New Lease on Life's pictures with Santa is Saturday

By MEGAN WILKINSON

mwilkinson@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

Though Thanksgiving is just here, Maria Guyan, founder of New Lease on Life Rescue in Struthers, said the animal shelter is already preparing for the Christmas season.

The shelter his hosting a special Christmas celebration for the public from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the 2773 E. Midlothian Blvd. location.

Guyan said the event will feature pictures with Santa and the animals, along with Christmas music and goodie bags for guests who stop in. The nonprofit has already decked out its space with paper snowflakes, Christmas wall decorations and stuffed Christmas characters for the occasion, she said.

She still needs volunteers to help at the event, and no prior experience is needed, she said.

The rescue has been in business only four years, so it doesn’t often host community events or celebrations, Guyan said. But she partnered with PetSmart two years ago for a similar Christmas event, which she said helped increase the shelter’s popularity.

“We received a lot of requests to do the event again last Christmas, but our shelter didn’t have the space for it,” she said. “Since we expanded in the summer, we decided we could host it on our own this year.”

New Lease on Life started as a 1,500-square-foot facility, but Guyan said it expanded to 12,000 square feet last July. Currently, the facility houses 20 dogs, 30 cats and four rabbits.

Guyan added that if there are enough people who come to the celebration Saturday, she plans to host another event later in December.

Guyan said adoption hours will stay the same, from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday. She added that the shelter is also open today, despite the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We don’t close because of a holiday,” she said. “We’re one of the only shelters in the area that stays open on big holidays like Thanksgiving, so we expect to be pretty busy all weekend.”

IF YOU GO

When: 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Where: 2773 E. Midlothian Blvd., Struthers. The shelter has a sign that reads “American Mattress” on front and parking is at the side of the building and at a doctor’s office across the street.

Cost: $7 for one photo with Santa, $12 for two.

Contact: Guyan at 330-397-8270 about volunteering or the event.