Without the help of our dedicated volunteers, PAWS Chicago would not be where it is today. We give thanks to all who have volunteered and given their time to help make a difference in the lives of people and animals in Chicago.
Angie DeMars– Development/Fundraising Honoree
Angie has been involved with PAWS Chicago for many years now. Her tireless dedication & passion to our mission is clear by her actions every day.
Through Noah’s Ark, her pet supply store and boutique on the North Shore, she is a tireless and constant voice for PAWS Chicago. She actively promotes PAWS Chicago’s programs, the Development Board, and special events to her many customers. She is always cultivating new donors for PAWS Chicago. She even managed to get a Fur Ball invitation into Martha Stewart’s hands! Fundraising is hard work, and Angie’s not afraid of to jump in and do whatever it takes to save the lives of homeless animals.
Carol Walter and Julia Mickelson—Development/New Initiative Honorees
When Carol and Julia first proposed the idea of doing a desktop calendar, we never imagined this could become such an important fundraising initiative for PAWS Chicago. Through their dedication and hard work, in the first year of this program, Julia and Carol were able to create a day-by-day calendar that is on-track to raise more than $220,000 for PAWS Chicago this year!
Once they received the go-ahead, they were off and running, raising more than $110,000 by selling pages to donors who wanted to showcase their pets within the calendar. Their selfless dedication to this initiative was clear when both were seen at our major events selling calendar pages, instead of enjoying the party.
Jaclene Tetzlaff—Development/Professional Services Honoree
Jaclene is our media and marketing guru, assisting in ensuring our events and programs are known to the community through pro-bono advertising and media opportunities. The exposure Jackie has secured for PAWS Chicago is priceless.
Have you have seen digital Comcast billboards promoting PAWS Chicago on the expressway around Chicago? Perhaps you’ve seen an ad promoting the marathon team, the run/walk or even the Fur Ball. If you’re on city streets, perhaps you have even seen a large billboard ad for the Adoption Center at the intersection of North and Ashland. These advertisements are all courtesy of Jaclene and her wonderful connections. Her commitment to our mission is invaluable.
Babette Nyka and Jenna Plakut—Professional Board Honorees
Babette & Jenna were co-chairs of the auction for this year’s Animal Magnetism event. They led a team of five other Professional Board members on the auction committee, but the two of them secured more than 80% of our auction items. Their dedication to the Professional Board is commendable, and their passion for dogs is evident by the many hours they spend walking dogs in Dog Town at the Adoption Center.
Allyson Behm—Professional Board Honoree
Allyson is a dedicated Professional Board member and volunteer. Whether it is for a Professional Board special event, a volunteer night, or fundraising, Allyson is always the first to sign up. She was part of the 2008 PAWS Chicago Marathon Team and was one of our top fundraisers, raising more than $2,100 for her 26.2 mile effort for homeless animals! Allyson is one of our most committed Professional Board members and a great volunteer.
Kathy Prodoehl—Community Outreach Honoree
Kathy has been a regular member of the “Tuesday Club” at 26th Street every Tuesday for the past couple of years. She is fantastic on the phone and has helped us with all of our inquiries for the Pet Food Bank, the Spay/Neuter Financial Assistance program and the Trap Neuter Return Program. Kathy answers the calls, helps people find the information they need, signs them up for the programs, and helps pack and distribute the food. Besides her excellent and indispensable office skills, she has also tabled for us at various community outreach fairs and festivals, and has assisted with a couple of day camps and senior presentations. Her compassion and kindness, her great sense of humor, and easy laughter make the work much easier and a lot more fun.
Jacquie Matchus—Humane Education Honoree
Jacquie came to us from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and chose to be a volunteer. For the past year or more she has been coming in from Indiana every Thursday.
She became a Humane Education presenter and has done presentations for day camps, schools, and CAN TV. She has been a lead tabler for many outreach events. No task is too daunting or too small for Jacquie, and she is always ready and willing to jump in. Her tireless spirit is greatly appreciated.
