March

 Memorials and Tributes,

 Sponsorships, Donations,

 Grants, and Special Gifts

 
This beautiful golden girl is Hazel, #25045.  She is a sweet two year old looking for her forever home.  Please read more about her on our Adoptable Goldens pages and if you are considering a Golden, please adopt!

The Barb Mazanec Memorial Fund, previously known as The Arnold Fund, was set up to help defray the cost for Golden Retrievers that enter our program in need of extensive veterinary care. The Fund was originally named in honor of our first fund recipient, Arnold. He came to GRIN from a shelter when he was only about a year old and couldn't open his mouth more than 1/2". After evaluation by a specialist and many diagnostic tests, it was determined that his jaw had been broken due to trauma and healed improperly, making it impossible for him to open his mouth more than just a 1/2." Because of this he could eat, but he could have serious issues that would lead to choking, aspiration of fluids or pneumonia. He underwent surgery on 1/12/04 to correct this problem. His bills were quite extensive due to the specialized care and thus the fund was established to help him and others like him in the future.

Barb Mazanec was a devoted GRIN member.  She put her whole being into GRIN in any way she could.  She was on numerous committees, volunteered at any and all events, a board member, and the Events Coordinator where she brought our fundraising program to a new level.  Barb died suddenly in July, 2010 and is greatly missed.  Barb's goal was to raise money and awareness about GRIN in order to continue to save as many Goldens as we can and provide for their medical expenses, great and small.

You can help these special Goldens and honor her memory by making a contribution to this fund to help the next golden needing care through this program.  Your contribution can be made by check payable to GRIN at the address to the right or click on the paypal link and designate your donation to be used in the Barb Mazanec Memorial Fund.  

GRIN is a non-profit organization, we rely solely on the generosity of kind and giving people like you! We're registered with a 501(c)(3) status so all of your donations, including sponsorships, are tax-deductible. Thank you for your generosity!

Volunteering with GRIN is a great way to meet new people and make a difference!

GRIN’s success is largely due to the heart and soul of our volunteers. We have many volunteer opportunities available.  Below are a few ways you can help.

Application Team

We need people to conduct phone interviews with adoption applicants, and check vet history/references.

Home Visits

Volunteers are needed to conduct on-site home visits for prospective adoptive families to ensure safety and soundness for a GRIN dog’s placement. You will also ask questions, make observations and fill out a Home Visit Checklist.

Transport

Do you love to drive? Volunteers are needed to transport dogs from shelters, to trainers or foster homes and to and from vet visits.

Foster Care

Foster homes are critical to our organization in the care and nurturing of newly rescued Goldens. We need fosters who are willing to open their hearts and homes to offer loving support to these wonderful dogs while waiting for that new special family to call their own. Please visit the Foster Process section under the volunteer tab for more information.

Educational Events  

We are looking for people who would like to represent GRIN at Awareness/Visibility events to share our mission, and provide education. These are frequently held at local pet stores, dog shows and the like. For more information on our events throughout the year.

Membership Events

Our members LOVE our annual membership events, i.e., Volunteer Appreciation Event, Bark In The Park, “I Scream” Social and Howl O Ween Party. Be a part of the planning and fun to help organize and/or support the awesome activities on the day of the event!

Golden Gala

Our biggest fundraiser of the year is our annual Golden Gala and this event takes dozens of dedicated people as well as the Gala Committee to lead this effort. Volunteers can assist with the collection of donations and sponsorships, organize events and work behind the scenes and day of the event to ensure that everything runs smoothly for a fun-filled night.  This event is critical to our ability to care for our dogs!

Fundraising

GRIN needs creative, energetic people to assist and implement fundraising ideas throughout the year.

Membership Committee

Join our Membership Committee, which is responsible for the annual membership drive and coordinating all new and renewal GRIN memberships.

Grant Writing

We can always use volunteers to help identify potential corporate and private foundations that offer grants to animal rescues, write grants and help solicit major donors.

Technology and Professional Opportunities

We need computer oriented, reliable volunteers who are willing to work with inputting information to our databases and systems on a regular basis. We also need volunteers who can manipulate photographs for web/media presentation, coordinate/create the GRIN calendar, update forms, and support the technology end of social media.We also have the need for volunteers who are able to provide clerical support, assist with voicemail duties, graphic arts, photography, sewing, dog grooming, public relations, photography and writing. We'd love to have YOUR help in one or all of the areas listed above, and we'd love to know if you have other special talents that you'd like to share with us!

