CEO Blog: Paws In Motion and Highlighting our Programs

Hi All,

It’s been just a few months since I have started my new life as your CEO – in some ways everything still feels new, but I am feeling at home, and getting my groove in the new role… I’ll take that as a win! March was a busy month with 1001 Donations, with over $140,000 raised in support of our shelter animals, and we are now gearing up for Paws in Motion – 2021 style.

For over 26 years, Paws in Motion has been Manitoba’s largest celebration of pets and the pandemic will not stop it. This year, we’re excited to encourage Manitobans to take a walk on June 26^th help fundraise for the WHS. There are incredible prizes to be won, and with our over $7 million-dollar operating budget, these funds are put to good use.

Early in my career, I worked on both 1001 Donations and Paws in Motion at the WHS, never realizing at the time that I would one day come back with the opportunity to live my truest, most beautiful life, advocating for animals every day.

Some of my priorities in the coming months are working on further educating the public on some of our programs and why they are important. Within the Capacity for Care model our shelter follows, we work towards finding the best live outcome for each animal – one of the ways we do that for unsocialized, feral cats is through our Barn Buddies program. As spring approaches and kitten season is amongst us, we will re-introduce the program to the public in full – and what I mean by that is, not just a promotion of the program itself, but a reintroduction to why is was created, how it works, and why it’s important.

With knowledge comes power, and this is just one example of us coming to market in a transparent way and teaching the public about what is best for us and our animals, and why. You can learn more about our Barn Buddies program on our website: https://www.winnipeghumanesociety.ca/adopt/barn-buddies-warehouse-cats/

As we evolve into the next season, I would like to take a moment to thank our Board of Directors and Executive Committee, who continue to give me grace and support, and as we evolve, put their best paw forward in giving us the tools required to best do our jobs (more than ever before – the commitment to our animals is unwavering.) I am grateful for that, and for you.

Until next time,

Jessica Miller
CEO
Winnipeg Humane Society