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SERVICE
lish a screening and training program. Supporting current
foster families meant the couple would meet people in
their driveways to help with cat injections during times of
social distancing.
Juday credits Purdue with helping him learn to think on
his own and figure things out. “You were not spoon-fed at
Purdue — you had to hit the ground running to get the job
done, he says. “Those skills have helped me my whole life.”
Juday’s “get it done” skills helped the shelter become
certified as part of the Service Enterprise certification program — a two-year process certifying the animal shelter in
volunteer management and organizational performance.
Only 11 percent of nonprofits nationwide have received
this designation.
Juday also helped develop a process for cattery volunteers — people who help in the cat room where prospective
families come to meet animals. “It is important to train the
volunteers on procedures and ways to interact with the
families to make the perfect match,” he says. “For example,
steering an older person to a lap cat versus a rambunctious
kitten has a higher outcome of success.”
All of this hard work has not gone unnoticed, as Juday
and Immer were recently named National Foster Heroes
by Petco Foundation. They are in an elite group of only
22 honorees selected from more than 400 nominations by
humane societies throughout the United States.
In working with so many cats and kittens, Juday can
debunk myths about felines. “There is a myth — or even a
taboo — that cats don’t like their tummies rubbed like dogs
do,” he says. “That is just not true! Many cats will roll over
for a rub.”
Is Juday sad he never got that dog? It is safe to say the fostering path has provided great joy along with community service. “When we send a kitten to its forever home, we give the
new family a transition basket,” he says. “Some of these families remain in contact and send us holiday pictures of the cat
in a costume. It’s a joy to see cats thriving in their own homes.”
—KENDA RESLER FRIEND (LA’90, MS A’91)
COURTE SY O F L A R RY JUDAY (3)
56 PUR D U E A LUMNUS