Without the support and generosity of our members and volunteers GRIN simply could not do what we do! If you have a passion for Golden Retrievers and some extra time on your hands, we want to hear from you. You can respond to a specific committee via the website, inquire about volunteer activities at a membership meeting, or click on the Volunteer Coordinator contact us button for additional information.   As always, thank you for your support!

Due to insurance and liability issues, all volunteers must be paid members. To start your membership, please visit our Membership Page.

"Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever."

~ Karen Davison

Donations

GRIN relies solely on the generosity of kind and giving people like you!  We’re a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so all of your donations are tax-deductible.  GRIN is primarily supported through memberships /membership renewals, fundraising, adoption fees, donations, grants and corporate matching programs.

To make a donation using PayPal, click here.

Financial support is critical as we continue to welcome dogs into our care, regardless of age or medical needs, and provide them with the care they need.  The past few years have been challenging as we have seen a significant increase in the number of dogs requiring much more extensive and complex medical care.  Additionally we lovingly care for dogs that have been unadoptable due to age or terminal medical conditions.  No donation is too small and since we are a 100% volunteer organization with no paid staff, all funds go toward running our rescue program.  Adoption fees for a golden only covers a very small portion of our costs associated with the dogs we take into our program as we spend an average of $1,200 per dog. The balance is made up from donations.

Golden Guardian Sponsorships

Many of our rescued Goldens need extensive medical care and a golden sponsorship is a way in which you can help. It is not unusual for medical expenses to mount to several hundreds of dollars, a few even into the thousands. All of our GRIN dogs are available for sponsorship and some dogs require multiple sponsors due to the extraordinary medical expenses incurred while in our program.

How can I sponsor a golden?

Is there a particular GRIN dog that tugs on your heartstrings? You can become his/her "Golden Guardian” and help GRIN by contributing to the medical care for that golden. To sponsor any of our current Adoptable Goldens, select the dog(s) you would like to sponsor for any amount and it can be a one-time sponsorship or on-going, that's up to you!  Sponsorships can be in your name alone or can be in memory or honor of someone or your special pet.  All sponsors will be listed on our website with your sponsored golden.  We encourage you to watch your sponsored dog's progress on the website, and read about their vet visits, socialization, and their time in foster care. It's a rewarding way to support GRIN - and help a specific tail start wagging again.

How do I pay for the sponsorship?

You can sponsor a golden using your debit or credit card conveniently and securely through PayPal on our website or send your check to GRIN at the address below.  Be sure to include the name of the Golden(s) you're sponsoring AND your home mailing address so you can be sent a special donation card for your sponsorship and an adoption card once your golden has found their forever home.  If you would like us to mail a card to someone other than you for the sponsorship, please include that information as well.  All sponsorships are fully tax deductible. 

Where can I make my golden sponsorship on your website?

To sponsor a golden by PayPal, click here.

I want to send a check.  Where do I mail my golden sponsorship?

Other ways in which you can donate to GRIN:

Membership (your membership can be considered a donation and an additional donation can be added to your membership)

Barb Mazanec Memorial Fund (this fund helps specific dogs who have extraordinary continual medical expenses and is a restricted fund.)

Employer Matching Programs - Don’t forget to ask if your employer provides corporate matching. Many companies encourage their employees' philanthropy through a matching gift program whereby your employer will match your individual donations. This generous program doubles - and sometimes triples - your donation. Ask your human resources department if your employer has this program. If so, you will be given a matching gift form to send to us with your donation, and we'll do the rest!

Item Donations - Although money goes a long way for us, we can also use donations in other forms.  Gift cards for pet items, gas, office supplies and stamps go a long way in assisting to offset foster home and administrative expense.  We welcome dog supplies such as new or gently used crates, baby/pet gates, dog toys including Kongs or unopened dog food.  If you would like to donate any of these items, please contact us at grinrescue.org and we will arrange to get the items from you.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation and forever change the life of a wonderful Golden Retriever, please Donate Today by clicking on this link, Donate to GRIN to make your donation through PayPal.  Thank you for your support!