People, Places & Events

Courtesy Photo/Tanya Matthews
Gun Barrel City code enforcement officer Jacqui Calaway (left) attempts to feed a baby raccoon that Robert Michaud (right) found half-drowned in a small ditch and brought into the city hall April 17.

He picked up the raccoon and wrapped him in a towel. He brought the raccoon to City Hall, because he didn’t know exactly what to do about it.
As he was relaying his story to me at the front desk, code enforcement officer Jacqui Callaway came in, immediately sized up the situation and walked right back out to her truck.
When she returned, she had an animal baby bottle with formula in it.
She tried several times to feed the raccoon. He whimpered, and she tried again and again, and again repeatedly, until the cub learned what the contraption was all about.
A cardboard box was located in the office, a heating pad was placed in the bottom of the box, and the raccoon was tucked into bed, warm and dry.
Callaway, a strong advocate for animal rescue, is still acting as mamma to the raccoon by bottle- feeding him every four hours.
She plans to get him acclimated to the outside as he begins to get older and will then turn him loose in the woods surrounding her home.
Once again, I ask, “How many people do you know would take the time to rescue a baby raccoon from drowning?”
I am honored to say that I know two tenderhearted animal lovers, officer Jacqui Callaway and Mr. Robert Michaud.

Volunteers contribute to overall health
Special to The Monitor
KAUFMAN–When Faith Sickels worked as supervisor of emergency room secretaries for 16 years at a hospital in Garland, she always thought how nice volunteering would be when she saw how it contributed to the hospital’s environment.
When one of her friends started volunteering at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman about a year ago, she thought she would as well.
“I always thought you had to be a fancy lady to volunteer. But really, it’s for anyone,” Sickels said.
According to a report published by the Corporation for National and Community Service in 2007, volunteering can boost mental health and the social connections help buffer stress. Also, volunteering can provide a sense of purpose and vitality, key elements in helping treat depression.
After being widowed twice and losing dearest animals, Sickels wanted to get out and interact with people. Sickles, now residing in Kaufman, has found that volunteering gives her a purpose and makes her feel better that she is giving back.
“I just meet the nicest people. Everyone working and volunteering here is great. Even the patients are so nice,” Sickels said.
Sickels works in the gift shop and often finds herself working on pamphlets for the ER and guiding people where they need to go.
“We are so appreciative of our volunteers,” the volunteer coordinator at Texas Health Kaufman Pat Jackson said.
“Their servant approach spreads a good attitude to everyone and makes working here a blessing,” she added.
The Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource January issue recommends to those wanting to volunteer to:
• get involved in what makes you happy or focus on an issue that you care deeply about.
• consider skills you’ve developed over the years and can share, or skills you’d like to learn.
• find organizations and opportunities. Places that often need help include hospitals, schools, libraries, food banks, religious organizations, parks, environmental programs, youth groups, humane societies, historic sites and arts organizations.
• decide on how much time you can offer. Opportunities can range from getting involved in short-term events such as fundraising walks or bicycle rides to long-term, ongoing activities such as tutoring.
• phone or visit the organization you’re interested in to determine if it would be a good fit. If it’s not, keep looking.
According to the Mayo Clinic, to realize the health benefits of volunteering, a commitment of 40 to 100 hours a year is needed, studies have shown. That equates to a couple of hours a week.
National Volunteer Week is being celebrated April 19-25.
For information about volunteering at Texas Health Kaufman, please contact Pat Jackson at (972) 932-7394.
To learn more information about volunteering log onto www.mayoclinic.org  or www.nationalservice.org.  To learn how to become a Texas Health volunteer log onto www.texashealth.org .
 

Cat surgery special at Friends of Animals
Special to The Monitor
GUN BARREL CITY–Friends of the Animals is offering a special for getting your cat spayed or neutered, starting Tuesday, May 19.
All cat spays and neuters are just $10 – for males or females!
Surgery is done by appointment only and may be booked by calling (903) 887-PETS (7387).
A male cat can impregnate dozens of females in a single day – and a female cat can give birth up to four times a year, good reasons for getting those cats fixed now, before they give birth (again!).
Friends, a non-profit charity, has run the low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City since July, 2002, and has performed more than 16,000 surgeries.
What this means is that literally millions of little lives have been saved and prevented.
But even without the special sale price, the cost of being a responsible pet owner is very cheap.
Dog surgeries range from $35 to $65, depending on the sex and size of the animal.
Surgery is performed by Dr. Glen Campbell, who runs a veterinary practice in Garland and comes to the lake each Tuesday to do surgeries.
Dr. Campbell was named by D Magazine as one of the top veterinarians in Dallas.
The clinic also sells Frontline PLUS to control fleas and ticks, a must this time of year. This will be one of the worst flea seasons ever – don’t let your pet suffer.
And the clinic also microchips pets every Tuesday.
For $20, a chip is inserted into the scruff of your pet.
If he’s lost, every shelter in the area has a scanner – and your pet comes home. This price includes the chip and the permanent national registration.
Volunteers are always needed at the Tuesday-only clinic.
Call (903) 887-PETS for information about the clinic or to volunteer.
Tax-deductible donations to this non-profit charity may be sent to P.O. Box 5455, Gun Barrel City, TX 75147.
Or, visit the website www.friendsoftheanimals.org