The rest of us send applause to those involved in the creation of the
White Russian Memorial Quilt and it's publicity.  Wow!  You folks have
done incredible work!  I hope that you realize that.
 
I can only guess what it must feel like to newcomers to see the way that
people here hold together to help ferrets and their people: the groups
which aid and teach, the shelters, the fund raising to help advance
veterinary care or shelters, the links to resources so many created
that provide so much information, etc.  Yes, the FML is the size of a
small town, with all of the attached quirkiness to be found in any town,
but how many towns have so many people going out of their way to help
others?  There is so much good that happens here.  This extreme level
of constructiveness and kindness to others here on the FML is quite
startling when you think about it, isn't it?  Of course, Bill Gruber's
example helps a lot in that, too, since he's such a constructive and fair
person.  (Gotcha, Bill.  You have to leave the compliment in because it
is part of the conversation.)  [What conversation?]
 
Nancy, could you spell out more completely how your new groups differs
from the SOS?  Is it that it will focus on the education of shelter
operators (operation, paperwork, cautions, info on avoiding spreads of
disease, non-profit status, tax deductible status, etc.) while SOS
focuses on contribution raising and providing information for people
on where shelters are and which vets help those shelters?  That is how
it read to me and to me that makes complete sense.  Since we don't have
a shelter I may be missing essential points which would be obvious to
anyone with a shelter, and perhaps others in the same spot also will
be similarly curious.  Will the two groups share contact info to help
facilitate each other's work?  BTW, when you pass out info to the
participants a mention of the Critical References section of the
International Ferret Congress's website at http://www.ferretcongress.org
should be well worth your consideration as a useful inclusion.
 
I replied to someone privately who also wanted to find a ferret vet but
I answered the rest and forgot to include that info, and I don't have
the person's addy any longer.  Just go the URL in the above paragraph
and you'll find an assortment of lists in the Critical Ref. section.
 
Could someone remind me of the website for SOS?  (BTW, that list also is
good for finding ferret vets.)
[Moderator's note: Appropriately enough, it's
http://www.supportourshelters.org/              BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4144]