Bernadette Neri—Foster Program Honoree
Bernadette is one of our hospice fosters. These are very unique and special foster program volunteers. Fostering is a great program, and is the key to us saving more lives. It is such a rewarding experience seeing a new puppy or kitten blossom before it is ready to find a new home. But it takes someone truly special to see an animal through the end of its life. Bernadette fostered Suzie, an 8 year old cat from Chicago Animal Care & Control, that we discovered had renal failure. For many months she religiously brought her in for every 2 weeks for her check up, administered medication if needed, and made sure she was loved in the last months of her life. On the day Suzie died, Bernadette took home a litter of kittens. Bernadette feels her gift to saving lives is loving those who are at the end of their life, and will continue her role as a hospice foster. Words can not express how much we truly appreciate this!
Sandy Ross—Intake Team Honoree
Sandy comes to the Intake & Admissions Center on 26th Street every Monday and Wednesday. She does everything from dog walking to Meet Your Match evaluations, and enjoys grooming as a hobby. She has helped up clean up some of our shaggy new arrivals on many occasions. Sandy never misses a day, her commitment is amazing, and she is always willing to do whatever is needed, no matter how many hours it takes.
Suzanne Sweetwood—Dog/Cat Care at 26th Street Honoree
Suzanne is one of our most dedicated dog walkers. She helps out 2-3 times a week, every week, for at least 4 hours per volunteer session. There are evenings when she leaves with the staff! Not only does she walk our dogs, but she helps tidy their space as well. She has excellent handling skills, and is willing to spend time with any and all of our dogs. Our resident dogs and staff greatly appreciate her enthusiasm & dedication.
Scott Summerville & Sue Van Winkle—Dog Town Level 1 Honorees
This husband/wife duo, prior to recently becoming Dog Town Level 2 volunteers, were extremely dedicated Dog Town Level 1 volunteers. They are regularly in Dog Town during some of our busiest adoption times, and are phenomenal at working with the dogs. Their passion for dogs and PAWS Chicago is evident by how wonderful they are in working with our visitors, potential adopters, and other volunteers. They are also one of our amazing hospice fosters!
Rob Slattery—Dog Town Level 2 Honoree
Rob’s enthusiasm for dogs is evident each time he steps foot into the Adoption Center. Whether spending time playing fetch with a dog, working on training with a Dog Town resident, serving as a mentor for new volunteers, or assisting potential adopters, Rob’s easygoing way, compassion and dedication, as well as his leadership and attention to detail, shine through in everything he does.
Marcos Mendez—Kitty City Level 1 Honoree
Marcos consistently volunteers in Kitty City every Sunday morning, like clockwork, for the 8 a.m. shift. He is always willing to show new volunteers the ropes, and he works extremely hard at scooping kitty litter, doing the morning feeding, and helping with the morning cleaning tasks. Marcos has a calming way and a magic touch with the felines in Kitty City. His dedication and gentle demeanor are really appreciated by our felines.
Valerie Lopez—Kitty City Level 2 Honoree
Valerie is a natural when it comes to cats! Her numerous years of volunteer service with PAWS Chicago has meant so much to the organization, her fellow volunteers, and most importantly, the homeless cats of Chicago. She is always willing to share her knowledge of cats with others, she is passionate about educating potential adopters, and is always providing great feedback on ways we can save more lives and ensure our visitors have a great experience in Kitty City. Valerie goes above and beyond to ensure our felines find homes, volunteer questions are answered, visitors are assisted, and each cat receives plenty of TLC!
Jay Rosene—Location Manager Honoree
Most would say that Jay’s sense of humor is one of his best qualities, but here at PAWS Chicago we know that Jay’s most standout quality is his heart. Jay has been a part of the PAWS Chicago family for many years, always willing to pitch in whenever saving a homeless animal’s life was concerned. He is passionate about the cause, absolutely terrific with people, and it is rare to see Jay without a smile on his face. When managing Dog Town on a busy Saturday, Jay keeps everyone in good spirits and ensures that the as many dogs as possible find new homes. We salute Jay for his many years of dedication and for his big heart, which always has room for an animal in need.
