The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri is how I am making a difference through charity.

My favorite quote has become "You must be the change you wish to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi. That is why I became a volunteer and a Board Member for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. My passion for animals has driven me to the place where I can help give animals the voice that they don't have.

The Humane Society of SEMO's mission is as follows:

Our mission is to provide shelter and care for homeless animals, advocate the humane treatment of all animals, encourage spaying & neutering to decrease overpopulation of domestic animals, and provide programs and services that enhance the bond between animals and people.

Although it is a little lengthy, all that we do cannot be summed up in a short little sentence.

We apply this mission to the 5,000 animals that we take in each year. They come from all of our surrounding counties, sometimes from as much as 100 miles away. All of our funding comes from our events, fundraisers, memberships, and donations. There is a common misconception that all Humane Societies are connected and receive funding from the Humane Society of the U.S. This is false. We are each independent of one another. Occassionally we help one another out with a rescue or the overflow of the rescue animals and educational information.Click this link to make a Donation to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri!


The Humane Society of Semo spends a great deal of time and effort trying to educate the public on pet related issues. We use our Mobile Adoptions and seminars from groups like Petfinder and the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation to help us in educating the general public. Our biggest issue that we try to get across is pet overpopulation and the importance of spaying/neutering pets. Pet overpopulation can also be tied to other issues that we deal with like Puppy Mills and backyard breeders. We also try to educate people on animal legislation such as Breed Specific Legislation, Dog Fighting, and animal abuse. As with other charities, another challenging factor that we deal with is how to get people involved and keep them involved. Later in the lens, I have highlighted several of these issues with a poll on Breed Specific Legislation, a list on how you can help your local Humane Society, and a list on how to avoid Puppy Mills.

Aside from our growing volume of homeless pets, I am very proud that our adoption rate last year was almost 14% higher than the national adoption rate. The national adoption rate was about 22.5% and our's was about 36%. This does not include the percentage of dogs and cats that we safely returned home to their owners. Not bad for a small shelter that has a capacity of about 80 animlas at one time. We do our best to keep current photos on Petfinder.com to help increase our pets chances of getting adopted.

Another thing that astonishes me is that our facility is a small two room facility that used to be a dog groomers in the 1970's. One room is the cat room and the other is our lobby/reception desk/and office that has about four people in it at any given time. Now imagine four people trying to share two desks and only two computers...lol. Well, we are hoping that our dream of building a new Humane Society will come true in the not so distant future. It wasn't until 1976, when the wonderful incite of a small group of animal lovers added kennels to the small building and founded the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. We are located at 2536 Boutin Dr., Cape Girardeau, Missouri, up on the hill.

As a volunteer Board member, I try to participate and learn every aspect of the daily operation of our shelter. I have helped with adoption counseling, clerical duties, cleaning the kennels, and participation in workshops outside of the shelter in the form of adoption mobiles. I help with all the events, fundraising, educational seminars, and other workshops to further my own understanding and education to benefit the shelter. Here lately I have become sort of our online social networking specialist. Not only can we spread the word through our own website, www.semopets.org, there are all kinds of other free sites out there to be developed like MySpace,Facebook, Bebo, and Your Cause.

Along with all of the rewards that I get through volunteering at the Humane Society, I laugh, cry, worry and antagonize over all the different dynamics of the shelter. The most important reward for me is to see the difference in the lives of all of the animals that I have touched. You will never agree 100% with any organization, but you have the power to get involved and work toward the change that you wish to see in the world. I always try to instill in people that you do not have the right to criticize if you do not wish to get involved and learn the principles and methods of the organization. That is the key to change. I challenge each of you to make a difference in the world!