By LeAnne Kavanagh, Pioneer Press
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 9:28 AM MDT

Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 324 appeared before the council seeking permission to do volunteer work at the animal shelter as part of their Bronze Award for community service. The scouts are working closely with Joe and Tina Gauthier and have a list of prioritized projects the Gauthiers would like to see finished.

The Girl Scouts will be covered by the Girl Scouts of Big Sky Council, Inc. liability insurance while working on the project. Not only did the council grant permission for the Girl Scouts to pursue this community project, but councilman Bill McCauley also encouraged them to contact any of the council members or city officials should they find themselves in need of materials to complete the projects.

By LeAnne Kavanagh, Pioneer Press
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 9:28 AM MDT
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Wondering what to do with your old cell phones and used ink jet, fax and laser cartridges? The Cut Bank Junior Girl Scouts of Troop 324 have been out pounding the pavement, spreading the word to local businesses and government officials that those items can be recycled and the money raised will be put to good use here in Cut Bank.

Leader Andrea Anderson and several of her Girl Scouts spent their lunch hour last week speaking to the Cut Bank Area Chamber of Commerce board of direc-tors about the project, which they are using to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award.

According to Anderson, participating in the program is easy and can be accomplished by simply calling Joe or Tina Gauthier at the Cut Bank Animal Shelter, at 873-4624 or 391-2273, and they will be happy to stop by your home or office to pick up your used cell phones and empty cartridges.

Not only will recycling these items help the animals at the Animal Shelter receive medical care when needed, it will also help the environment by reducing the amount of non-biodegradable waste going into the landfill, said Anderson.

“There is no cost for the Cut Bank Animal Shelter to participate in this recycling program, so 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the shelter’s medical donation fund,” explained Anderson.

Empty cartridges of all brands and types are acceptable: inkjet, laser toner, copier toner, fax toner and multi-functional printer cartridges can all be recycled. Anderson shared some interesting statistics about the number of cartridges that find their way into the landfill annually:

•Printer cartridges create over 1.9 billion pounds of biodegradable waste in landfills.
•Over 350 million cartridges are thrown out each year in North America alone.
•It can take up to 450 years for a laser cartridge to decompose in a landfill.

If you’re like most people, you probably have one or more old cell phones lying around your house or business, too. To donate them to this cause, Anderson said you can delete the information on the phone yourself or the company that recycles the phones will do it for you. “As an extra security measure, the recycling company double checks all phones to make sure the data has been deleted,” she added.

Anderson also had some alarming statistics to share about cell phones:

•Over 100 million cell phones will be thrown out this year alone.
•On average, cell phones are used for 18 months before they are thrown away.
•It only takes one cell phone to pollute up to 34.9 gallons of water.
•Cell phones contain potentially hazardous substances and should always be recycled.

Anderson and her Girl Scouts are hoping the community will help them make a difference not only at the Cut Bank Animal Shelter but also by saving a little bit of the planet through their recycling effort.

“We’re out trying to spread the word about this recycling project to local businesses and their employees, clubs, organizations and community members. Together we can help our animal shelter and our environment,” said Anderson.

The Junior Girl Scouts will also be raising funds and collecting supplies for the Cut Bank Animal Shelter this weekend.

For more information or to have your cartridges or cell phones picked up, contact Gauthier at 873-4624 or email at cutbankanimalshelter@hotmail.com.

Junior Girl Scout Troop 324 will be at both Cut Bank IGA and Albertsons from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, collecting supplies for the Cut Bank Animal Shelter.

The supplies needed are paper towels, dish soap with mild de-greaser, bleach, treats, and Shop Dry, which is used as kitty litter and can be purchased at Car-Quest Auto Parts or NAPA Auto Parts) and hand sanitizer such as GermX. Shoppers may purchase these items and then leave them with the Girl Scouts, who will deliver them to the Animal Shelter.

The Junior Girl Scouts will also be collecting monetary donations for the Cut Bank Animal Shelter. Donations may also be dropped off at City Hall during regular business hours. The Girl Scouts are hoping to raise enough funds to purchase needed items at the Animal Shelter, such as a bathroom scale, PVC and storage containers.

Ever since Barb Cain went to the fourth annual Fur Ball fundraiser for the Animal Foundation in Great Falls, she’s been scheming on how she could help raise funds for her four-legged friends at the Cut Bank Animal Shelter. And then, while doing a little spring-cleaning earlier this month, it hit her…a community-wide garage sale!

Cain and the girls of Junior Girl Scout Troop No. 324 are gearing up for the “Funds for Fido” garage sale at the Joe Meagher Memorial Civic Center. The sale is set for Friday, June 13 from 3-8 p.m. and Saturday, June 14 starting at 8 a.m.

Anyone wishing to donate items can drop them off at the Civic Center beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 12 or can call for someone to pick up their items at 391-4330 (leave message if necessary). A donation receipt will be given to all who donate.

“Please have your items clean, free of dust and/or dirt, and ready to be placed on the tables. You may price your items if you wish to, but it’s not necessary,” said Cain.

If you have already done all your spring cleaning or if you’re saving your “gently used” items for your own garage sale, Cain still invites you to contribute to this worthwhile cause.

“Donations of money, or baked goods for our bake sale can also be dropped at the Civic Center,” she encouraged. Any item not sold will be donated to the area goodwill store.

Jason Berg of Shelby Photography is donating his services and supplies for anyone, adults or kids, who would like their pictures taken with their animals on Saturday, June 14. The cost is $10 for a 4x6 print or $12 for a 5x7 print. Please call 391-4330 to set up an appointment.

During the sale on Friday, the dogs and cats from the Cut Bank Animal Shelter will be making an appearance. The time will be posted on a flyer at the civic center, said Cain.

Funds raised will be used for supplies for the shelter, paint, sheet rock, storage boxes for medicines, cleaning supplies, dog houses, new flaps for the doggie doors, spay and neutering of the animals, medical supplies as needed, veterinary services, etc.

The Junior Girl Scouts, under the leadership of Andrea Anderson, have been working the past few months to help fix up the areas of the animal shelter. They will have another workday on June 8 and will also be on hand to help out with the garage sale.

“The shelter only has a budget of $1,000 per year so we’re hoping this fundraiser will be a huge success,” said Cain.

“Joe and Tina Gauthier have been operating the Cut Bank Animal Shelter for four years and do a remarkable job, especially when you consider the barebones budget on which they operate,” she pointed out.

Since that time they have taken in 600 animals. The husband and wife team have worked hard to find homes for these animals and boast an impressive 81 percent adoption rate. Sixteen percent of the animals have been returned to their owners and only three percent of the animals have had to be euthanized.

The only time an animal is euthanized is when the animal is very sick, injured or unadoptable because of his aggressive tem-perament or if the Gauthiers determine it is untrainable.

For information on the shelter you can check out their website at www.cityofcutbank.org/cbshelter.