Our 7th Annual Tzu-Union will take place
April 30 through May 2, 2010, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Our 7th Annual Tzu-Union will take place April 29 through May 2, 2010, in Jacksonville, Florida. A Tzu-Union is a coming together of volunteers, adopters, friends, and furbaby lovers, for a weekend of education, fun, fundraising, and furbabies. You can join us for one day, or one event, or, hopefully, the entire weekend. I hope to see some of our transporters, and local volunteers this year, too.
The new, lower Registration fee for this year’s Tzu-Union is $100 per person. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday, educational materials and more. We have a "scholarship fund" for those dedicated volunteers who would like to attend but need financial assistance. For more information about available scholarships, or to donate to the fund, please contact me directly. If you have any questions, please email me at tzumom1@gmail.com, or call 912-673-0041. I hope you can join us!
The reunion is being held at the
La Quinta Inn and Suites
Jacksonville/Butler Blvd.
4686 Lenoir Avenue S.
Jacksonville, Florida, 32216
Telephone: 904-296-0703
The hotel is holding a block of rooms for us, so please reserve with the hotel directly. Prearranged prices per night are $55 for a single (king), $59 for a double (2 queens), and $69 for a suite. There is no charge for extra persons or pets in rooms. When calling the hotel to reserve, please mention Shih Tzus & Furbabies to receive this special rate. The hotel staff is very rescue friendly, and quite excited about our plans. This is our second time at this location. They have a very nice pool and lovely grounds, perfect for our Furbabies.
Visit website for the LaQuinta Inn and Suites for directions and additional information.
Itinerary:
Thursday 4/29 - 10 am
Board meeting, administrative and development meetings. Topics of discussion will include public relations, fund raising, volunteerism, application processing, contracts and protocol. These are open discussions, and more topics can be added as needed.
Thursday evening - 6:00pm, Meet and Greet Dinner.
Again, this year we have reservations at Mimi's Cafe, about 10 minutes from the hotel, at 6pm. You can visit mimiscafe.com, and put in 32224 zip code to check it out, and see their menu. This is not included in the registration fee.
Friday 4/30 - 9am to 5pm with an hour break for lunch (included) and dog walking.
Educational discussions to include fostering 101, housetraining, "how to be leader of the pack", NILIF for our furbabies, canine CPR and First Aid, , grooming, allergies, caring for, and making decisions for the senior furbaby, Ttouch massage therapy, letting your foster go, transport, etc. Suggestions welcome.
Friday evening Recognition Dinner - 6:00pm
Recognition Dinner - this is our award dinner - so think about who YOU think needs special recognition and will be present. After dinner - free time - Bingo has become a tradition, and committees meet informally - the belly band/prissy pant sewers can meet to exchange fabric and supplies; the auction people can make their plans, and the Chinese auction will begin. Margo will be available to teach foster parents and application processors to use the iShelter database.
Saturday 5/1 - 9am to 4:30pm with an hour break for lunch at noon, (included) and dog walking.
We are planning a series of workshops, for which you may sign up in advance. We'll start the day with agility demos - all pups and parents are invited to participate. You will also have an opportunity to learn transport coordinating, how to set up a pet event booth to promote our rescue, photo editing and how to put your babies' videos on internet sites such as YouTube or Facebook, social networking to benefit STFBR (Twitter, Facebook), and eBay. We can also revisit Friday's topics and spend more time learning about grooming, first aid, and Ttouch.
Paula Buckingham of "Paula's Pet Photography" will be set up to photograph* your little ones. (*additional fee for photography)
Saturday evening Dinner - 5:30pm - 6:30pm Auction starts at 7:00pm
Casual attire is okay, but this is the time to dress up your furbabies! After dinner we'll have our much anticipated Auction! Doris Bishop, STFBR foster mom, artist, and professional auctioneer, will entertain and delight while auctioning everything from furbaby clothes to carriers, beds, gift items, pet themed items, jewelry, and more. We always have really neat stuff, because you, our angels, donate it. We'll also be asking for donations from the local community, and you can do the same.
Sunday 5/2 - Breakfast and Supply Distribution.
Breakfast, supply distribution, and packing up. If you are staying on Sunday, and want to further explore rescue topics, we'll be available. If you want to sightsee, or go to the beach, etc, let us know, and we'll make plans. The hotel is 15 minutes from the beach, and a short drive to Saint Augustine, for dog friendly sightseeing. These are just a few examples of the possibilities. Of course we can just sit by the pool and talk rescue. :)