Fall 2008 • V ol. 43 No. 3 - San Diego Humane Society and SPCA

president’s message
The Greatest Gift of All
Mark Goldstein, D.V.M.,
CAWA, President of
the San Diego Humane
Society and SPCA
with his dog Ren.
Many great minds, from Benjamin Franklin to Mortimer Zuckerman, have said that the true measure of
wealth is not having a lot of money but is having the time to enjoy it. I have always kept this saying in
mind here at the San Diego Humane Society. It reminds us all that the most valuable resource in
anyone’s life is time. Whether you are rich or poor, you are only given 24 hours in a day and seven days in one
week, which is why I am so grateful for the many volunteers that help us at the San Diego Humane Society.
Each year, more than 400 volunteers donate their most valuable resource with generosity and enthusiasm. As
a non-profit organization that relies on contributions from the community to operate each day, I am always aware
of our financial limits. But with the support of our volunteers, we are truly rich. Donating more than 68,000
hours of their time this past year, our volunteers contribute what would amount to more than $1.2 million worth
of labor.
Because we know that we could not achieve our mission of finding homes for animals and educating the
community on the joys of the human-animal bond without their help, every volunteer at the San Diego Humane
Society is valued and respected just as much as our paid employees. Whether they are volunteering at a special
event, helping with clerical tasks or socializing our animals, we believe in the importance of providing
comprehensive training for every volunteer. We also know that volunteering in a shelter environment can come
with certain risks, which is why we hold special training sessions for all volunteers that work directly with
our animals. In this issue, you will read about the tremendous commitment made by each of our Foster Care
Program volunteers, who make room not only in their hearts but also in their homes, providing “round-the-clock”
care for animals that could not thrive without their loving guardianship.
Our Foster Care Program volunteers can tell you that spending their free time helping the San Diego Humane
Society has benefited them just as much as it has benefited us. It inspires me to see how devoted our volunteers are
to our mission. By volunteering with us, they become ambassadors for all that we do at the San Diego Humane
Society. By sharing their volunteer stories with those in the community, our volunteers validate our work and
serve as a beacon for those who may not understand the value of what the San Diego Humane Society brings to
our community.
I hope that as you read the story of our Foster Care Program volunteers, you will feel as proud of our
volunteers as we are. If you have ever considered volunteering, I encourage you to visit our website and discover
the many ways in which you can get involved. We deeply appreciate their gift to us and the value of the time our
volunteers invest.
Mark Goldstein, D.V.M., CAWA
President of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA
2 www.sdhumane.org
AnimalFare • Fall 2008
Photo: Melisa Codgell