Teresa M. Hutchison-Thomas : Volunteer Spotlight
“I have been with Furry Friends since November 2023,” says Teresa. “I had been volunteering at the local animal shelter and decided it wasn’t very personable -- cleaning, caring and socialization were rushed. Looking for an organization that had a meaningful mission and purpose, I found Furry Friends whose wonderful, caring people fulfill their mission.
“Besides volunteering at the shelter for over two hours a week, once a month I help out at a four-hour adoption event in Salmon Creek. My favorite part of volunteering -- besides giving love to the cats – are my fellow volunteers. They’re fun and wonderful people who care deeply about what they’re doing!
“My biggest challenges: wanting to take all of the cats home with me and wishing I had more time to volunteer. But because I travel for work, that limits me.
“My proudest moment as a volunteer: I witnessed a kitten being hit by a car in front of me. Stopping traffic, I grabbed the kitten and rushed over to the Halfway House. Jazmynn, who was there called Jenn and we raced off to the Emergency Vet. I had the kitten on my chest, talking to it and loving it while Jazmynn drove. We were losing the kitten, and while I tried mouth to nose, it clearly had some extensive internal damage. Two things I’m proud of: how quickly Furry Friends reacted in an effort to help save the kitten and that it didn’t die alone by a curb, but loved on my chest.
“The reason I give back to the community is because I feel blessed and want to be a blessing wherever I can. Not surprisingly, the issues I’m most passionate about are spay/neutering your pets and loving them. At home, I have two 13-year-old cats: Esmeralda or Esma (she’s a Tortie, and yes, she can be spicy!), Lily, a big-boned Tuxedo, and two kittens, Nola (Calico) and Neko (Havana Brown).
“Outside of Furry Friends, I work as a Clinical Documentation Technical Lead for the City of San Francisco. I help create an Electronic Medical Record, known as your Epic Chart. I was also a nurse for 25 Years, coupled with doing Informatics. In my spare time, I love to garden, read and cook/help my senior neighbors when needed.”
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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.
