The Lily Project - Project Manager - Ozaukee County - Immediate Need!

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The Lily Project - Project Manager - Ozaukee County - Immediate Need!

Milwaukee Pets Alive isn’t just another rescue. We are here to shape rescue. Join us as The Lily Project - Project Manager for Ozaukee County! There’s never been a better time to volunteer with us if you are looking to be a part of something bigger than yourself - help us as we work towards building a sanctuary so we can serve even MORE special animals and make SE WI No Kill! This is a monumental undertaking and we are looking for TEAMMATES to make this vision a reality!

Every year around Easter and Spring, our rescue tries to warn as many cat parents as possible through our social media that lilies kill cats (and that no cat parent should ever bring a lily in their home!). All parts of lily plants are very poisonous to cats, but cats don’t even need to eat the plant itself for it to kill them. What often happens is cats brush up against the plant and get pollen on their fur, or walk through pollen that falls from the plant and get pollen on their paws. Later, when they groom themselves, they ingest the deadly pollen. It takes only a tiny amount of ingested pollen to cause kidney failure that will be fatal to a cat within 36 hours. Even a cat drinking water from a vase lilies were in can kill them! Every year, we hear from people that didn’t know this, and as new cat parents come about all the time, our work to educate on this topic is without end. But we only can reach so many people through our posts, and are limited to who then shares those posts as to how many people will see this very important message.

The real place of impact to prevent disastrous outcomes is in stores that sell lily plants and cut lilies to prevent well-meaning, but unknowing cat parents (or those who are going to purchase flowers for one) with clear signage warning them of the dangers so they can make safer purchases and keep everyone in the home safe, and keep cats and their loving parents together for a long, healthy, and full lifetime.

We've gone into many florist shops and stores that sell lilies and noted that very few of these retailers posted signage next to these plants and flowers indicating the extreme toxicity of lilies to cats, leaving the possibility for cat lovers who just wanted to decorate their home (or good-intentioned friends or family who wanted to give a gift of what they thought was spring cheer to someone with a cat) with fatal consequences for their beloved feline family member.

Milwaukee Pets Alive’s purpose is not only to help the animals that we rescue, but all those that we share our world with. We saw a dangerous void and a very important opportunity to help the people in our community who love their cats as much as we do to keep them safe and alive. So we put together signage and offered it to those selling lilies for free to display next to those plants and flowers so cat parents (or those seeking flowers for them) could purchase other, cat-safe ones.

We had just one volunteer working on this and distributing signage in her community, and as one person, she can only reach so many with our message. Lilies are deadly to cats everywhere, so we really want to extend our reach to ALL the communities we serve and are looking for volunteers to help us get this important message out! This is a GREAT opportunity for an individual who loves animals (especially cats!) and appreciates their bond with their own or a special cat in their life and wants to ensure that bond is never broken (in an extremely horrific and completely preventable way) with someone else and their cat due to lack of information, or, someone who is very passionate about plants and wants to help educate and make sure their enjoyment is one of safety for all - including for our furry companions.

We are in IMMEDIATE NEED (as spring is almost here and the lilies are starting to show up in stores already...meaning, without proper warnings in place, they could go into a home with a cat, unbeknownst to the purchaser, putting that cat’s life in danger!) of 1 or 2 volunteers for this role for Ozaukee County. This could also be a group volunteering opportunity such as for businesses that allow employees to spend a day or half-day volunteering.

Some duties involved in managing this project are:

- Compile a list of all florists in your county, as well as stores that have floral departments (like grocery stores) or stores that are selling lily plants for the holiday (like big-box stores)

- Visit each location on your list and first of all, make note if there is any signage already in place next to the lilies indicating their toxicity to cats. If so, make note on your master list (gold star for them! We like to give a shout-out to these businesses on our social media for taking steps to keep the most innocent beings among us, and completely dependent upon us, (our animals) safe - which is a great bit of free marketing for them!). If not, speak to an employee and educate them on the dangers to cats (many, even though they work in a floral store or department, don’t know this! So it’s easy to see how many consumers of plants and flowers out there don’t know this either!) and offer FREE signage to them that they can display next to their lilies indicating this danger (consumers appreciate stores that have their best interest and safety in mind and often become very loyal customers of that business! These businesses are not decreasing their sales by steering customers away from a product that is dangerous to their home and family, they are creating trust and a relationship where that customer will go for all their needs!).

Signage will be provided to The Lily Project - Project Manager to distribute.

Volunteer roles such as this one where you get to get out and talk with and educate others, are very rewarding as you build relationships and rapport with community members vested in making this community the best it can be. It’s also a fun way to really get to know your community better - even if you have lived in Ozaukee County for a long time! No doubt, you will visit shops you have never been to before!

Volunteer must have their own vehicle to visit floral locations, or have access to other transportation to complete the volunteer duties involved in this outreach position.

The volunteer(s) work to manage this project is done around their own schedule - work on volunteer tasks when it’s convenient for you - though some tasks will involve coordinating your schedule with the schedule of others (visiting places selling flowers during their open business hours, etc.)

We are looking for one or two volunteers (or a group!) to fill The Lily Project - Project Manager - Ozaukee County - volunteer role with MPA. The right individual(s) will strongly believe in our mission, vision, and core values and have a sincere interest in elevating our organization, extending our reach, and growing with us (so commitment and dedication are important).

We are an entirely volunteer-run rescue. Everything you see was created and accomplished by a volunteer! We have no employees, so all volunteers should be self-motivated, be a self-starter with initiative, drive, ambition, and are able to work independently. How our organization is structured requires that all volunteers be able to accept direction to produce cohesive messaging, vision, results, and practices consistent with that of the overall organization as a whole and then take that direction to lead in the execution of their piece of the organization. Individual must be able to follow through on their commitments. MPA is looking for a volunteer to fill this role who recognizes the importance of working on behalf of the special animals we serve and will work hard for them as they are counting on us to save their lives!

When every person does a little to make a difference, together, we make change. Reaching as many people as possible to let them know we’re here and the important work we are doing for an important population of animals that have no one else but us is directly proportionate to what we can achieve, and the number of animals we can save. The more volunteer help we have, the more animals we can help. It’s that simple. Will YOU help? If you want to help and can fulfill the needs we are looking for in a volunteer for this role, please email volunteer@milwaukeepetsalive.org or reply to this posting.

Please help us do more for the animals of this community! Thank you.

Milwaukee Pets Alive (MPA) is an all-volunteer, No Kill, 501c3 special needs and considerations rescue that focuses on saving those local animals that have been passed over by, would not be accepted into, or would be killed by other rescues and shelters because of their needs and considerations and would have no other option for life except for through our organization. These animals may be shy, scared, under-socialized, injured, aged, differently-abled, have medical needs, or need extra resources - all deserve the chance to be loved and cherished. And all deserve time, understanding, patience, and good, comprehensive veterinary care to help them get happy, healthy, and reach their highest potential. Their lives are important.

Our mission, through our work aforementioned and through comprehensive programs and resources to educate and help community members help the animals in their own lives (thereby preventing more animals from entering the shelter system), is to end the killing of homeless companion animals in southeast WI. The population we rescue comprises those that continue to die in the greatest numbers in our community.

Our vision is for southeast WI to be one of the safest communities in the United States for companion animals. Helping all the animals in our community - not just the ones we rescue - is part of the equation to achieve this vision, and this volunteer role plays an important part towards accomplishing this end.

We couldn’t help these special animals of our community that we do if not for the wonderful people who volunteer their time and talents!

Are you ready to do more for the animals of YOUR community? Become a part of our team! Reach out to us today!