Nicole Pezzotti Volunteer Spotlight
“I started volunteering with Furry Friends in September of 2024,” Nicole says. “My introduction to them was shortly after a sweet little stray kitten started showing up at my back porch. Furry Friends responded when I was looking to local pet rescues for assistance. Visiting the Halfway House to hand him off left quite the impression, and I reached back out shortly thereafter to ask about volunteer opportunities.
“I volunteer for two hours at the Halfway House on the alternating Saturday PM shifts. My favorite parts of volunteering are getting to play with the cats and knowing that I’m contributing to a good cause. I’m also new to the area (we moved to Vancouver in April of 2023), so it’s nice to meet like-minded people. The Furry Friends’ volunteer community has been incredibly welcoming.
“My proudest moment so far was when I heard that the stray kitten (Dewey) I brought to FF had been adopted. I knew it wouldn’t take long for him to find a forever home (I wished I could have kept him myself), but it’s heartwarming to know that I had even a small part in changing his life. It truly does take a community!
“Animal welfare has always been close to my heart. For most of my childhood, we cared for cats, dogs, birds and even reptiles. I worked at a pet store when I was in college, an experience that introduced me to many local pet rescues back in south Florida that I supported whenever possible. And since I can’t bring any more pets into our current living situation (my spouse and I have two 7-year-old cats named Momo and Bento), volunteering felt like the next best thing.
“I work fulltime from home, usually with a cat in my lap, as a GIS Analyst for a telecom mapping software company based in Maine. As for the issues I’m most passionate about -- housing rights/affordability, LGBTQ+ rights and healthcare access/affordability.
“I enjoy exploring and learning. I spent a few years as an archaeologist in Florida, studying how humans, animals and the environment interact with each other, and that mindset has stuck with me. I also love a good story (you can usually find me at home watching movies, either a musical or a monster flick), reading a book (mostly sci-fi or fantasy) or playing tabletop and video games.”
___________________________________________________________
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.