Karen Stern—Adoption Counselor Honoree
Karen Stern is an amazing asset to the Volunteer and Adoption Programs of PAWS Chicago! Her thorough knowledge of dog behavior, combined with her calm and patient counseling style, has allowed Karen to be a true leader on the Adoption Counseling team. Not only did Karen facilitate 125 adoptions in 2008, but she also assisted the Adoption Follow-up program by completing adoption follow-up calls, and counseling adopters on their questions post adoption. Karen’s positive attitude, dedication, and willingness to jump in to help with whatever is needed are extremely appreciated by the staff, animals, and adopters of PAWS Chicago!
Sheila Buralli—Business Expertise Honoree
Not only does Sheila spend her time in Kitty City and Dog Town, she has donated her expertise in risk management. Sheila has dedicated over 50 volunteer hours to helping PAWS Chicago formally document and roll out our Emergency Response Plan for the Adoption Center. She critiqued our original plan, helped us make important revisions to our program, and created formal training materials to share with the staff members. As a Risk Management professional, she extended her expertise to PAWS Chicago to ensure this critical program could be formalized and documented properly.
Melissa Ziberna—All Star Volunteer Honoree
Melissa Ziberna is an incredible asset to the Volunteer and Adoption Programs of PAWS Chicago! Her dedication to the organization as a whole is appreciated by the staff, volunteers, adopters, and animals alike. Melissa started as an amazing volunteer in Kitty City and Dog Town, and constantly continues to take on additional, more senior volunteer roles. She is now a senior Adoption Counselor, Adoption Counselor Trainer, Kitty City Location Manager, and Event Site Manager. In 2008, she facilitated an incredible 202 adoptions, and assisted multiple in-training adoption counselors through their training so that they could join the team as well. Her thorough dog and cat behavior knowledge, keen judgment, and excellent teaching skills allow her to excel with all of the many hats she wears here at PAWS Chicago. We feel extremely fortunate to have her as part of the team!
Morgan Hill—All Star Volunteer Honoree
Morgan is an all around rock star for PAWS Chicago. She volunteers in so many capacities within the organization—Location Manager, Adoption Counselor, Dog Town Level 2 volunteer, special events volunteer, special projects volunteer—and she does an amazing job of distributing her time and talents equally among those various roles. Her energy, passion, flexibility, and dedication are truly appreciated. One thing about Morgan is constant —whichever role she is filling, the PAWS Chicago staff can count on her to be a role model for other volunteers!
2008 Volunteer Awards Recipients
Carol Walter—Development Board & Fundraising
Major Gifts & Fundraising is the life blood of any not for profit organization. PAWS Chicago does not receive federal, state, or local funding. We are 100% reliant upon the generosity of the Community. We would like to thank Carol Walter for her generosity. She is a founding Chair of our annual Fur Ball Event, a member of Capital Campaign Committee and the Development Board. Carol has brought so many new members to our Development Board and donors who have become part of the PAWS Chicago Community. Her latest project is our 2009 Calendar which is expected to raise over $100,000.
Bonnie Spurlock & Judy Tullman—Development Board Welcome Center Greeters
Bonnie & Judy are two of our Development Board members who are committed to making our visitors at the Adoption Center feel welcome when they first arrive. On just about every Sunday Afternoon, Bonnie & Judy are there to make a wonderful first impression as our visitors enter the Adoption Center. This role is so critical to the PAWS Chicago Staff – Bonnie & Judy are there to answer questions, give tours, and let people know what to do!
Kris Garvey—Professional Board Volunteer
Kris brings her passion for animal welfare to PAWS Chicago in everything she does. She is a member of nearly every professional board committee and also an Adoption Counselor. We got to know Chris through our Hurricane Katrina efforts – Chris was one of the first people to volunteer to drive down South and save lives. In recent months, PAWS Chicago has received amazing media coverage. Kris & Weber Shandwick provide pro-bono PR for all of our events. We owe much of our outstanding media coverage to Kris, through involving CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX & WGN and more, and we would like to thank Kris and her outstanding commitment to PAWS Chicago.
