Thank You

Hello! It's been a little while, hasn't it? Well HART has been very busy, and we still have a lot of exciting things coming up!

First, HART would like to take a second to THANK YOU for all your help so far into this semester. We have had some extremely successful fundraisers and Hawgs and Dawgs will be getting the supplies they need. We could not have helped them this much if it were not for all of your contributions. Thank you.

Let's take a look back on the semester so far...
Back on the warm January 22nd, we had our first meeting of the semester! While we started indoors so we could discuss our Pop Art Fundraiser, we eventually migrated outside where we met Nutmeg!

Some of the Pop Art done by Coolville Elementary that
would soon be hanging in Grover.

A very popular Pop Art piece among HART members. 

Nutmeg, our special guest at the first meeting!

HART members circled up and enjoyed the nice late-January weather while
listening to President, Corey Bullerman, speak.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg was a little shy at first, but she eventually came around to the group and enjoyed the attention.

HART members let Nutmeg sniff their hands before interacting
with the happy pup. 

Leah Huff, one of the Africa group leaders, gives
her dog, Nutmeg, some kisses.

Huff informed members that one of Nutmeg's favorite
spots to sit is in Huff's lap! During the talking part of
the meeting, Nutmeg did just that!

Our next event was the Sibs Weekend Pie in the Face.

HART Member Kristina Rezek and Treasurer, Drake Heth, help out behind the
"Pie A Sib" Table during Ohio University's Sibs Weekend, which took place the
first weekend in February.

This has become an annual event for HART. It is always fun to see the smiles of those pie-ing their friends or family and the people getting pied usually end up laughing too.

Rezek volunteered to be one of the people who got pied. Luckily she liked the
whip cream pies as much as the Ohio University siblings and peers.

Rezek takes a hit from one flying pie while Heth's managed to just miss him.

HART Secretary, Allison Cook, gave in to allow a fellow peer to pie her in the face.
It wasn't that bad, but I think I'd rather be the one taking the pictures. ;)

Another victim takes a hit of whip cream while the pier muses at his job well done.

OU Faculty also joined in on the fun. This happy faculty member smeared
whip cream up and down Heth's face.

We'd like to thank all who sacrificed themselves to get pied that lovely February day. Just remember, you helped keep a pig or pup warm and fed. :)

Rezek probably took the most whip cream to the face throughout the day. Thank
you for being a dedicated member and for volunteering to be hit with whip cream.

Despite his hesitance, Heth made an excellent target for peers and
faculty alike. Thank you for all your help!

On February 12th, we had our second meeting of the semester. This meeting was different because we spent about half of it setting up for our biggest fundraiser in the history of the organization: The Pop Art Silent Auction.

The info-stand for the Pop Art Silent Auction.
The poster on top described what the auction was
and the one on the bottom showed passerby's the
real pictures of the animals that the art was based on.

Starting Monday, February 13th through Friday, the 17th, the Animal Pop Art Silent Auction was up and running. We are proud to announce that every piece of art had a bid by the end of the week.

Throughout the week students and faculty passed by the art. Many put bids
on their favorite pieces. 

By Friday evening, every piece of art had a bid on it, and no bid dropped below $5.

This was HART's most successful fundraiser yet.

First, we'd like to give a shout out and a thank you to the Coolville 3rd Graders and their art instructor, Sharon Phillips, for creating these cute and beautiful works of art. This fundraiser would not have been possible without all your hard work.

The Original: "Bobcat"

The Pop Art: "Bobcat"

The Original: "Theresa"

The Pop Art: "Theresa"

Second, we'd like to give a shout out to the animals at Hawgs and Dawgs. Each of their cute little faces were the inspiration for the pieces of the artwork.

The Original: "Sterling"
Unfortunately, Sterling is no longer with us. Passing at 21
years old, Hawgs and Dawgs is pleased that Sterling was
able to be a part of this fundraiser.

The Pop Art: "Sterling"

Finally, we'd like to thank, again, everyone who placed a bid. Congrats to all who won! We hope your art gives color and cheer to the rooms you place it in.

HART members were some of the lucky winners as well
as faculty and members of the Athens Community.
Pictured is HART Member Emilie Brown with
the Pop Art Clyde.

Before the Auction ended, HART members were able to interact with Bella,
a member of the Hawgs and Dawgs family.

Vice President Megan Grigsby, was another lucky winner! We'd like to thank
her for not only participating but also for always helping out. We could not
put on many of the fundraisers without her.

Brown enjoyed some 1-on-1 time with Bella before collecting her art. 

So what could possibly be next? I guess you'll have to come to HART's next meeting on Sunday, February 26th to find out!

See you then!

The End of 2016 and the Beginning of 2017

WELCOME 2017!!!!

I'd like to start by apologizing for any trouble that has been had with accessing the blog. We are working on resolving the issue and will hopefully get things back up and running.

