Dedication Above and Beyond the Call...

In-Sync Exotics sure knows have to have a great time on a hot Friday night! Normally, Friday night means feeding our exotic cats and Nugget, nutritionally species-specific meals, but last Friday night was special--it was our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner!

Chemyn Reaney, Board Director and Volunteer Coordinator, described our family get-together for our blog readers--enjoy! 

We had a great time at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Friday night!  We were a little concerned about the weather, because in the late afternoon a storm blew in out of nowhere and dumped a bit of rain, but the ground has been so dry recently, it was all dried up in time for dinner!

When we all arrived, Vicky and Eddie's yard was filled with beautifully set tables, complete with flower centerpieces.  Everyone spent some time greeting and visiting with each other, and then Vicky announced that the food was ready - the resulting stampede reminded me of the cats on bone night!  

Once we were all seated and devouring the wonderful food like a horde of cheerful locusts (and trying to ignore the abject pleading in Katie's eyes as she went begging from table to table), Vicky stood up and thanked everyone for all that they do for the cats.  She gave out anniversary awards to everyone who had been with us for at least a year - each person got a key chain with a beautiful picture of his or her favorite cat (or coati) on one side, and their name and years of service on the other.  

Vicky announced our Volunteer of the Year - Judy Chapla, who works so hard in the commissary, and helps out in so many other areas as well!  Vicky also thanked the people who spent so many hours of extra time at the sanctuary while Vicky and Eddie were on vacation last month - Ken, Lakshmi, Stephen, Marvin, Christina, Justin, Mak and Andrea.  

She added that since everyone did such a great job taking care of everything in her absence, she was much more comfortable planning another vacation soon (loud groans accompanied this pronouncement!).   

Vicky asked each board member and staff member to stand up and introduce ourselves, so after giving her a look of profound betrayal, we each stood up, explained our roles, and had a chance to thank everyone who helps us.  Even Eddie, typically a man of many talents but few words, said a heart-felt thanks for all our hard work!  Thanks Eddie!

We were then all treated to a viewing of our new promotional video, which was absolutely beautiful!  The video was punctuated by enthusiastic singing from our lions, who are always willing to lend their efforts to further the festivities, but we managed to hear most of it anyway and everyone agreed that the new video is awesome! 

(We will be uploading the final version of our new video to our YouTube Channel very soon.  In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our short teaser version seen at the bottom of this posting.)

It's always such a treat to be able to spend time chatting with folks who we usually only see in passing, as we rush from chore to chore at the sanctuary.  It's also nice seeing people well-dressed (meaning, nothing has holes in it or is liberally covered in muck or other filth).

I just want to thank all our hard working volunteers and interns for the love and dedication they show for our animals.  We are a great family--the In-Sync Exotics family--coming together for a great cause.  Enough said - now it' time for the family photos and video!

Aren't we a great looking bunch?

Coming together for a great cause...

Sharing funny family stories...

And recognizing those folks who go above and beyond the call of duty...

Surprise, Judy!

Congratulations Judy Chapla-- Volunteer of the Year 2012

Hello Interns!

One of many dedicated volunteers accepting a
personalized anniversary key chain!

Puttin' on a skit! 

And now, it's time for our home movie...brought to you by...our Interns!

Plus our teaser video - In-Sync Exotics:  Our Story 

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting!  Would you like to join Team In-Sync and make a difference in the life of an animal or two?  To learn more about our volunteer and internship program, click HERE!

So what did you think of our teaser video?  We'd love to hear from you, so feel free comment and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below. And as always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family and friends! Thank you!

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