Animal Care Center of St. John Unveils Shelter’s New Website

 

The Animal Care Center of St. John is ringing in the New Year with a new website, at www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com. 

ACC’s former website was created by John Fuller shortly after ACC’s reorganization in 2005. It has been one of the organization’s most valuable assets, helping with fundraising, dissemination of information about the humane work going on at the shelter, and promoting adoptions of its resident cats and dogs. 

With full appreciation to Fuller for his trend-setting awareness of electronic communications — including joining Pay Pal for receipt of donations to ACC — more than a year ago a former member of the Board of Directors, Karin Schlesinger, perceived a need for an updated website.

Schlesinger pulled together a “technology committee” to work on the need. Although the ACC By-Laws do not provide for a standing technology committee, it nevertheless came together on an ad hoc basis. 

Despite the fact that the Schlesingers have left the island, ACC volunteer Gail Siart, carried on the project. Recently, Siart became aware that a visitor to the island, Jonathan Cleveland, heads a design group in Boston. Cleveland joined the ACC’s Sunday dog-walking group, “Hiking with Hounds,” and the rest is internet history.

Cleveland generously offered to develop a new website at no cost to the ACC. Siart and Cleveland got started this past summer, deciding, according to Siart,  “the ACC website has been sorely in need of an upgrade for many years now.” 

On his part, Cleveland wrote that he “recently fell in love with the pets at the ACC.”

His “love of animals and work in the non-profit field inspired him and his staff to create the new website as a gift to the ACC,” said Cleveland.

A resident of suburban Boston, Cleveland engaged the staff of his design firm in the project.

“Web designers and developers Diana Kmiotek and Adamo Maisano spent the last three months creating the site and building in all the bells and whistles to keep the new site current and informative,” he said. “The site now features all pets available for adoption, calendar of events, news, staff bios, volunteer information, and a feed to the ACC Facebook page.”

Cleveland Design is a full-service communications firm providing smart, strategic design solutions in all media to clients across the globe, explained Cleveland. Founded in 1992, the firm has years of experience solving complex communications challenges for clients of all sizes, he explained.

Cleveland is also the author of “Designing for the Greater Good,” published by Harper Collins in 2010.

ACC wishes to publicly thank Jonathan Cleveland and his design team for their valuable gift to the shelter, its resident animals, and all of the ACC members, staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors. 

Without adequate interface with ACC directors and staff, it would have been impossible to create the new website that is now up and running. 

Among the ACC participants who helped were volunteer Laurie Damron, Shelter Manager Kate Webster and Board members Kelly Cruikshank, Lucy Banks, Monica Munro, and Jason Corley. Very special thanks go to Gail Siart for her role as the intermediary between Cleveland Design and the ACC.

St. John Tradewinds encourages readers to log in to the site at www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com. It’s linked with the ACC Facebook account, is linked with Petfinder, has a listing of upcoming events, and continues to facilitate much-needed donations to the ACC. But don’t just go electronic. 

Visit the shelter on the library road in Cruz Bay. A dozen rescued dogs and more than 30 formerly homeless St. John kitties are hoping to go to a Home for Christmas.