Health & Fitness
Nowhere to Go But Up: One Day in Meigs County
Rescue Me Ohio volunteers clean up rundown Meigs County Dog Shelter with plans to continue. Follow Rescue Me Ohio on Facebook and read more stories at rescuemeohio.wordpress.com!
"Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
It's been a few months in the making, but Rescue Me Ohio's first official Spruce Up Day at Meigs County Dog Shelter in Pomeroy, Ohio was just two days ago. What started with a picture of a sad beagle needing rescue has turned into a multi-phase renovation project of the building and its operations.
The beautiful thing about this project was that it isn't at all Rescue Me Ohio coming in to "save" the shelter in a poor town--instead, it is a collaborative effort between the warden, local volunteers and members of Rescue Me Ohio to do what can be done to give the dogs a better place to stay--all we are doing is helping shoulder the burden for a while and providing some momentum to see the loving volunteers' dreams come true.
Find out what's happening in Cuyahoga Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The day itself was beautiful and sunny, which helped amplify the warm feelings among the group. Volunteers came from all over the state to join forces with the warden and local community members there to lend a hand. Soon, the grimy walls became bright blue with fresh coats of paint and the constantly backed-up drain was snaked out and repaired by our commercial plumbers who came to help.
It was amazing the amount of progress we made for just one day! But we still have so far to go and need some help. The next phases of the renovation will include overhauling the kennel area and building individual kennels for the dogs, improving the electrical system, obtaining more supplies and organizing them, and fixing the ceiling. Then, we will write some grants to try and obtain some funding to sustain the operations of the shelter and provide medical care to the dogs as they come in.
Find out what's happening in Cuyahoga Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If you'd like to help out on our next day, or you know of some supplies that you can get donated, please let me know at ksummers @ rescuemeohio.org! We still need lots of help and keep looking for great volunteers who want to join our efforts! Keep watching for more information on Spruce Up Day: Phase II!