Volunteer Spotlight: Mary Wakely
Mary started working the Thursday evening shift at the Halfway House in February of 2020 with an awesome crew who has been together for ages. She also picks up the Tuesday voicemails and is on the auction committee.
Mary started working the Thursday evening shift at the Halfway House in February of 2020 with an awesome crew who has been together for ages. She also picks up the Tuesday voicemails and is on the auction committee.
I have been with Furry Friends for 5 years. I had looked online for volunteer opportunities when I got close to full retirement and Furry Friends looked like a good fit. Although I had been volunteering at the Humane Society, I wanted to focus more on cats.
After Joshua and his wife Kelli began fostering for Furry Friends two years ago, they quickly got involved with the Halfway House. Joshua then signed up to be a permanent sub, but soon found himself as a regular full-time shift volunteer for two hours on Wednesday nights.
I began with Furry Friends once I got my driver’s license at the start of 2021 during the pandemic. Since school and every other activity had been cancelled, I was looking for something to get me out of the house. Volunteering at a cat shelter seemed like the perfect option.
Amy has volunteered at Furry Friends since October 2022. The retired RN had seen a story about us on the news and knew that she wanted to help. She used to volunteer every Wednesday and Friday but had to stop once the school year started since she’s currently a substitute teacher.
I have been a volunteer for two years. I learned about Furry Friends in 2016 from a neighbor who was fostering kittens for you, and knew that I wanted to volunteer as soon as I retired from my full time job in Portland.
Wow what a great and challenging year Furry Friends has had! I will share our many amazing accomplishments in 2023 in this letter. First, I would like to send out a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all our supporters, volunteers, sponsors, and donors! Together with our Board of Directors, Leadership, Staff, and YOU, we have made a difference in so many lives and in many cases, we have saved lives! Give yourself the credit you deserve!
What an amazing year 2023 has been for Furry Friends! We have faced many challenges—and many successes– throughout the year, but the one thing that has always shined through is our commitment to the cats in our care.
Margarita began volunteering with Furry Friends in July 2023. Before that, she had supported us through monthly donations for about a year.
Roberta had volunteered with the Best Friends Animal Rescue in Utah when her family lived there. But after moving to Washington in March 2020 (just as the pandemic broke), she looked around for a local organization. Since Furry Friends was listed on the Best Friends website as a companion organization, she promptly checked us out — and here she is!
Rosie came to us as a tiny kitten in early April. Right away we could tell something wasn’t right about one of her hips. Her leg just dangled and she dragged it along when she walked. We thought maybe it was dislocated.
Heather, who has been volunteering with us since December of 2022 not only helps at the spay/neuter clinic but fosters countless kitties as well. Prior to joining Furry Friends, she had been actively involved for many years with spaying and neutering other adoptable kittens and cats.
James, who has now been volunteering with Furry Friends for a year, got involved when both of his cats sadly passed away within months of each other. Uncertain as to whether or not he was ready for any new cats, he missed that special cat energy and became a volunteer instead.
Jaimie began volunteering with Furry Friends in 2019. She had been looking for volunteer opportunities in the community and came across us during an online search. She started with one Halfway House shift a week, then two, and then joined the Board of Directors, doing grants writing and fundraiser events. Ultimately, she not only became President, she also acted as Treasurer for awhile.
Furry Friends is delighted to extend a warm welcome to volunteer Jim Grafmyre, who has joined our Executive Board. Jim holds the role of Facility Maintenance, Information Technology, and Security.
As a Monday evening shift worker, Megan has been volunteering for Furry Friends since March 2023, and although she generally spends two to three hours a week at the shelter, she subs regularly and is often here multiple times a week.
Emily has volunteered with Furry Friends since July of 2022. She had wanted to volunteer for a cat rescue ever since adopting her kitty from a cat rescue in Portland. When she and her husband moved to the Vancouver area, she was determined to find somewhere to both volunteer and photograph kitties to help get them adopte
Caitlin has played an active and satisfying role in Furry Friends for nearly two years. She joined us after one of her sweet kitties passed away. To help grieve, she thought the ideal solution would be to volunteer with cats. When she discovered us, she found that, together, we were a perfect fit.
A longtime feline fancier, Bill translated his love of cats into helping cats by volunteering for Furry Friends beginning in 2021.
Dr. Marci Koski is a certified feline behavior and training consultant in Vancouver, Washington but works with cat guardians all over the world. She earned specialized and advanced certificates in Feline Training and Behavior from the Animal Behavior Institute, and established her business, Feline Behavior Solutions, in 2014. She also has a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Fishery and Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and had a career as a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over ten years, where she worked toward the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species.
Kate Goudschaal has become an expert in caring for newborns—newborn kittens, that is. In her 15 years of fostering, she has volunteered for various animal rescue organizations, including Furry Friends, which she joined more than two years ago.
National holidays, while celebrated by people, aren’t always cause for celebration by our cats. For them, a holiday like the Fourth of July means one thing: fireworks. Or simply put: NOISES, LOUD and SUDDEN noises.
Heather Steinmann has a rich history with Furry Friends.
She and her husband Jon joined the cat rescue organization about nine years ago after they adopted a kitten and its Mamma from the non-profit. When the couple learned that Furry Friends had a shelter, Heather said, “Oh there’s somewhere I can volunteer, and I started.”
I know it seems really contradictory to say not all rescuing is responsible rescuing. Rescuing, by definition, means “to save,” so how can anyone rescuing an animal not be doing what is right?