Hello Everyone,
 
I would like to apologize for anyone who has requested a Ferrets Across
America transport from me in the past week, I have been out of town and
did not receive any of the requests until just now.  I actually have not
been the Coordinator of Ferrets Across America for a few months, as I had
to pass the duties and the program along to someone else.  Running the
shelter, working full time, working with our ferret club, and trying to
keep the rest of my life on track wasn't allowing much time for me to
adequately address the needs of Ferrets Across America.
 
Unfortunately, though she tried her best, Melissa Sutton, who had taken
over FAA for me, has had to step down as Coordinator of the program as
well.  I just received the message today.  It is a huge undertaking and
while she really believes in the program, she found out that it is more
work than she can put into the program to keep it successful.  I appreciate
her work and am sorry that it didn't work out for her.
 
However, that also means that as of now, there is no Ferrets Across
America.  I wish that I could say that I could just pick up and take over,
but I cannot.  There are piles of work surrounding me here that must be
taken care of, and my first priority is always the ferrets.  But I also
cannot neglect my other shelter duties or my (paying) job that feeds the
ferrets, so I don't know what else to do.
 
When I put out a plea last time to find Coordinators for Ferrets Across
America, I received many very good replies.  I don't have many of these
replies any longer, or I would contact some of you to see if you're still
interested in the job.  If anyone reading this believes with their whole
heart in the concept of Ferrets Across America and thinks that they can
do the job justice, I will consider turning the program over to you and
keeping it going.  I hate to see what I do think most saw as a great thing
just die.
 
However, I will say this again.  The job is not easy.  It is TIME
consuming.  It is often a thankless job (but quite often you are showered
with thanks, too!).  It is ALWAYS a frustrating job.  You receive no
compensation for all of the time you put into the job, other than the
feeling of knowing you helped to get a fuzzy to its home.  Often you don't
get the cooperation that you wish you were getting.  Many people just do
not understand what is involved in coordinating a transport, whether it be
from Virginia to Georgia or from New York to Nevada.  And if I haven't
driven the point home, it takes a LOT of TIME.
 
You also need to have some computer know-how.  There is a somewhat updated
database of volunteer transporters for FAA.  You need to be able to update
the database regularly (it was done in Microsoft Works however it can be
imported into at least Microsoft Access, and I believe some other programs
as well).  You have to (obviously) have internet access.  You also must
have access to your e-mail very frequently.  Preferably, you can access
your e-mail all the time.  Preferably, you work part time or not at all,
or if you work full time you will need to be able to address FAA needs
sometimes during the day at some point (at least via e-mail).  You need to
absolutely have access to your e-mail on the weekends.  You can't be shy
to do this job, either; you must be able to ask for people to change their
schedules and often phone calls are necessary.
 
All that said, the program is excellent and it's such a wonderful thing
to be a part of.  I hate to see it end.  This time, I hope to find two or
three people who would be willing to Co-Coordinate the program rather than
dumping it all onto one person.
 
If you think that you might be interested in working with FAA, please send
me an e-mail (even if you have in the past; I'd rather just know who is
interested at this time than go through old e-mails and find those who were
once interested can't do the job now).  E-mail me at [log in to unmask]
and tell me about yourself, your job, your computer knowledge (of
databases, at least), your ferrets, why you would want this tough job, how
much time you can devote to it, etc.  I will collect replies over the next
week or so and will respond to each of you as soon as possible (but be
patient, I want to reveiw as many responses as possible before sending out
replies).
 
In the meantime, I am sorry that Ferrets Across America is (hopefully)
temporarily not in operation.  I will not be able to assist in any
transports until I can find someone new to take over the program.  If you
have an emergency situation and need to get a ferret from one place to
another, I may be able to put you in touch with some transport volunteers,
however I will not be able to do the coordination itself.
 
Thanks for all who have made Ferrets Across America a wildly popular
service -- I am forever indebted to you all for your hours on the road for
a ferret you only met for a few hours.  You know who you are and never
think that your efforts were in vain.
 
Kymberlie Barone
Director,
Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
Montgomery County Branch
http://www.ferretrescue.com
Looking for a ferret club in Pennsylvania?
Ask me about the Pennsylvania F.E.R.R.E.T. Club
and other ferret clubs in the state!
[Posted in FML issue 2696]