Rescue organisation of stray cats and dogs.
President
Lucy Philipp
Vice President
Freya Askjaer
Secretary
Carla McKirdy
Animal Care Director
Hannah Tauriello
Treasurer
Shaba Rowe
Communications Director
Freya Askjaer
Communications Officer
Kay Taylor
Supply Coordinator
Jacquelyn Cuny
Volunteer Coordinator
Sophie Zempel
Communications Officer
Anna N. Koerv (consultant)
All photos will be here: 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
No. 0. – this is just an example of a Easter photo of your animals 😍
A new year is a chance to start fresh, a chance to let go of the past and embrace the future.
As we step into another year, we ask for your continued support as we remain steadfast on our mission to rescue the animals in the Sigonella community.
The history of Sigonella Animal Welfare Society, Inc. is uncertain, and our research revealed that our first bank account was opened in October 1990 and that date is what we use as our unofficial birthday.
There have been many board members and volunteers over the years, but our mission has not changed as every day we strive to find homes for the helpless rescues of the Sigonella community.
The dedicated Board of Directors could not continue to do the hard work we do without our donors, foster homes, and event volunteers – selflessly pouring their hearts into the organization. No matter how challenging the tasks have been, you have been by our side for approximately 35 years.
This year is a milestone year, and our hope is to continue saving as many animals as possible and finding the best homes for them. Has it been smooth sailing – no. Have we faced some challenges – yes. Have we taken some missteps – yes. Do we strive to do better and work harder – yes. At the end of the day, we are here for the animals! The animals that are voiceless and do not have a home or food to put in their bellies. We try to help families go through difficult dynamic changes by re-homing their fur family members. We work diligently to find homes for the rescued animals.
We do not think that a simple “thank you” will ever truly express our gratitude to the Sigonella community and our countless supporters across the globe but we will continue to say it and show it.
This year as we celebrate 35 years, we have a few fundraising events planned, and we look forward to seeing you at these events. Thank you in advance for your support. Please stay with us as we journey through this 35th year together!
📢 WE WELCOME YOU TO VOLUNTEER AT OUR SAWS EVENTS 📢
This page is for volunteers assisting with specific SAWS events.
If you are new to volunteering, please complete the general Volunteer Application first.
We need volunteers for our events throughout the year, for example at our Pet Registrations, Pet food drives, Car washes. We also attend the bigger events on base, like for example the Autumn Fest and the Christmas Market.
👇🏼 For more info on the TNR volunteer positions, please go to the bottom of this page 👇🏼
Here is where you sign up!
You sign up very easily right here 👉🏼 Track it Forward.
WHY volunteer?
We believe this is a cause, most people understand the importance of and we always enjoy to see new faces at our volunteer team. Here you help us help the rescues, you make new friends and can share a passion for helping animals.
You will of course get volunteer hours – AND you will be part of a pawsome community 🐾
If you do not already know us
We are SAWS – Sigonella Animal Welfare Society. We are an entirely volunteer-run organization that rely on community support.
We help and aid the animals around Naval Air Station Sigonella, animals that are on the street, dumped or thrown away like trash or born without a loving home.
Thank you from the
SAWS-team
If you have questions, please contact us.
Certified Trapper
Transport volunteers
Holding/Recovery volunteers
Cat Caregiver
You sign up very easily right here 👉🏼 Track it Forward.
We also need volunteers, that would like to help and assist to make this happen.
You can make monetary donations at our 👉🏼 TNR GoFundMe 👈🏼 This GoFundMe is entirely for the TNR program.
We also created an 👉🏼 Amazon wishlist 👈🏼 with additional needs, also for the TNR, including the feeding stations. For this we need feeding bowls, food, pee pads, protective gloves, first aid kit, and so on.
We also appreciate old sheets and shower curtains to protect the vehicles and cover the traps.
Thank you in advance for your selfless donations!
The votes has been calculated – and the 1st price 🏆 goes to:
LAYLA (who by the way really needs to find her forever home ❤️) – CONGRATULATIONS 🎉
Congratulations to all 3 winners – please contact us (check your e-mail), so you can get your prices 🥇🥈🥉
Thank you all for voting – you guys have been AMAZING! All the funds will go to help our rescues, who doesn’t have a foster at this point.
You can vote for: 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Did you know that SAWS is now an Inc.?
This means that Sigonella Animal Welfare Society, Inc. is a nonprofit organization and shall be operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code.
We have always had a treasurer and keeping track of all finances. But now, as an incorporated organization, every cent and penny we get in – that goes out – is more closely accounted for and reported to the IRS.
