President’s Letter – February 2021
Dear RCHS Friends and Family,
At last, we have come to the end of the alphabet, and it could not be a more fitting ending.
“Zoom!” Do you remember when that was the sound that a child made when pushing a toy car across the kitchen floor? Fifteen years ago, Mazda used the slogan, “Zoom, Zoom” to pitch its cars to customers who see driving as a pleasure, not a chore. Today, it means something entirely different.
How often have you been invited to “Zoom?” It’s a new verb for a long-standing concept – video conferencing. We “Zoom” like we “Google” – using the internet to stay relevant, connected and up-to-date. Use of Zoom software jumped 30-fold in April, as the Coronavirus pandemic forced millions to work, learn and socialize remotely. At its peak, Zoom counted more than 300 million daily participants in virtual meetings, while paying customers have more than tripled. Its simple interface has made it perfect for people who want to maintain at least a diluted form of human contact during the pandemic.
Zoom is an integral part in Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s shelter network. Since we have closed the shelter to the general public and starting practicing social distancing, masking and other forms of self-protection, we have entered a world where faces are replaced with cat filters and backgrounds portray idyllic scenes we cannot travel to!
At RCHS, we attend professional conferences, training sessions, team meetings, town meetings, counseling and mentoring events, fundraisers, conduct job interviews and generally engage in “sharing screens” with staff, volunteers, board members, consultants and donors! Our IT guy communicates from the galley of Star Trek Voyager. A Board member communicates from a room filled with at least fifty dogs. A donor communicates from a site where he should be splashed by the waves that crash over a lighthouse off the coast of Oregon. For many, Zoom has become not just a way to socialize, but the social fabric itself. For RCHS, Zoom has allowed us to stay connected with the community we serve and the people who serve our shelter pets.
Best Zoom ever? RCHS is finally bringing its building project for approval before the Encinitas Planning Commission on Thursday, March 18th at 6:00 p.m. Zoom, Zoom!
Stay well until we can meet again in person,
