Community Testimonials

Anita Vitullo’s passion for the plight of abused and neglected animals is one The Community Foundation is pleased to support. With our partnership, together we can invest in the needs of our community’s animals today and be sure that Anita’s passion for these animals will carry on long after she is gone.

Since 2009, the Staffworks Fund, created by Anita, has invested $377,698 into the community, $188,498 of which has been invested into organizations dedicated to the plight of local animals.

Local organizations that have benefitted from these investments include:

• Stevens-Swan Humane Society
• Herkimer County Humane Society
• Spring Farm CARES
• Humane Society of Rome
• CNY Cat Coalition
• Kindred Spirits Greyhound Adoption Inc.
• Sarah’s Pet Pantry
• Chenango County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Wanderer’s Rest
• Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse
• Helping Animals Live Organization

These investments have made significant impact in the health and well-being of local animals that may have otherwise been forgotten. Investments have been made to support fundraisers, general operations, spay and neuter clinics, and food for organizations committed to rescuing animals.

Anita is especially passionate about the plight of abused and neglected animals, and her partnership with The Foundation will allow this passion to carry on long after she is gone.

• The Staffworks Fund has also helped move the following programs forward:
• YWCA of the Mohawk Valley
• The Women’s Fund of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc.
• United Way of the Valley & Greater Utica Area
• Oneida County Historical Society
• Economic Development Growth Enterprises Corporation
• Rescue Mission of Utica
• CWS Charitable Foundation, Inc.
• Utica Symphony Orchestra
• Clinton Historical Society
• Kirkland Town Library
• Central New York Conservancy
• VIEW
• New Hartford Central Schools
• Clinton Fire Department
• Kirkland Art Center
• The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc.

Your willingness to donate funding to the Stevens-Swan Humane Society has enabled us to provide extensive medical care to many animals that would never have been given a second chance.

This year we were able to purchase updated equipment necessary to efficiently run our income qualifying community outreach spay/neuter program. This program is making a significant difference in our community in controlling the issue of pet overpopulation. All of this has only been possible thanks to your generous support.

We can’t thank you enough for your annual sponsorship of the Science Diet feeding program that feeds the thousands of animals that come through our doors each year. Keeping the animals on a consistent diet is not only great for their health, but also helps eliminate one of the causes when diagnosing stomach-related illnesses.

Your exceedingly generous support and big heart allow us to continue our mission of saving so many animals in need of a chance each year. I know you work tirelessly, and never say no when we ask for help to make a change in the life of a four­-legged friend. Scarlett was in yesterday looking wonderful and so happy in her new home, after spending four years in our shelter and receiving extensive medical care that we could not have provided without you. Thank you for making our jobs easier each day when we have to face all those helpless faces in need of our help. Thank you for helping us make a difference.

Anita Vitullo knows the value and benefit of having animals in our lives. Through her generous donation, Upstate Cerebral Palsy was able to develop the PAWS program: Pets Adding Warmth and Support. PAWS was created to encourage companionship between children and adults with disabilities and household pets, especially dogs and cats.

The first animal that was obtained with the assistance of PAWS was a dog for the children’s residential program. For children living at the Tradewinds Education Center at Upstate Cerebral Palsy, this has been a valuable resource. Staff at the children’s program make every effort to provide personal experiences for the children—experiences that they would have living at home with their families, including owning a pet. Children learn responsibility, as well as knowing that a pet is dependent on us for food, exercise and companionship. However, program costs do not cover the expenses associated with owning and caring for pets. The PAWS program gave these children the opportunity to adopt “Bingo,” a mixed breed puppy that they adore. He has become a member of their family and his value is immeasurable.

Other homes at Upstate Cerebral Palsy have added pets since the fund was established in 2009, including dogs, cats and rabbits. Each experience and new pet proves that Pets really do Add Warmth and Support!

Helping Animals Live Organization (HALO) was fortunate to be the recipient of a generous grant through Staffworks and Anita Vitullo, to help HALO pay off the mortgage on our cat shelter located in Little Falls.

This was a tremendous help to HALO by saving us more than $200 a month in mortgage payments.

The money saved from making house payments helps pay for most of the food we buy every month to feed our 100 or so cats and kittens in our care. Thank you for such a wonderful donation.

We are extremely grateful for the continued support our organization has received from Staffworks. The donations given to us have especially enabled us to help animals who have been injured and abandoned and literally left with no one to help them. These animals usually have no place to go as they generally face large medical bills and oftentimes extensive nursing and rehabilitation before they can even be considered adoptable. They are animals with nowhere to go and no one to help them.

With the funds from Staffworks, we have been able to say yes to helping animals in these situations. We take them in for immediate veterinary assessment and care. If their injuries require surgery, then we do what we need to do for them. They then come back to our facility where they can stay as long as they need to recuperate, and in many cases, heal their emotional wounds as well and learn to trust again. We are moved to tears when these animals, after weeks of care and rehab, are able to literally stand on their feet again and get a second chance at life. We all shed tears of joy watching them overcome their injuries and heartaches and find a home where they can be loved and cherished. The ones that end up with special needs that make them harder to place are then given a place with us for life, where they are loved and cherished by all of us here. These are happy endings, but generally with a large price tag. Staffworks has enabled us to offer these animals that second chance that no one else can.

These animals then end up touching the lives of so many humans in deep and profound ways. From our staff, who give their hearts to nursing them, to the doctors and nurses at the Veterinary Hospital who are always touched by these helpless animals and their bravery, and to the adopters who are then graced with their unconditional love and friendship in their lives. A lot of hearts are touched and opened by the compassion that was given to help these animals through their darkest hours. Staffworks is there among the helpers, lighting their way and creating a path for a lot of hearts to be opened and touched deeply. It never ceases to amaze us to see the lives touched just by one animal and their story of survival. And so many lessons are learned about how one good deed, like a good Samaritan stopping to help an animal in distress, can lead to so much good out of a tragedy.

It all starts with someone helping and giving and sharing so that another in need can find their way through darkness. Staffworks has offered that chance, and we are very grateful and honored to have you work with us in helping animals that have run out of options and need all of our help. The truth is that it is not just about that one animal in need. It’s about the human heart opening and being more compassionate. These animals teach us to see and be the best in ourselves that we can be. And it is a lesson that never goes unnoticed

Thank you for all that you do for the animals in our community, and for the people whose lives they touch.

Since 2005, Staffworks has been a loyal and consistent sponsor of the Chenango SPCA. Your deep commitment and compassion for animals has translated to many successes at the Chenango SPCA. With almost $11,000 given over the years, this generosity has ensured that compassion, care and respect for the animals in Chenango County has remained a constant of the CSPCA. Without this help, our struggle to provide food and shelter for more than 1,000 animals a year would be much more difficult.

The compassion and caring from you provides organizations such as ours with the ability to continue our mission of caring for the stray, abandoned, neglected and abused animals in our community.

Thank you Anita and Staffworks for being there for us!

As a small, all-volunteer grassroots not-for-profit, Kindred Spirits Greyhound Adoption Inc. exists solely through the generosity of others. Small fundraising projects manage to keep us afloat, but Staffworks’ annual donation to our organization allows us to step out of the box a bit and grow our organization in ways we previously thought impossible. Staffworks is a compassionate, generous company whose reliable assistance we have come to depend on. The company has become a valuable partner in our quest to help those animals that others have given up on.