Day 5 of Volunteer Week - Meet our weekend warriors Curt, Anne, Jennifer & Derek

As part of National Volunteer Week we are taking this opportunity to recognize, thank and introduce you to some of our weekend warriors.

Curt is known as the cat- loving volunteer and he describes himself as punctual, meticulous, and organized. When at SAINTS, he is usually found grooming and giving treats to the cats who inhabit the many areas here. Three years of volunteering have given Curt fulfillment at aiding the animals to have a better life. The opportunity to give all the animals a second chance or the opportunity to live life to its fullest is extremely satisfying to Curt. Outside of SAINTS, Curt enjoys computers, the Mission Race track, and of course- cats! Curt’s fondest memory so far is of the cat named “Chief” who took a year to warm up to Curt, but now he enjoys his weekend grooming. Odie and Oliver have also touched this volunteer’s heart and will be remembered for the cats they were and as real fighters. Curt describes SAINTS as beautiful, fun, and rewarding.

Anne might be one of our most recent volunteers, but her skills have been quickly improving the “appearances” of our SAINTly friends. Anne comes to volunteer on Saturdays using her grooming skills and knowledge to make our furry friends even cuter! Anne’s initiation to SAINTS was a small bite from a little dog with a very big personality (no names will be mentioned *wink)! But that didn’t stop Anne from coming back. She believes that what she does at SAINTS makes a difference and enjoys using her skills to make the dogs more comfortable. Furthermore, she admires people like Carol and in Anne’s words, “ I love the fact that there are people like Carol who are willing to make extreme sacrifices in order to give discarded and abused animals the love and compassion they deserve. These kinds of people who make their own sacrifices balance out the cruelty and negativity in the world. I am rewarded by playing a tiny part in this endeavor.” Anne’s three words for SAINTS? Committed, Hard Working and Caring. Anne not only enjoys volunteering but also motorcycles, yoga, hiking, music, and movies. Furthermore, Anne fosters animals through the SPCA and found out about SAINTS via her boxer, Renny. Renny was in Anne’s foster care through the SCPA which was passing this boxer into Carol’s care. Rather than disrupting Renny’s life and Anne’s love for her foster dog remained in his home and permanent foster care. What a win/win situation!

Jenn and Derek love volunteering in the MP room on Sundays. Jenn works in agricultural finance while Derek is a manager in an auto body shop. They enjoy home renovations, spending time with their three dogs, and deck time when the weather permits. But three years ago this duo wanted to find something else to add to their busy lives, they found SAINTS and couldn’t be happier with their choice! Jenn and Derek adore the animals and their stories; it warms their hearts to see the love they give the MP animals returned whole heartedly. Not to mention, the excitement they are greeted with every Sunday is unforgettable! Like the other volunteers, Jenn and Derek express the difficulty over the loss when losing an animal that they felt connected with. But the love this pair gets, keeps them coming back to SAINTS. Black Buddy, Riley and Capone, Dusty, and Cooper have in particular touched Jenn and Derek’s heart, “They just had/have something about them that grabbed a hold of us.” LOVE, LOVE, LOVE are how these two describe SAINTS!

It takes a small army of volunteers to run saints. Many hands makes light work and we could certainly use a few more. For more information about volunteering with us see: http://www.saintsrescue.ca/helping/volunteer.htm

Stayed tuned tomorrow as we continue to introduce you to more of our incredible volunteers. Check out more of our volunteer features here: http://www.saintsrescue.ca/wordpress/category/volunteer-features/