Saturday morning at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park, more than 50 people from 12 different animal welfare organizations came together to discuss Leadership. There are so many of us working tirelessly to rescue and rehome dogs and cats. So many of us share the vision of a day when there will no longer be a need for us to euthanize healthy, adoptable dogs and cats. We as a community must come together to address the pet over population problem. Every year 6- 8 million animals are surrendered to shelters. Every year 4 million are euthanized for lack of homes ... that's one animal every 8 seconds (source: HSUS).
It was exciting to see leaders from so many organizations come together. This was a kick off session to simply determine if there was an interest. The response was overwhelming. The first half of the session focused on leadership development which I led/facilitated. We spent some time reflecting on what leadership means to us and also what our dream is for a better world for animals and humans. Some wonderful ideas were provided which I will share soon once I compile them. I then provided an overview of various leadership frameworks.
During the second half of the session we had 4 guest speakers: Kathie Johnson (Director of Animal Services, Animal Humane Society) talked about the Pet Overpopulation in Minnesota; Dr. Kim Culbertson (of Animal Humane Society and Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Project) talked about HVHQSN - High Volume High Quality Spay Neuter; Nancy Minion (Second Chance Animal Rescue) provided an update on the puppy and kitten mill legislation in Minnesota; and Rachel Anderson and Lara Peterson (A Rotta Love Plus) presented on Pitbull 101 and also shared about the education/outreach work they are doing on behalf of pitbulls.
I've decided to start this blog as a quick way for us to remain connected and to help spread the word so we as a community can come together to work towards our shared vision of a home for all healthy, adoptable animals.
Many, many thanks to those of you that came yesterday and for our invited speakers. I am truly, truly excited about the collaboration. Ongoing sessions will be developed and plan to stay tuned for when our next leadership gathering will take place in 2010!
From "Leading from within":
- Leaders find and Listen to their Inner Voice
- Leaders Listen and Attend to Others
- Leaders Cultivate an Organization's Creative Imagination
- Leaders Evoke Conversations that Matter
- Leaders Foster Renewal
- Leaders Tell Stories and Inspire Shared Vision
Let's all stand together and be a stronger voice for both humans and animals!
With gratitude for all who dedicate so much of their hearts, time and resources,
Marilou Chanrasmi
President, Pet Haven of Minnesota
P.S. Groups represented at our kick off session were: Pet Haven, Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM), A Rotta Love Plus (ARLP), Animal Humane Society, Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet, Animal Folks MN, Voters for Animals, Second Chance, Minnesota Spay Neuter Project, Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Project, Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, Beltrami Humane Society.
Leadership illustration by John S Dykes.
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