Donna Ouellet: Volunteer Spotlight
“I have volunteered with Furry Friends for about a year,” says Donna. “I got involved when I started looking for a tuxedo cat to keep my current cat company. Fortunately, I found Neptune on the Furry Friends website and fell in love both with her and the shelter.
“I work the regular Wednesday PM shift, and substitute for other volunteers when I’m asked. My favorite parts about volunteering are spending time with the members of my shift and with the kitties. I enjoy sharing love and attention with all of them, and we rejoice together every time one of the cats is adopted.
“My biggest challenge, on the other hand or paw, is the Med Room. Being a senior citizen, it’s more physically challenging and takes me longer to do the deep cleaning that’s required, but, in the end, I triumph! As to why I give back? I feel that it’s part of being a citizen of the planet earth to help others (man and beast) and to give back whenever and wherever possible. And as for the issue I’m most passionate about: homelessness. Usually people have answers to the question: “How would YOU solve this or that problem?,” but as I ponder this one in particular, I have no idea what the answer is.
“I retired 3 years ago from a career that involved several jobs for the Federal government, the most interesting of which was working for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Now I travel when it’s feasible, foster cats and pamper my own cats: Maxwell House Cat, who has been with me for 9 years, Neptune (now Josie), who has been with me for a year, and Sammy, who I had fostered together with his brother Tux.
“Besides volunteering with Furry Friends, I volunteer as an usher 3 times a month at the Portland 5 Theaters, which affords me the opportunity to view performances I might otherwise have known nothing about. Talk about eclectic and eye opening! There’s nothing quite like listening to 850 people singing Bohemian Rhapsody along with the Vitamin String Quartet! Or watching a ballet about Marilyn Monroe!
“As I revel in my retirement, my ‘hidden’ talents, hobbies and interests, besides traveling, include: getting along with most people, which, to me, is a kind of talent … lol; gardening – I LOVE watching everything grow and thrive; collecting agates at the beach, and listening to audio books. I’m currently trying – and failing – to learn all about crypto currency.”
___________________________________________________________
Furry Friends Volunteer Spotlights are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
