Volunteer Spotlight on Catrice Haller-Schmidt : Volunteer Spotlight

“I have been volunteering with Furry Friends for the past three years,” Catrice says. “When I moved from Oregon, the shelter where I then volunteered recommended that I volunteer for you.”

“Although I’m currently just a ‘fill-in’ volunteer, I would like to help more ‘behind the scenes’ and/or contribute my expertise when it comes to administrative work since that’s what I do for a living. (I work in Finance as a Payables Coordinator).

“When I’m at the shelter, I socialize with the kitties and snuggle them as much as they’ll let me … lol. My favorite part about volunteering is that I love giving back to the community, especially where animals are concerned. Because they have no voices, we have to speak for them and advocate for them. They can’t fight their own battles. So I give back for those kitties.

“My biggest challenges are educating people that online ‘free’ pets aren’t really going to be ‘free’ in the long run, and the dangers of rehoming them. On the other hand, one of my proudest accomplishments was recently getting involved with TNR. I captured a mildly spicy girl whose sweet, grey ‘smush’ face captured my heart, and whom I plan to adopt.  She’s been spayed and given a clean bill of health. Now, just to introduce her to my three resident animals!

“Since I’m so passionate about giving back to the community, I’m also passionate about finding ways to keep us united in spite of our different views.

“On a lighter note, I love to read, visit the beach, spend time with my friends and hang out with my family.”
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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.