September has come again, and though as I write this the heat is oppressive, it shall soon pass. Fall is nearly here, and CAS is feeling our annual "back to school blues."

Yep. It's back to school time for our dozen or so volunteers who were high school and college students...or their teachers. And while it's a time of angst, excitement, and anticipation for students and educators, for us September is a little sad!

This year, we were especially spoiled by outstanding and dedicated interns this summer, and the loss of gifted teacher Betsy Messenger (one of our most dedicated volunteers ever) especially stings! How grateful we are to Betsy, Abbie, Stefanie, Carolyn, Andrew and all the rest and--here comes the pitch:

HOW WE'D SO LOVE TO REPLACE THEM!!

Fall and winter are routinely hard times for many non-profit organizations like CAS--organizations that depend on able-bodied, energetic volunteers to supplement lean staffs. Healthy, hard working folks with enough free time to commit to a half-day a week are hard to come by!

As the light wanes and the temperature plummets, few are hardy enough to show up consistently, week after week, to feed, clean, snow plow, kiss pigs (a mandatory part of the job). But lordie, do we need you! The animals still need to be fed, watered, and cleaned up after, even when the wind chill is twenty below and we spend lunch time reminiscing about summer, when the days--and our volunteer lists--were long.

So: we're begging! we're pleading!! On behalf of us worked-to-the-bone staffers, won't you join us? If you are physically fit, and have a heart that is open to all species, won't you consider pitching in? It may be the hardest work you've ever done, but there's no more joyful place around. The best part? The larger than life critters. They, plus the awareness that your efforts matter to them, just might change your life.

Trust us...we know.