It’s time again to celebrate the volunteers who so graciously give of themselves in the service of others — it’s Volunteer Appreciation Week! This week of recognition (April 19 – 25, 2020) honors the impact volunteers have on organizations and non-profits nationwide.
Last year, Pet Alliance volunteers contributed over 89,000 hours of service to help the dogs and cats of Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. That’s equivalent to 43 full-time staff!
These amazing individuals normally exercise, socialize and provide enrichment activities for our dogs and cats at the shelter, but more recently have pivoted in a different way — through fostering. In light of COVID-19, over 88% of Pet Alliance pets have been placed in foster care. This has helped our shelter staff greatly these last few weeks.
We say it frequently because it’s true: We could not help the thousands of pets we do each year without the dedication and kindness of our volunteers.
Thank you for being a HERO to a shelter pet!
Thank You form our Shelter Staff!
By Candyce Hatch, Pet Alliance Volunteer Manager
As I sit and write this small but mighty letter my heart is incredibly full of appreciation and happiness thanks to you. I’m happy because, during tough times, you have all come together to make me truly proud to be your volunteer manager.
Since we have suspended all volunteer shifts, I have seen you all come together in an amazing way. I cannot tell you enough how much I have loved the daily Facebook posts. They make me smile and make me feel like we truly are the best shelter around.
You are an important part of our shelter that makes it run like a well-oiled machine. You work hard, you stay happy, and above all else, you love the animals with all of your hearts.
Instead of focusing on yourselves, you’ve wanted to help the cats and dogs at Pet Alliance, and for that, I couldn’t be more thankful. For now, I hope these words are enough to let you know how much I appreciate you, admire you, and am happy you’re all here for Pet Alliance. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, volunteers. Can’t wait until you’re all back at the shelter!
We Think Volunteers are SUPER!
By Sydney Midgett, Orlando Volunteer Coordinator
There are many things that people don’t know about being involved in animal sheltering. Working with shelter animals can be joyful, hard, sweaty, fun, not-so-fun, stinky, or emotional, but I think we can all agree on one thing: it is REWARDING! You are making a huge difference in their lives, and those positive experiences will stay with them, even after they’ve been adopted.
It never ceases to amaze me how far reaching our volunteer program really is. From our clinics to TNR, offsite volunteers, admin assistants, and more, you are all truly making a difference in our community and in the lives of so many animals.
Even during the closure, you continue to be there to help out, even if it is not in the way that you usually do. Every donation has been appreciated, every fostered animal has been loved to the fullest potential, even your involvement in our digital attempts to keep you all connected has made us smile!
You guys hear this all the time but it couldn’t be more true, we absolutely could not do what we do without you! Your commitment to this organization and our animals is nothing short of incredible!
Can’t wait to see all of your shining faces again soon. Thank you for volunteering for Pet Alliance.
By Beth Gustin, Sanford Volunteer Coordinator
This Volunteer Appreciation Week, when we are not at the shelter, has really got me thinking about our wonderful volunteers. You guys help us with the daily routines that need to get done- cleaning cat cages, walking dogs, showing cats and dogs to adopters and providing enrichment. Our Foster Volunteers nurse our kittens and keep our youngest puppies out of the shelter. And we always can count on the volunteers who help out at our offsite events.
But it is the things that we don’t necessarily see every day that really show that our volunteers are truly invaluable to us. It is the personal connection a Bark Buddy makes with a special dog or the Kitty Cuddler who steers adopters toward the cat that perhaps has been overlooked. And most recently it is our Fosters who have taken the extra step in doing virtual adoptions for their foster pets.
Our cats and dogs get so much from our volunteers- love, exercise, enrichment and ultimately forever homes. And not seeing all of your familiar faces has us really missing you guys! We hope that all of you are staying safe and healthy and that we will be back at the shelter soon.
We really can’t say it too many times-thank you for volunteering
