We are transitioning, I hope, from the days of operating a "Dog Pound"
to the management of an Animal Shelter and the full program that
brings to bear upon our animal population. No longer will it be
acceptable to merely "catch" dogs, hold them for a period of time and
kill them. We can, we must, we shall do better!
If we are serious about management of the animal population in accord
with national standards, we are going to need some funding. It is my
hope that some will donate to the cause by sending money in any amount
to our City Clerk, Mrs. Sandra Ramsey, P O Box 248, Helena-West
Helena, AR 72342 attn: Animal Control Fund. I hope that you are one of
those persons. Please, do let this opportunity to do good pass you by.
I will inject myself into a fundraising effort to assure that the
shelter drive collects at least $50,000 by the end of this year. I
have met, on a number of occassions, with Ms. Gloria Higginbotham with
the Delta Chapter of the Humane Society. She has been nothing but
civil and civic-minded. I applaud her and the Delta Chapter (not to be
confused with the Ruby Burton outfit). Because of our meetings and the
good will of certain people in the business community, we are off to a
good start with our fund raising effort for the shelter.
Furthermore, my wife and I hereby pledge $1,000.00 of our money
contingent upon 10 other families doing the same thing and paying that
pledged amount by November 15, 2008 to the Animal Control Fund. In
addition, I pledge to volunteer 50 hours per year for animal shelter
work or related causes once the shelter is viable. These things, we
hope, will cause others to focus on animal welfare in a realistic way.
Gloria Higginbotham and I met with County Judge Don Gentry. He has
pledged his support and we hope to make the animal shelter county wide
such that the smaller cities and communities within Phillips County
are served as well. I saw Mayor Sonny Foster, Mayor of Marvell,
Arkansas at the Arkansas Municipal League conference in Hot Springs.
He, too, has pledged his support of the effort to better manage our
animal population.
It's a new day for animal control in Phillips County, Arkansas; a new
day in the "Delta." It is our hope, belief and aspiration that you
will step up and lend a helping hand in this effort.
Sincerely,
James F. Valley
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Honorable James F. Valley
MAYOR - Helena West Helena
P O Box 248
Helena-West Helena, 72342
870-572-3421 Phone
870-572-5034 Fax
870-817-4035 Cell