I have been volunteering at Seattle Humane off and on for 25 years.
My first volunteer experience was in 1996 when I was struggling to find common ground with my 13-year-old daughter. I knew that we both loved animals, so I convinced her to attend a group foster training at SH ‘just to check it out, not necessarily to commit.’
At that training the leader pointed to a crate with three orphaned 2-week-old kittens. She said, ‘This is probably more than first time foster volunteers want to take on because they will need to be bottle fed around the clock, but is anyone in this room willing to do it?’ My daughter’s arm shot up. So that was our first kitten foster and we definitely bonded over this new role.
Over the next many years, I believe we fostered over 100 kittens. It was a fabulously fun, rewarding and challenging experience. Plus, as a wonderful bonus, I was able to find homes for most of them through my role as a Preschool Director. Sometimes I would bring the kittens to my school to show them off, but often it only took the photographs to convince the parents to add kittens to their families. I always encouraged that they adopt two at a time.
When my daughter went off to college, I decided to take on a new volunteer role at SH. I became a tour guide/docent for school and scout groups. This was a great fit for me because I was good with children and knew how to grab their attention and keep them focused. I loved promoting the mission of SH to the children and encouraging life-long commitment to animals. Plus, their enthusiasm was contagious.
— LAURIE W.
