Group Proud to Participate in Shelter Opening

The following was submitted to Patch by the National Charity League, NE Atlanta Chapter:

The National Charity League NE Atlanta Chapter was excited to be part of the huge grand opening celebration Dec. 3 of the Atlanta Humane Society's Alpharetta campus.  

The newest chapter of the mother/daughter service organization has nearly 200 members from the Johns Creek/Alpharetta area and nearly 60 were on hand to volunteer Saturday.

Along with an estimated 1,500 visitors, ribbon-cutting dignitaries included Congressman Tom Price, State Sen. John Albers, Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood and a great representation of public officials.

The ceremony also included a red-carpet entrance by shelter animals, with one of them escorted by volunteer Lois Ruhnke, representing all AHS volunteers. This state-of-the-art facility will be a tremendous asset to the North Fulton community and elevate the standard for no-kill shelters across the United States.

A variety of Ticktockers from all our classes created and hosted the "Pet Photos with Santa" booth in the visitor tent and, along with a face-painting table, kept visitors and their pets entertained all day. "Santa Trip" was very jolly as Philanthropy VP/AHS Liaison Rona Huey had extended a personal invitation he just couldn't refuse! Lori Gilman used the same tactics on her "Santa Ed" for the afternoon shift! Our thanks and appreciation to these wonderful chapter "dads" for volunteering their time to NCL.

Holiday elves Gina Solomon, Rona Huey and Dotti Lackey spent Friday decorating the tent with a Christmas tree adorned with handmade ornaments and hanging colorful holiday signs all made by the class of 2015. A cheery face painting station, red poinsettia and holiday decor created a festive scene for Santa. With Radio station Star 94 broadcasting live and making frequent announcements about our event, we enjoyed a steady stream of canine visitors all day.

From a totally tiny 2.5 lb. Teacup Yorkie to an enormous black and white Newfoundland weighing in at a hefty 165 pounds, it was special event to behold.

Clark Savage, a local professional photographer, was on hand to capture each waggly tail. All proceeds from picture purchases will go directly to the Atlanta Humane Society. Thanks to all who volunteered and helped make the event a huge success for our newest philanthropy.

The most heartwarming news at the end of the busy, bustling day was that 75 cats and dogs found forever homes, a few with NCL volunteers! Now, that's something to bark about!