer’s Bow Wow Meow Luau was severely missed as it typically generates, on average, between $25,000 to $35,000 in ticket sales, donations, auctions and beverage sales. That loss was not the only hardship RHS has faced during the closures and restrictions brought about by COVID-19. “While adoptions and spay and neutering can be done, other work in the community has been suspended,” Disher said. “But the biggest challenge is funding – as all our events have been cancelled and we are now heavily relying on donations. Because our community and citizens are facing financial crises of their own, they are not able to offer donations right now. Since all our in-person fundraising events have had to be cancelled, our revenue is down almost 50% this year and so we are struggling to help as many animals as we can while watching our funds dwindle to critical lows.”

Disher said that at the beginning of the pandemic in early spring, animal shelters were not considered essential and RHS had to layoff and furlough all but 25% of its staff as a result. Hours were reduced at both the shelter and the spay/neuter clinic. After the first lockdown implementation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reclassified animal shelters as essential and some staff were brought back, and some hours were reinstated. While not completely back to normal levels, RHS shelter hours and the spay/neuter clinic have bounced back.

“As the shelter does not receive funding from federal, state, or local tax revenue, funds generated from our events are critical in purchasing daily operational supplies such as cat and dog food, cat litter, and medical supplies for animals who come into the shelter,” Disher said. “We are also able to receive sponsorships from our events from organizations such as the Soboba Foundation and Banner Bank. We recently received a grant from the Soboba Foundation to help us take care of animals needing critical care.”

All animals available for adoption can be viewed at www.ramonahumanesociety.org/available-animals/ and can be met in person by scheduling an appointment. All shelter visits are by appointment only because of COVID-19 precautions but can be scheduled by calling the shelter at (951) 654-8002.

Information, www.ramonahumanesociety.org. Donations can also be made online or by texting 2021 to 951-309-7607.

-Diane A. Rhodes

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Siberian Husky
Alaskan Malamute

Gus came in as a stray, we estimate his age to be around 4 years old, weighs 52 pounds and is such a gentle boy. Gus also known as Thor, pulls on your heart strings and easily becomes your favorite dog. He loves play time and socializing with other dogs and volunteers.

Gus can’t wait to share with you his love for everyone he meets.

Gus is up to date on his vaccines, dewormed, will be neutered prior to his adoption and is AVAILABLE NOW. 156085 / R230350

Lulu

Domestic
Short Hair Dilute Tortie

Lulu first arrived at our shelter as a stray, pregnant mother who was in the middle of labor. Lulu is now a thriving little Diva who lives up to her Tortoiseshell reputation.

She loves head
and chin rubs demanding love and affection by rubbing her body next to yours. Lulu is about 5 years old, weighs 8 pounds and has been one of our longest residents ready to leave with the right person.

Lulu is up to date on her vaccines, dewormed, Spayed and is AVAILABLE NOW. 154864 / Hs229077

Ramona Humane Society

690 Humane Way
San Jacinto, CA 92582
Open 7 days a week
For adoptions call: 951-654-8002.

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Playing the role of Mulan is Star Loza and Adan Nunez is Captain Shang. Dara Bailey is playing the mischievous dragon, Mushu. Mulan’s Ancestors, who narrate the play and keep a watchful eye on Mulan are Olivia Pena, Nadaici Davis, Mya Votaw, Ivanna Manzyuk, Cosette Cardenas. The Emperor of China is Andy Ballard and his advisor, Chi Fu is
Drake Rogers. Mulan’s Soldier comic buddies are Ellie Ballard, Nick Jones, Joshua McLeod.

The evil leader of the Huns, is Devon Young. The Fa family are James Serna as Father Fa, Chamisa Inoway-Mann as Fa Li her mother, and Deja Carrillo as the humorous Grandma Fa. The Matchmaker is played by Kaitlyn Armas and Clarissa Vasquez.
The children rehearse for three weeks before they present the show in the Ramona Bowl. They learn singing techniques, choreography, and acting.

For more information about this program or ticket sales call 951 658 3111, visit the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre Facebook or website, ramonabowl.com.

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