(OnPoint employees volunteering at the Oregon Humane Society | Photo courtesy of OnPoint Community Credit Union)
As the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) works to save lives and continue to help animals and pet owners in need, OnPoint Community Credit Union has announced the launch of its Refer a Friend campaign, benefitting the local nonprofit animal welfare organization. OnPoint’s new Refer a Friend campaign began on Monday, March 1, and concludes on April 30. The campaign is OnPoint’s sixth Refer a Friend effort, which donates $50 to local nonprofits for every friend, family or business associate who joins OnPoint within a specified period. Referring and new members also both receive $50 from OnPoint. OnPoint’s Refer a Friend campaign has raised a total of $183,700 for five organizations over the past three years.
“Oregon Humane Society’s mission of creating a more humane society is especially meaningful now,” said Rob Stuart, president and chief executive officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. “Through all the challenges of the pandemic and devastating wildfires, OHS has served animals and pet owners in extraordinary ways. OnPoint is proud to continue working alongside OHS to create a society where all animals are treated with compassion, kindness and respect.”
As the largest animal welfare organization in the Northwest, more animals are adopted from OHS than from any other single-facility shelter on the West Coast. OHS puts no time limits on how long animals can remain at the shelter. A pet stays available for adoption as long as needed to find a loving home. If a pet in the care of OHS needs medical attention, the OHS veterinary hospital provides the pet with the same level of care an owner would. OHS also has training and behavior experts who work with animals who have suffered emotional trauma and need specialized care.
OHS has had a busy year as it transformed its operations at the onset of the pandemic to safely meet the needs of shelter animals and the public. Its new virtual adoption process allows staff to work one-on-one with potential adopters to ensure the right fit while keeping everyone safe. Although the new approach is more time and labor-intensive, it’s also been very successful, with more than 7,000 pets finding loving homes in 2020. Click here to learn more about OHS’s experience through the pandemic.
“With many people working from home and practicing physical distancing, interest in adoptions has been very high,” said Sarah Yusavitz, Corporate Relations Officer, Oregon Humane Society. “Pets have provided a sense of comfort and calm as we’ve dealt with the stress of the pandemic.”
OHS has also responded to the needs of the community in a variety of ways during the past year. During the wildfires in September, OHS deployed responders to deliver supplies and set up kennels at evacuation sites. OHS also provided emergency boarding to evacuees and took in stray cats from the fire zone in Clackamas County. In response to the economic hardship brought on by COVID-19, OHS has hosted free pet-food banks and delivered supplies to animal shelters and food pantries around the state. OHS’s Second Chance program continued to be a lifeline for shelters around the country that face overcrowding. In addition, pets have been transferred to OHS from local animal services agencies and shelters as far away as Texas and Hawaii.
“The support of OnPoint and its members will help us save more lives by making us more agile and able to say ‘yes’ to more shelter animals across the nation when natural disasters and other crises occur,” said Yusavitz. “We can’t thank the OnPoint community enough, and we look forward to seeing the results of Refer a Friend this Spring.”
For OnPoint members who are interested in supporting OHS through the Refer a Friend campaign, click here. To learn more about OHS’s lifesaving mission and the many other ways you can be more humane, visit oregonhumane.org.