To start, let's re-cap the end of 2016.

On Sunday, November 13th, HART got together for our second to last meeting of 2016.

Members got to interact with a hedgehog while President Corey and Vice President Megan explained what it's like to own a hedgehog.

HART President Corey Bullerman, left, and Vice President Megan Grigsby, right, show HART members their pet hedgehog.

Like most pets, while hedgehogs can be cute, they also are a lot of work to take care of and do have
personalities of their own. Grigsby explained that they need to get used to your scent before they are
comfortable since they have really bad eyesight. Bullerman noted that it took Snuffles, the hedgehog,
at least a month to get used to him and Grigsby. HART members were able to understand this once he
was being passed around. 

This meeting wasn't only about learning about hedgehogs, members were able to interact with one too!

HART members were advised to move their hands in a way that would allow Snuffles to
run on them. The motion was kind of like steps that were fairly level, just one hand over the
other.

While some HART members found the hand movement method of holding Snuffles to be effective,
others found out that he was much more interested in their clothes and would burrow himself in
their arms or between their sides and arms. 

Aside from hedgehog-talk, Bullerman also reminded members that our final fundraiser for the year was a pasta sale. All proceeds are going to Hawgs and Dawgs to help them with supplies for this winter.

By the end of the fundraiser we had reached about 25% of our goal! Thank you to all who bought pasta! We hope you enjoyed or are enjoying it! :)

On Sunday, December 4th HART celebrated all we had accomplished during the semester and began to look ahead to 2017. Our special guest for the party was Camilla!

Camilla enjoyed running around the room while HART members munched on snacks and talked about all the fun stuff
they had done over the semester and will do in the coming months.

Grigsby posed for a quick pic with Camilla as the party came to a close. We were sad to say goodbye as
we headed into Finals Week, but proud of our accomplishments.

Our first meeting of 2017 and of the Spring Semester will take place on Sunday, January 22nd in Grover at 3:30 pm. We will be discussing what more we can do for Hogs and Dogs, future fundraisers and field trips, and other fun activities that await for us this year.

Nutmeg is excited to see you there!!!

Half Way There and Baby Lynx

Ohio University students have just passed the half way point in the Fall 2016 semester and HART is just over half way to their goal of buying Hawgs and Dawgs hay for the winter.

HART Members stood outside the College Gate at the end of September selling Puppy Chow for donations. Over the four days that the groups were out there, HART raised enough for just over half of what is needed to buy Hawgs and Dawgs hay for the winter. A huge thank you to all who donated!

At the end of September, HART members made and sold Puppy Chow to raise money for the hay Hogs and Dogs will need in order to get the animals through the winter. Thank you to all who donated!!!

Puppy Chow! The chow was made and bagged by HART's president, Corey
Bullerman, and Vice President Megan Grigsby.

HART visited Union Ridge Wildlife Center Sunday, Oct 9, in place of our
meeting. Everyone said at the end that they had a great time and the animals
were excited to see us. Gumby, the camel, even photo bombed
our picture (see upper right)!

Sunday, October 9, in place of our meeting, HART went to Union Ridge Wildlife Center's opening event.

One of Union Ridge Wildlife Center's lemurs. This was the only orange
colored one out.

Many of the lemurs stuck their paws out to hold and touch your fingers. 

Union Ridge Wildlife Center is home to many types of moneys.

One HART member discovered that some of the moneys enjoy popping
bubbles, just like little kids.

Many returning members noticed many improvements to the center and all members enjoyed interacting and photographing the animals.

Elizabeth, a tiger, enjoyed having her picture taken by the many people at the
Wildlife Center. Her playmate passed away on Thursday, Oct. 6. HART sends
our regards to Cy and the rest of the center. We were informed that there is plan
to expand the Tiger area and possibly take in another tiger to give Elizabeth a friend.

One of the Center's newest members, a baby lynx! Banshee
and Chip, both females, were brought into the center over
the summer and seem to be enjoying their new home.

HART members found out that lynx kittens act much like house cats. Their
 huge paws and claws were a reminder that these cats belong in the wild, though.

HART members were able to capture some great photos when the kittens
would come right up us. They purred and rubbed their heads on the cage, while
the viewer would snap a few pics.

HART Treasurer, Drake Heth, gets close to Bumper, the Box
Tortoise. The temperature had begun to drop that weekend, so the
tortoise had retreated to its shell. 

Gumby, the camel, loves to give his visitors kisses, if
they'll let him. Many heart members enjoyed getting up
close to him and kissing or petting him.

HART Secretary, Allison Cook, gets a kiss from Gumby!

Hanging out with Gumby, is a sheep. This sheep was sad to see HART leave,
but came to watch us go (may be in hopes that we'd return?).

Our next meeting is Sunday, October 23 at 3:30pm at Emeriti Park. Hope to see you there!