On the Road…Again…Destination: Florida

Yes, my dearest readers, we are on the road again!! This time we have landed in Bonita Springs, Florida for the next 3 months! Having been raised in the Southern suburbs of Chicago, IL, hubs and I prefer warm weather to freezing cold temps. For sure, Tullahoma, TN, where we live, gets cold…maybe not as cold as Chicago, but cold enough. So we are what the native Floridians call “Snow Birds”. For those not familiar with Florida, Bonita Springs is between Ft. Myers and Naples, a little more than halfway down the coast on the Gulf side.

While we winter here in Florida, I will be contacting different departments of the Military to get Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet information out to them, as well as contacting Pet Stores around Florida to allow us to have informational tables outside their stores. If any of you would like to volunteer to keep me company during one of these information days, I would love your company and assistance! The main reason I do these information tables is to get the message out about GAfSP and what we do for both the Military and for the Veterans. It is also a way of getting the information to potential new foster homes!

I do not have anything scheduled at this time, but I will post the information when I I do!

I love being able to sit outside in shorts and tees during the first 3 months of the year. It just makes my job more more fun! (Big Smile).

Sightseeing in Williamsburg, Yorktown & Jamestown!

Sorry, I’m a bit behind on posts, because we have been sightseeing and by the time we eat and sit down to relax, I’m pooped! Yesterday, we toured Jamestown and the Museum all about the first colonists. It was very interesting. I did not think that I knew much about the first colonists and I was right. It was definitely a learning process for me. I would not have liked to be one of them. They really, truly had a rough time of life!

Today, we went to Yorktown to learn more about the Revolutionary War. It seems so crazy that these men just stood in a line with the order to keep the line moving towards the British!! Not to break the line!! Most of the guys in the front lines were killed immediately! All I can say is “Wow”!! The bravery and courage of those people is awe-inspiring!

I have always loved the movie, “1776”, which is about the struggle that the Continental Congress went through to come up with the Declaration of Independence, which was written by Thomas Jefferson. It is a musical based on letters that Thomas wrote to his wife, Abigail, back on their plantation, and her responses.

Tomorrow, Terry and I will be going to Colonial Williamsburg. My understanding of this place is that they teach a lot of the trades they did back then, such as blacksmithing. I hope there is someone weaving on a loom. I have always been really intrigued by that craft. My favorite is glassblowing! I hope they have some of that happening too. I am really looking forward too tomorrow!!

By the way, if you are ever in Williamsburg at supper time, I highly encourage you to eat at The Jefferson on Richmond Road. It was very good food. Terry loved the Crab Cakes & my filet was delicious. Both came with 2 sides. We chose a salad and baked potato each, and rolls that you probably could throw like a baseball! LOL Our waitress was this little woman from Greece. She made me think of my grandmother! She was delightful and we tipped generously!

Hello, Williamsburg!!

We made it to Williamsburg and I cannot wait to go to Colonial Williamsburg and do all the tourist-y stuff. But work is calling me and I have several appointments to speak to some of the Navy’s Fleet & Family people. I love telling them all about Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet and how I can help their sailors!!

Speaking of sailors, today is Maverick’s Reunion with his master, Justen W. I know it will be bittersweet because we have really grown fond of this Husky! The closer we got to Justen’s house, the more excited Maverick got!! He knew he was going home! When we got to Justen’s house, I texted him and told him we were there. When Justen came out, Maverick ran to him and just danced all around him. He was so happy to see his owner!

That is exactly what makes my job so wonderful. Just seeing the excitement and happiness in both the owner and the pet is awesome! You can actually see the love they have for each other shining in their eyes! I had tears in my eyes, but my heart was so filled with joy!

After they got re-acquainted with each other, we talked for a while. Justen told us he’d probably be heading out again in about 4 months. I told him that if he wanted us to watch Maverick again to just let us know. We should be coming home from our “winter vacay” in Bonita Springs, Florida by that time. I have no doubt that Maverick and Justen will be part of our family from now on!

