It all started with help from this person. He is the one who built us our shelter room where we have cared for hundreds of homeless cats and kittens since the summer of 2006. And not only did he build our shelter room, he also helps Michelle on a regular basis with many handyman jobs that are critical to keeping our shelter running.

If Michelle calls, he comes out and helps us out, and we couldn’t do it without him...a very important volunteer…Ron Traynor.

We'd also like to recognize some of our key cleaning volunteers who are absolutely vital to our success. Cleaning volunteers are so critically important to our organization…they not only keep the shelter clean and tidy, they also ensure the health of our adoptable cats and kittens, and help our core volunteers and Michelle by giving us the time to focus on other important things.

We'd like to thank EVERYONE of you who have come out and helped us clean the shelter, but we ’d like to recognize some of our most dedicated volunteers. These ladies come out to the shelter and help clean cages and socialize the kitties on a regular basis. We always know we can count on them.

These volunteers include Brenda, Nicole and Brandi Tennessen; Elizabeth Boneske, Kate Moody, Tiffany Born, Cassie Imeson and Donna Matusewic.

This couple is also one of our regular cleaning volunteer teams, but they also help us in additional ways. Both of them have helped us with MANY things, including running errands, being part of our Dog Adoption Team, and helping plan fundraising events. She was also very critical in planning our Volunteer Luncheon event. And, most recently, she has also stepped up to help be one of our PetSmart Adoption Coordinators, which we desperately need to increase the visibility of our homeless pets in our community...Glenda and Dave Stadler.

This next volunteer not only helps us with cleaning, but she also helps in other ways, including volunteering at special events and helping plan many of our fundraising events, including the Human Race, which she has played an instrumental role in coordinating for Saving Paws. She even makes us homemade catnip pouches to sell at our events and vet clinics...Diane Chicos.

This next couple has helped us in so many ways we don’t even know where to start. They both help with cleaning cages and socializing kitties on a regular basis. He is always available for advice, and helps us with many of our business decisions, and has helped in a very instrumental way in researching our options for a future location. She helps us in a VERY important role as our Fundraising Team Captain.

They are both always willing to help out whenever we need them...Fred and Mikki Westerfield.

We are very blessed to have this next volunteer among us. She is a constant presence at our shelter, and is always willing to help out. She helps with cleaning, socializing kitties, and many administrative tasks. She is also part of our Cat Adoption Team. And, she is one of our most WONDERFUL foster care volunteers, who not only fosters dogs for us, but also fosters our most special needs kitties – our feline leukemia positive kitties. She is very selfless and giving and we could not do it without her...Barbara Bernard.

The next volunteers we would like to recognize are a couple that has done more for our foster care program than anyone else in the history of Saving Paws. They open their hearts and their homes to countless foster cats and kittens, and have saved dozens, if not hundreds, of lives.

They are also always willing to help out at the shelter when needed. He is a skilled handyman who has helped us in many ways at the shelter with odd jobs to keep the shelter in good shape. She is one of the best caretakers we have ever met; she knows how to read a kitty’s body language to know what is wrong and how to treat them; she has nursed many kitties back to health and is absolutely wonderful at caring for baby kittens, pregnant mamas, and kitties with special needs...Jan and Glen Lowenhagen.

This volunteer is the center of our universe because she coordinates all volunteer activities. She is on e-mail and the phone every day, responding to volunteer requests and scheduling volunteers for cleaning shifts, adoption meet & greets, and special events. She also helps us on our fundraising team and is always willing to lend a helping hand. We couldn’t do it without her...our Volunteer Coordinator, Jill Kordus.

The next volunteer we ’d like to recognize has been with us since the beginning. She helped Saving Paws come to be and to get the word out there in the community to get more people to help us.

She has helped hundreds of homeless pets in need, and never gives up on them. She is one of our best foster care homes, for both dogs and cats. She is also a Dog Adoption Team Co-Captain. She has one of the biggest, most giving hearts of anyone we’ve ever met...Donna Gasbarro.

This next couple defines the concept of ABOVE & BEYOND. We don’t know if we ’ve ever met a couple that is so willing to help—anytime, anywhere, with anything. They are not only one of our best foster care homes, having cared for dozens of homeless cats and dogs for Saving Paws, they also help us with cage cleaning and socialization, volunteer at special events, and are in leadership roles on our Cat Adoption and Dog Adoption teams.

They are both on e-mail and the phone every day, working tirelessly to save the lives of homeless pets for Saving Paws. They are absolutely critical to our success and are two of the most generous people we’ve ever met...Amy and Steve King.

The next volunteer we'd like to recognize has devoted countless hours to ensure the success of Saving Paws. She has helped in nearly every capacity there is, from cage cleaning and socializing, to helping with fundraising initiatives, to volunteering at special events…and, she has served in a variety of leadership roles for Saving Paws.

She is one of our best foster care homes, caring for both cats and dogs, and has helped dozens of pets find new forever homes. She helps in a variety of business and marketing capacities. She also helps us with grant writing.

We can’t even begin to list all the things that she has done with us. She is on e-mail and the phone every day helping our pets and is always available for advice. She is one of the most generous and giving people we ’ve ever met, and has inspired many other people to help homeless pets in our community...Nicole Boesken.

The next lifesaver award goes to an individual who is an absolutely vital part of our organization. She has spent countless hours helping us in so many ways I can’t even begin to list them. She helps clean cages and socialize kitties. She is a foster care home for us. She has helped with fundraising and special events. And, she has responded to hundreds of phone inquiries from the public.

She is a constant presence at the shelter and is there when no one else can be. She is always ready to help in whatever way she can. We could not help the number of homeless pets we have helped without her...Tina Valencia.

Michelle and Emily Anderson,
Volunteer Marketing Director,
who gave out the Lifesaver
Awards