Jill Schramm/MDN Siri Fisher, communications and development director, and Laura Garcia, executive director, holding Pearl, stand in the Souris Valley Animal Shelter lobby Friday.

Souris Valley Animal Shelter wants to restore connections with its Minot community, according to its new executive director.

“A lot of focus is going to be on the community. We want them to be back in our shelter,” said Executive Director Laura Garcia. “We just want the community more involved.”

SVAS plans to bring back former programs, such as Rescue Readers, which helps children build confidence as they read to and provide social interaction for shelter dogs and cats.

The shelter also plans a SVAS Day Out on Sept. 9 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. to reintroduce itself to the community. Staff and board members will be available to visit with the public. The day will feature a bounce house, food trucks and a fund-a-need wheel for dunk tank dips at the shelter location at 1935 20th Ave. SE. Entry fee is $5 for those aged 15 and older.

The event is open to anyone, but animal fosters and previous adoptive families specifically are encouraged to bring their pets, and pet seekers are invited to meet animals available for adoption.

SVAS acknowledges a need to rebuild relationships that have suffered in recent years, in part because of community response to SVAS’s activities under a previous director to bring in out-of-state animals in need of homes. Garcia said SVAS will continue to be available to assist its national partners in responding to major disasters around the country, but its day-to-day focus going forward will be the local community.

SVAS Communications and Development Director Siri Fisher added the board decided to take a major step back on interstate transport of animals outside of a disaster emergency.

“We just kind of want to go in a slightly different direction while still upholding who we are as an organization,” Fisher said. “Those little day-to-day things, you’ll probably see some pretty dramatic changes. And in terms of community relations and community involvement, that will be quite a dramatic change.”

SVAS expects to be more physically present in the community with events and plans to step up communication with the public. The shelter intends to eventually produce a monthly newsletter for anyone who wants to be on the mail or email list or who follows the shelter on Facebook.

Garcia, who recently was named executive director, had worked in the medical industry but followed her interest in animal welfare to become foster coordinator for SVAS after moving to Minot nearly three years ago. Continuing her education, she recently completed her executive leadership certification through Best Friends and has taken an apprenticeship program through Maddie’s Fund.

Garcia said SVAS is contemplating new programs and is renewing its focus on emergency housing for pets separated from owners going through crises, such as people in local treatment facilities and domestic violence crisis housing.

While SVAS reports it has had good support from volunteers and pet fosters, taking steps to increase that involvement would further build the organization’s capacity to take in local animals. Garcia said SVAS will be launching a revised website volunteer platform this week.

SVAS continues to recruit to fill its vacant veterinarian position while working with another rescue group on a possible spay-and-neuter event.

Garcia said she is fostering relationships with the Turtle Mountain animal rescue group, other Minot animal rescue operations and Ward County Disaster Response. The shelter also has taken animals from the Minot pound in recent weeks.

“We’re gradually trying to get out there and just kind of help where we can. Not everybody has the facility like we do so we do definitely want to work with the other rescues in the area,” Garcia said. “We’re just kind of trying to focus back on the Minot community and building our relationships back up.”