As soon as I figure out how to post pictures on here, I will, so be looking for them!

We will be in the Williamsburg area for the next 9 days or so. Thursday, Nov. 11th is Veterans Day. Make sure to Thank a Veteran for their service to our country.

On Nov. 13th & 14th, we will be having an information table at the PetsMart in Norfolk & the PetsMart in Virginia Beach. 

On Saturday, Nov. 13th, we will be at the PetsMart in Norfolk, located at 1275 N. Military Hwy from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

On Sunday, Nov. 14th, we will be at the PetsMart in Virginia Beach, located at 501 Hilltop Plaza from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The reason I do these information tables is because I NEED FOSTER HOMES IN VIRGINIA!!!!! Please come out on one of these days, and bring a couple of friends. The more that I can educate the public about the fact that deployments happen every day somewhere in America, and veterans go into the hospital every day somewhere in America, the more I hope to get more Foster Homes!!

Day 2 in Roanoke

The sun was shining brightly on us when we got to the Petco store in Towne Square! So brightly, that we immediately took off as many clothes as was publicly decent! I was so afraid that I would freeze again today that I made sure to layer. Unlike the other Petco store, we were not under an overhang and the sun was shining on us all day! It felt so awesome after the day before.

Debbie Parker joined me again today and she is such wonderful company. We found out that we have many things in common besides our love of books and animals. Debbie does a YouTube Live event on Friday nights, 10 pm to 12 am, where she sells all sorts of lovely costume jewelry. She gave me an awesome puppy brooch that I will cherish and several very pretty stones to help hold down all of the brochures we have to give out. My info table never looked so nice!

It was a bit slower on Sunday, but the store was busy and one of the employees, Tina, was a wealth of knowledge about marketing and gave me some great ideas to try! We are going to try to stop back to that Petco on our return trip if we decide to go that way back home!

We met a lot of great people, gave out brochures, and made $110 in donations for the MPA fund. After we were finished at Petco, hubs and I joined Debbie & her hubby, Max, for dinner at Cheddars, where the food was as terrific as the company! The only bad part of the day was when Debbie accidentally smeared sunscreen in her eye, and it got irritated and stayed that way all day! I hope it is better by now!!

Day 1 in Roanoke, Virginia

It was very chilly out this morning when we arrived at the Petco in Tower Shopping Center on Brandon Avenue. I had layered, but I was still freezing! Wasn’t it just in the 70’s last week in Tennessee? 

We put up our table and although there were people in and out of the store all day, I would not say they were busy. We had some great people stop by and discuss how the government should do more for their Military men & women so they know about programs like Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet were here to help them. I wish the government would help more as well, but they don’t support programs like Guardian Angels because they would be showing favoritism, which is not correct as well. I say just put us all down  as resources and let the animal owners make their own decisions, but at least give them the resources to work with!

I want to give a big shout out to the Manager at both of the Petco stores in Roanoke. THANK YOU, RON! I also want to say THANK YOU to Debbie Parker, my new friend in Roanoke, who sat with me this afternoon and gave me the chance for a bathroom break or two. It’s always so much fun when a friend is there to keep you company. It makes the day go by even quicker, especially when it is so cold outside! Debbie will be with me again tomorrow. If you could not get to us today, stop by tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to drop some money in the bucket for Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet MPA Fund.

Tomorrow, Sunday, November 7th, we will have our information table out in front of the Petco in Towne Square at 1419 Towne Square Blvd. NW, from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We raised $170.52 today, but we need so much more to help assist the Veterans’ pets when they are being given veterinary care and boarding while their owners are in-Patient hospitalized, in Rehab, or other situations.

So as National Director of Marketing, it is my job to try to get the public to know more about GAfSP and to want to care enough to want to help by the giving of donations and fostering the beloved pets! I’m trying, but I am only one person with an finite amount of time to try.

