TIMES UNION REPORTS – The Board of Directors for the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County announced Tonya Blanchard is the new executive director.
Blanchard has been vice president of Indiana Dimensional Products for the past 20-plus years. She was a volunteer at AWL for almost 13 years and joined the Board of Directors in 2019. She is also a board member for Rudy’s Dog Park and a member of Vineyard Community Church.
As the new executive director, she has already implemented new procedures improving the quality of life for those animals in the care of the AWL team. She has started several new programs, including “Nursery Nannies” for mother cats and kittens, plant a tree in honor of your pet, a drive-through microchip clinic and making the “Pages & Paws” program for kids reading aloud to shelter buddies available on a daily basis.
Blanchard has partnered with Cardinal Services for both hiring employees and for volunteers to spend time with the kittens. She’s also worked with the Kosciusko Community Corrections program, having used over 700 service hours this summer at the shelter.
In recognizing all the employees and volunteers for all their hard work at the shelter, she said, “They also have a passion to do this work.” The shelter has also worked hard to maintain a “no-kill” status.
Blanchard wants everyone in the community to know that AWL is a nonprofit that serves the entire county.
“We get help from Kosciusko County, Warsaw and North Webster for our services” and soon will be asking others in the community for their help, she said. “We have to hold fundraisers and events to make up the difference. Besides staffing and daily needs of the pets, the shelter has spay/neuter, vaccines, flea and tick, heartworm and microchips expenses for nearly every pet that comes through our doors along with mortgage payments and utilities.”
This year, the shelter has already taken in 902 pets from all areas of the community.
The Animal Welfare League is also a new member of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and is working closely with the Kosciusko Community Foundation to help understand any grants that might be available for the shelter. “We want to be more involved in our community,” Blanchard said.
She also can be heard weekly Wednesdays on Willie 103.5 FM with Chris Cage with the Animal Welfare League’s “Wiggle of the Week.”
Appointments are available at 1048 S. CR 325E, Pierceton, just south of U.S. 30. Visit the website at awlwarsaw.com or call 574-267-3008.
