Humane Society of Central Illinois

The HSCI has donation support of over 900 individuals, volunteers who dedicate countless hours each year, and spay/neuter over 1,000 animals on-site or through discounts with local veterinarians. The HSCI helps more than 2,200 animals annually.

In October 1996 the HSCI opened the Pet Adoption Center at 3001 Gill Street, Bloomington. The facility was a dream of the staffs and community for many years. The HSCI believed they could help more animals and expand their services by opening a facility. Many people worked years on raising money and planning an adoption facility. The history of the Pet Adoption Center is rather short. Having a location greatly expanded the organization. In June 2006, HSCI moved to a new location at 423 Kays Drive in Normal. The new location provides benefits for the organization. Being located in a higher traffic area, near the major intersection of Fort Jesse Road and Towanda Avenue, increases the visibility and the community awareness of the building and organization. The new location is easy to find, with convenient bus route access for Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University and Heartland Community College students who would like to volunteer. The HSCI is always looking for volunteers and is always open to having anyone with a warm loving heart toward animals to come in and help the less fortunate animals.

Volunteering Services needs you

The Humane Society of Central Illinois is always looking for help from anyone in the community, not to mention the endless volunteer programs that HSCI offers the community. I personally volunteer whenever I have the time to and it was the best decision to make thus far of my college experience. The possibility to help these animals is amazing and I encourage everyone in the community to take time out of their day to volunteer. You may be wondering how you can find a way to volunteer and where to go to get started. The registration fee is $10 for each adult (18 or older) and $5 for each child (ages 8 - 17). Those younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent at volunteer training and each and every time they volunteer. Both the child and the parent/guardian must work together at all times while at the shelter. The waiver must be signed by a parent or legal guardian and payment in advance is required to hold your spot and seating is limited. The registration fee is non-refundable. There will be an instructor present during this class telling you how volunteering at the HSCI works. The class is roughly an hour and a half long and really makes you comfortable with the facility and animals that you will be helping.

The HSCI is always looking for volunteers and always welcoming people who have community service hours. The catch to doing community service hours is that the HSCI staff would like you to still volunteer even after you finish all the hours you needed.

Inside HSCI Volunteering

• Dog Walking:  Dogs are scheduled for three walks daily; 8:00 am, 11:00 am and 5:00 pm. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to walk dogs. If comfortable, volunteers can brush and bathe dogs during non-walk/play times. Located at the HSCI are fenced in dog runs for all dogs to run around freely in the nice weather. There are always opportunities to have time to take the dogs out and into the visiting room to play around and have them feel loved.
• Cat Rooms:  The cat rooms are cleaned and disinfected every morning and the staff always needs help with this specific responsibility mostly because the number of cats outnumbers the number of dogs at the HSCI. Each cage is swept and washed and each cat is given clean litter, food and water, a towel and toys. Throughout the day, pet waste is removed and water can be checked. All cats need socialization and attention not only because they are a social type of animal but it also helps with their transition to a new home when adopted.
• Laundry:  Throughout the day there are always people helping out with cleaning the cat and dog beds. Sometime the animals have an accident of two which then follows the cleaning of that item to make their stay more comfortable. All of the cats have towels and other soft items in their cages, and dogs have blankets for comfort. These items are washed and dried daily and taken back to the cage or just switched out with brand new ones.
• Grooming:  To help keep the animals clean, the HSCI: brushes, bathes and trims nails which helps socialization and adoptability and provides one-to-one human attention. Keeping an animal clean and intact isn't just for the view of a human potentially adopting them but also helps the animal feel clean and healthy.
• Small Animal Room:  The HSCI facility doesn't only hold onto cats and dogs, it also has birds, hamsters, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs as well. Even though these animals are smaller and don't need as much attention and love as dogs or cats they still need to be cleaned and taken care of. But never are the small animals forgotten about!
• Other ways to help HSCI:  Maintenance such as cleaning the office, mowing the grass, washing windows, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, and picking up garbage and dog waste from the yard. Doing these tasks helps keep the HSCI facility in order and an overall healthier environment.

For more information about volunteering at the HSCI, visit their Volunteer Opportunities webpage.

Donations

The Humane Society of Central Illinois is a Not-For-Profit organization, relying solely on contributions. Ultimately, the best way to help HSCI is to make a monetary donation. Our existence is only possible through the support of our community. In order for us to pay employees, provide animal care and spay/neuter services, pay utilities, and vet bills, we need over $500,000 yearly.

Adopting Cats, Dogs and Rabbits & More from the HSCI is one of the ways to help support the organization. HSCI relies heavily on donations and fundraisers as well. Some ways to donate include HSCI Heroes, Special Donations, Memorial Donations, Pet Sponsorships, Spay/Neuter Donations and more. Visit their Donations webpage to make a donation. You can also visit their Calendar of Events to see what events are coming up.