We believe in transparency, but the decision about becoming an incorporated nonprofit organization also means, that transparency is not just a choice, but something we have to do, we can solicit for corporate donations that will aid us in accomplishing our mission.
SAWS is also no longer a Non Federal Entity – NFE approved organization on base. Why not? Well it’s more important to us, that we can be present everywhere, abiding to both national American law – and also Italian law.
We are here to aid the animals in the area of Sigonella. We will keep working hard to feed, save and bring stray and abandoned cats and dogs into homes of good and loving families, who wants to open their hearts and homes for the animals.
Because no matter how much we want to help every animal, we can’t! But we can help and we can save some of them, if we have fosters and donations to help us do so ❤️
We are entirely run by volunteers (Active Duty Military and dependent spouses) and the donations we get, HELP US HELP THEM ❤️
August 2024 – Pete Philipp
July 2024 – Frank Larcher
Frank went above and beyond to help care for the mama cat and her kittens.
His extensiv knowledge of cats made the task of caring for this cat family so much
easier for SAWS. And – Frank is always ready to help us, when we need it 🙌🏼
Thanks a lot, Frank!
May 2024 – Claus S. Andersen
This is Claus – one of our hard working behind the scenes volunteers.
Claus is married to Freya, our Comms. Team Lead, and helps with the more technical
stuff on our website and other SoMe stuff.
Thank you for all you do to make us seen out there on the Internet.
In order for us to help these rescues, we desperately need the help of our community! Without YOU, we are not able to do anything else then get them off the street…. And then what? We don’t have a facility. We don’t have unlimited space in our own homes and gardens. We don’t have the time, the energy and the money to take in all the animals – without your help, love and patience!
We have made this post to let you get an insight in the work we are putting into getting our rescues into a home. Please – we want to make you understand how this works. We need you to understand, WHY we need your help – and HOW you can help.
For a while we have been trying to let our dear community know, that we REALLY need your help. But it seems, that when somebody sees an animal that needs help – people ask for our help – but when they have been taken off the streets, then what? They tend to be forgotten, because now the cat/dog is out of the street?
The only losers right now are the animals, who’s physical needs are being met – they get fed and they have a roof over their heads. But their emotional needs are not being met, because we cannot do this alone!
The money that we have raised, that should pay for medical visits might – again – have to be used for boarding – and we get dogs back from the boarding houses, that start from scratch again and again. These money could be used much more wisely to vaccinate, sterilize, give them medication, when they are sick etc.
The animals are the losers – they are not thriving animals, but only surviving animals, and for that, they could have stayed on the street. Please understand us correctly– this is not what we want – but we see animals, that are NOT thriving, because we cannot meet their emotional needs…
We need you to understand, that we are out of options! We are stretched thin! We are NOT crying wolf, WE NEED HELP! This is not a discussion about which organization helps which animal or who does best. We respect and acknowledge every organization, every individual, who makes a difference for the animals – but we NEED to stand together to help, we are all suffering in this rescue world!
Right now we have 3 dogs, who HAVE not yet found their forever homes, a place to be loved and spoilt rotten. We cannot find a foster home for them – and we do not have ANYWHERE that they can stay! Please understand, that this is how it is – we do not have anywhere to put these animals.
Lily and Daisy are sisters and around 2 years old. We have had them for over a year now. When they were found, they were in a very bad condition. They both had parvo and had to be taken to urgent care at the emergency vet. They pulled through and everybody were so understanding and wanted to help. Luckily we could pay the bills because of generous donations and we greatly appreciate this.
But then they were “forgotten” and went from foster home to foster home, went to a boarding facility where they were taught so many good manners, but we never found them a home. They were together most of the time and it has not been optimal for them. They tend to fall into old patterns and needs to have their own place to grow into the amazing dogs we know they are.
Now, we have finally separated them and trying to find foster homes and eventually forever homes. But it takes time, patience and love. When there is not enough time for them to learn that they are loved, they fall through at their foster homes 🥺 and we are back to square one.
Frida is around 2-3 years old. She wandered into 205 Housing, malnourished and very thin. She was looking for love and attention – and food. We took her in – what else could we do? She is a purebred German Wirehaired Pointer (Deutsch Drahthaar). We thought it would be easy to find her a home, but this has failed until now.
She is a darling, but is left to herself a lot of the time, because we have no foster family for her. She needs love and attention, she needs to be taught, how to be in a house with a family, learn how to trust again – and she will be a huge win for a family! But without the help from our community, patience and love from a foster – she will not have a chance to learn this 🥺
PLEASE help us help these animals! PLEASE help us to make it happen…
Send us an e-mail or a Facebook PM and let us know that you can help us ❤️🩹