How can you help?  Go to our website at http://gafsp.org, and click that “DONATE” button on the right side of every page! Go to our website and fill out a Foster Home Submission form and care enough to help give peace of mind to a Military member who is far away and wondering how that beloved pet is doing! Or to that Veteran that is in the hospital and needs someone to care for his pet while he or she cannot! It doesn’t take much time or money to help! All it takes is having a good heart and wanting to be there for someone who doesn’t know you! 

I know that we have not had Maverick, the sailor’s Husky that we are currently fostering, for very long, but I do suspect this little slice of caring will make us life-long friends or at least I hope so! We have already told the Sailor that if he gets deployed again, we will be right there waiting for his phone call. 

Virginia State, Here We Come!!

Hello everyone! This is Marge Janiak, the Marketing Director for Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet and I am “On the Road“, driving through the state to let the public know what Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet does for our Military, Veterans, Wounded Warriors and their beloved Pets! Oops, I need to rephrase that, since we have just recently changed our Mission to include the FIRST RESPONDERS!! Yes, we will now be assisting First Responders when they are called away from their base of operation and have no one to care for their beloved pets. More about that to come….

I will be traveling throughout the state meeting people, handing out brochures and other information about Guardian Angels, explaining how much we need NEW Foster Homes to care for our American Heroes’ pets when they are unable to because of a deployment, in-patient hospitalization, homelessness, transitional housing or because of their employment requirements. You and I can make a BIG difference in their lives, just by helping care for their pets!

First stop is ROANOKE, Virginia. We will have an information table at the PETCO at 1419 TOWNE SQUARE BLVD NW. We will be there from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on both days, SATURDAY, NOV. 6th and SUNDAY, NOV. 7th. If you are in the area, please stop by to say Hello and make a donation. All monies donated during this trip will go to the Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet MPA Fund. This fund is used primarily to pay for the Veterinarian costs (vaccines, spay/neutering, Vet care and Boarding expenses) for our Military and Veterans’ beloved pets.

I would love to meet our Roanoke-area Foster Homes, so come down and hang out with us for a while. If you have been a Foster Home for a long time, please get online at https://gafsp.org/ways-to-get-involved/fostering/ to fill out a new submission with all of your current information.

Monday morning, we will be “On the Road” again, heading to Williamsburg, where we will be based for approximately 2 weeks. I will be blogging every day with the news of where we will be in the following days. Thursday, November 11th, is Veterans’ Day. We will be visiting all around the in the Richmond, Williamsburg, Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas. On Saturday, November 13th, we will be at the PetsMart (address given soon) in Norfolk and on Sunday, November 14th, we will be at the PetsMart in Virginia Beach.

One of the reasons we are taking this trip from our home state of Tennessee is to deliver the delightful Maverick, a Husky that my husband and I have been fostering for the last month or so, back to his home in Hampton, Virginia. Maverick’s owner, a Sailor in our Navy, is returning home from his 6 month deployment. We are looking forward to meeting this American Hero!

Maverick

Happy birthday to our January birthdays!

Put on your party hats and bring out the birthday cake, it’s time to celebrate! We would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to the following volunteers who celebrate a birthday in the month of January:

• Jan. 18 – Cory H., National Training Director
• Jan. 22 – Tonya P., National Secretary/National Coordination Director

May all your birthday wishes come true!

Thank you for everything you do and hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy birthday to our December birthdays!

Put on your party hats and bring out the birthday cake, it’s time to celebrate! We would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to the following volunteer who celebrates a birthday in the month of December:

• December 31 – Victoria S., National Board of Directors Vice President

May all your birthday wishes come true!

Thank you for everything you do and hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy anniversary to our December anniversaries!

We would like to wish a very Happy Anniversary to the volunteers who celebrate an anniversary during the month of December:

December 10 – Tonya P., National Coordination Director (13 years)

December 17 – Kristen L., National Blog Admin (6 years)

December 23 – Victoria S., National Board of Directors Vice President (9 years)

THANK YOU for everything you do and we wish you a great day!

We truly appreciate your dedication and hard work in helping our military service members and their beloved pets.