I’d like to introduce you to our two new board members, Kaitlin Bishop and Laura Youngberg!

A little background: this past Saturday, June 25th, was our annual meeting and board retreat. Highlights include kayaking on the Skokie Lagoons with Northwest Passage, taking part in a revitalizing vision and strategic planning session led by Corinne Pierog of Sustainable Leadership Solutions, and installing two lovely new board members. These past few days following the meeting have been very busy as we attempt to sort through our goals and objectives and assume responsibility for each one. Suffice it to say that we have a lot to accomplish in the next three months before the trade show, and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon!

Kaitlin has been working with us since September 2010. She came to BHF after having suffered the unexpected and devastating loss of one of her Argentinian Dogo pups, Opie, to an arrhythmia earlier in the year. Needless to say, Kaitlin is very dedicated to our mission and she has been an invaluable asset to us ever since she began working with us! She draws on many skills from the creative arena – she is a professional dancer, and participates not only in the creative performance aspect of her non-profit dance company, but is also involved with its business relations and event planning. In addition to helping us organize our very first fundraiser back in February, Kaitlin has also written a dynamite first grant proposal for BHF, which was sent to the Banfield Charitable Trust earlier this week. Kaitlin and her fiance Mike have two adorable Argentinian Dogos, Jax and Louie, whom they constantly shower with love and attention and refer to as “the boys.” Additionally, if you ask Kaitlin about her boys, she will enthusiastically tell you hilarious stories for hours-on-end!

Laura comes to us as a friend of Christy’s, hailing twelve years of experience working for non-profit organizations. She has participated in organizational development, financial oversight, staff management, communications creation and production, event and fundraiser planning, leadership training facilitation, and collaboration with organizational stakeholders in her various positions over the years. Needless to say, she is a huge asset to BHF as we “ramp up” for our second fiscal year. Laura and her husband Chris have two little boys, a four-year-old and a 6-month-old, and an 18-year-old kitty named Hippolyta, named by Chris in her youth for the energetic queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology. Now she is less a fierce warrior than an expert bed-sleeper! Laura’s 4-year-old son is also pushing his parents for a pair of twin rainbow kitties… we’ll see how soon his wish is granted!

Welcome Kaitlin and Laura – we are so glad to have you both on board. Already fiscal year 2012 is promising to be an exciting and busy one.

Here is a picture of Laura, Katie, Brandi, Melissa, and Des after kayaking: (not pictured: Christy and Kaitlin).