JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) - Lois Corwin was still new to Rock County when she heard the heart-rending stories of abandoned and stray animals.
She and her husband, Mert, had moved from Cincinnati to rural Edgerton not long after the closing of General Motors.
As Corwin got to know people, she found that some faced the choice of feeding themselves or their pets.
“I thought about the animals, and I thought about the people who loved them,” Corwin said. “That was the spark that started it.”
Newly retired, she had worked 35 years in the corporate world.
But instead of packing away her business skills, Corwin used them in 2010 to start a nonprofit animal rescue called Friends of Noah.
Ten years later, the volunteer-based dog and cat rescue is still helping animals and people and still going strong, The Janesville Gazette reported.
Friends of Noah does its work solely through private donations and fundraisers, and its biggest fundraiser of the year is Feb. 22 at Janesville’s Pontiac Convention Center.
On average, the group rescues, fosters and finds new homes for 85 dogs and cats from Rock County annually.
Unlike some animal rescues, its focus is on local animals and local families.
Over the years, however, the organization has evolved into something that does much more.
“We realized we were putting our thumbs in the dike,” Corwin said. “We weren’t solving the real problem at the front end, which was keeping animals in their homes in the first place.”
So, in addition to rescuing animals off the street, Friends of Noah developed three programs to prevent abandonment and neglect of pets.
Feeding the animals
Shiela Lund-Wild coordinates the group’s Companion Animal Food Effort or CAFE. The program provides pet food to eight area food pantries, so low-income people are not forced to give up family pets when they cannot afford to feed them.
“We distribute through local food pantries because the families already have been vetted for being in need,” Lund-Wild said.
CAFE has provided up to 22,000 pounds of dog and cat food to feed up to 2,700 pets annually.
Friends of Noah hosts food drives and has barrels in several Janesville locations for donations.
Lund-Wild has been in charge of CAFE for about five years. Some weeks she runs ragged trying to keep up, but she never loses sight of the reason she works so hard.
“The animals motivate me,” she said. “I’ve always been involved in animal rescue, and I always want what is best for them.”
Lund-Wild also provides a foster home for animals of Friends of Noah while they wait for permanent homes. In addition, she is heavily involved in fundraising.
In the decade since CAFE began, the need for pet food has not gone away.
“There is a definite need out there,” Lund-Wild said. “It has not slowed down at all. I’m delighted we can do so much to fill that need.”
People at Friends of Noah also realize that sometimes pet owners cannot afford the cost of medical care and are faced with euthanizing or giving up their pets.
In response, the rescue provides about $15,000 in medical care annually.
Educating the public
Every year, volunteers at Friends of Noah offer a program called Saving Animals through Focused Education to about 1,300 young people. The program is designed to develop caring, committed and compassionate pet owners.
“We do work in schools, sometimes in libraries and for years we’ve gone to YWCA summer camps,” said Amber Gray, SAFE coordinator. “Our ultimate goal is to keep pets in their homes.”
During programs, Noah volunteers teach responsible pet ownership and animal safety, including how to read a dog’s body language, with role playing and hands-on activities.
In addition, the rescue answers questions that come by phone.
“We spend a lot of time counseling the public,” Corwin said. “We have a vet and a trainer who handle a lot of the calls.”
She called Friends of Noah successful because of “a strong team environment focused on the end goal,” which is to care for animals and the people who love them.
“This takes a lot of work and a lot of hours,” Corwin said, praising the group’s 85 active volunteers.
Corwin considers herself lucky to have met so many people willing to pitch in.
“Life is about helping others,” she said. “What I learned from both the animals and the people is that, when you help others, it comes back to you tenfold.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.