Andy Orsini has been elected as the new president of the Conway Area Humane Society as of September 1st 2008. Orsini is a Vice President and registered investment advisor and retirement plan consultant with Merrill Lynch; he has worked in the investment management field since 1984. Orsini has extensive experience in non-profit management, most recently serving as the President and Chairman of the Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, where he served on the board from 2001 to 2008. He was also the treasurer of the Tin Mountain Conservation Center Board of Trustees, and he served on the board of that organization from 1999 to 2003. In Boston, he served as an investment advisor to the Boston Minuteman Council for that non-profit’s multimillion dollar endowment. Andy lives with two German Shepherds and two cats, all of which were rescued animals.

Anita Burroughs has stepped down as president, having rejoined the board of directors in 2007. Burroughs states that “two of our organizational goals were to recruit new directors with significant non-profit and financial management skills, and to identify individuals who could lead the CAHS into the next phase of its development. Andy’s expertise in the financial arena along with his track record in the non-profit sector makes him a superb choice to serve as president of the board.”

Orsini notes the CAHS anticipates having a balanced budget in 2008, for the first time since 2005. “We’ve trimmed our expenses considerably, and have made fund-raising a priority for the organization. Our challenge for 2009 and beyond is to continue to raise money for the CAHS through donations, grant writing, a membership program, fund raising events and program revenues. We are also exploring new ways to create a revenue stream so that we never end up in the situation we did last spring when we needed to appeal to the community for an emergency campaign.”
The shelter raised over $100,000 in ten days last April in a campaign launched by Executive Director Virginia Moore. Moore states that the campaign was a “New England phenomena”, one that demonstrated how much the community valued the work of the shelter. “Not only did the community rally to support the CAHS, but we garnered hundreds of new supporters as a result of the campaign.”

Moore states that shelters all over the country are experiencing greater challenges during these tough economic times. More animals are entering shelters as people are unable to maintain their homes, or simply do not have the money to properly care for their pets. The CAHS has experienced a substantial increase in the number of owner surrendered pets over the past few months.”People in the community increasingly understand that we will continue to need the support of the community to continue the work that we do, and to care for those pets which have become displaced. We will always need donations from the public to keep our doors open, and to find loving homes for the animals in our care.”