Staff Spotlight:
Lauren Ponchur

Lauren with Penny Lane

It’s evident that Lauren Ponchur is excited as she sits and pets her dog, Penny Lane. She talks about her favorite movie—it’s “The Notebook”, by the way—and tells us about how she loves to ski. She mentions how she just got engaged to her new fiancé, Michael but emphasizes that the wedding will not be for at least another year—they don’t want to rush anything. But, the most important thing she wants you to know about her is: “That I’m excited! That I am really excited about starting here.” That’s right, Lauren Ponchur is the newest addition to the HSGKC team. So, let’s all welcome Lauren! And, try not to hold it against her that her favorite movie is “The Notebook”.

Lauren will be joining the shelter staff this coming January as the new Special Events Coordinator, a new position that will focus directly on our fundraising events. She will work alongside Robin and Jo as they continue to implement our special events such as Big Martini, Dog ‘n Jog, Art Unleashed, Pet Telethon and the Golf Tournament. As a graduate of KU with a degree in Journalism and experience working at The Pitch and Highwoods Properties, Lauren will be able to draw upon her experience in advertising and her passion for event planning once she steps into her new position next year.

“I really wanted to get more into event planning,” Lauren said, “And, I wanted to work somewhere with compassionate people who were working for a cause.” Eventually, Lauren found her way to us and applied for the new Special Events Coordinator position. After the interview process, Lauren came out on top with her fresh ideas, strong background and, dare we say, spunk!

A dog lover her entire life, Lauren said that she is looking forward to working in an environment where she can bring Penny Lane, a beagle/basset hound, to work with her. She even jokes that her family is making bets on how many other dogs she will either foster or adopt once she starts in January. Looks like we found a new foster parent! All kidding aside, Lauren’s love of animals shines and it’s clear that she will do her very best in promoting the shelter and planning our benefit events. So, when you see Lauren around the shelter in January, make sure to tell her hello and welcome her to the team.

Santa Paws is back up at the North Pole finishing up some last minute Christmas preparations, but for the past two Saturdays he was in Fairway, KS! Santa Paws took photos with lots of dogs, some cats, and plenty of kids all to benefit the shelter pets.

Thanks to the immense help of volunteers, the generosity of the Fairway Shops and Lane4 Property Group, our photographer Scott Gentry and the patronage of hundreds of Kansas City pet lovers, we were able to raise $1,250!

If you’re doing some last minute Christmas shopping online, or, if you are just doing ANY online shopping at anytime, check out a website called iGive.com. Through iGive, many of your online purchases can result in a donation to the HSGKC. Simply complete a free sign-up with iGive and select The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City as the beneficiary of your purchases. Then, shop away! With iGive you can rack up a 1.2% donation from BestBuy, a 3.6% donation from Barnes & Noble and much more from many of your favorite online retailers.

Be sure to sign up with iGive today and start earning donations just by shopping online, with absolutely no cost to you!

Christmas is just days away but there is still time to Adopt the Shelter for the Holidays. When you are out purchasing gifts for your loved ones, please remember the little ones here at the shelter who are in desperate need of love. Any gift to the shelter is a gift of love.

If you would like to Adopt the Shelter for the Holidays, please try to bring in your donation by the end of the business day on Thursday, Dec. 31. Contact Robin for more information.

Angela Ray with Fletch

As you probably know, we save lives every day at our shelter. Our new video shares the stories of four pets whose lives have changed thanks to the efforts of our staff, volunteers and donors. Check it out on the About Us page. Chances are you'll see some people and pets you know!

When you stop by the shelter this week, please bring in some Pill Pockets for the shelter clinic. The convenient little treats aid in administering medication to the clinic patients and they love that they are getting a treat at the same time! The clinic can use all sizes of Pill Pockets.

Additionally, the clinic is also in need of stainless steel dog cages for surgery recovery. If you are considering a large donation to the shelter, please consider purchasing one of these cages for the clinic. We can guarantee it will be put to immediate use!

For a list of other items and services we need, please check out our Sit Up and Beg Wish List. All of these items go to helping our cause become more successful and our animals’ lives become more enjoyable.

We've Been Adopted!
We're excited to share the news that some of our pets have recently found their forever homes:

Bert, Brandy, Hogan, Nellie,

Oprah, Peaches, Rio, Steve, Scooby... and several more!