Steve Davis—Professional Board Fundraising
As an extremely committed Professional Board Member, Steve’s devotion to PAWS Chicago and the greater good of animal welfare in the Chicago community is unprecedented. As an Animal Magnetism committee member, Steve brought in almost 50% of the sponsorships. As a Viva PAWS Vegas committee member he secured our poker tournament grand prize. In his spare time, Steve was also a 2008 PAWS Chicago Marathon Team Member, raising the most amount of pledges!
Gloria Rojas—Foster Program Volunteer
Fostering is a vital part of our life saving efforts and making Chicago a “No Kill” City. We rely heavily on fosters to care for puppies and kittens that are too young for adoption, sick or injured cats and dogs so they have time to get well, and animals that need just a little love and compassion before they find a new home. Gloria Rojas has opened her home over the years for just about every kind of situation. She has fostered everything from puppies that were not only too young but also very sick, to an adult who had contagious mange and needed to time to heal, to dogs that were going to our Angels with Tails events. We would like to thank Gloria for opening her home to those dogs most in need.
Melanie Smith—Intake & Admissions Volunteer
Our Intake & Admissions Center is a hopping place in the heart of Little Village. This location is responsible for admitting all of the cats and dogs that are going to be part of the PAWS Chicago adoption program. On any given day, they are going to Chicago Animal Care and Control to save the lives of animals most in need, they are working with families who can no longer care for their pets, they are working with foster program volunteers, doing Meet Your Match assessments on the canines, and providing medical and daily care for the animals that are now part of the PAWS Chicago Family. We would like to thank Melanie for her commitment to this team. She is at the Intake & Admissions Center every week walking dogs, assisting with their daily care, and lending a hand wherever it is needed. Melanie is also one of our experts in canine Meet your Match assessments. The Meet Your Match program is 95% supported by volunteers. It is safe to say that when you see that Waldo is a “Go Getter”, we know that because of Melanie’s efforts.
Pat Oleck—Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic Volunteer
The Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic is instrumental in making Chicago a No Kill city. On any given day there can be anywhere from 60 to 100 cats and dogs having surgery. Volunteers are a critical part of the recovery room process. Pat is there just about every Tuesday working the mats and popping syringes. In her spare time, she is also a regular on Fridays at the Adoption Center as an Adoption Counselor. Pat’s commitment to both the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic and Adoption Program is commendable.
Lynne Styles—Humane Education Volunteer
The PAWS Chicago Humane Education program is focused on educating and influencing the next generation of children (and parents) who are part of our at-risk neighborhoods. Our efforts are focused on working within and partnering in the local community. Lynne Styles has been dedicated to this effort. Lynne has done countless presentations to children, parents, and community leaders. She has participated in parades, tabled at festivals, and has even been Poindexter, our infamous mascot! Her sense of warmth and compassion for animals has touched hundreds to thousands of children and adults in our at-risk communities. Lynne is also a member of the PAWS Chicago Development Board and regularly volunteers as a greeter at the Adoption Center.
Yvette Pina—Community Outreach Volunteer
The PAWS Chicago Community Outreach program is focused on helping those animals and people who are most in need in our at-risk communities. Yvette has been on a campaign of assisting residents of these communities. She has done everything from providing assistance in relation to spay/neuter programs available to senior citizens on public assistance, to talking with individuals in the communities about the importance of spay/neuter, to being a leading advocate of Trap Neuter Return (TNR) within the Pilsen community– she has helped to sterilize over 100 cats in the past 2 ½ years. Recently, Yvette was one of the key volunteers leading our initiative as a sponsoring organization of feral cats in Cook County. Yvette has dedicated her time to answering phone calls and emails regarding how people can help neighborhood cats, colony care and management, and how to do TNR. In emergency situations, she goes into the local communities to show them how to do TNR. Because of these efforts, every year fewer kittens will be born on the streets of Chicago.
John Deegan—Dog Town Volunteer
John also came to PAWS Chicago through our Hurricane Katrina Efforts–he saw us on TV, came down to the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, and has been with us ever since. John’s passion, foresight and leadership in Dog Town has been so instrumental to the success of our weekend adoption days. As a Location Manager, he has provided proactive positive feedback on how we can make the adoption and volunteer process an even a better experience. John always has a smile on his face as he a takes a new volunteer under his wings! When he is not working in Dog Town, John is volunteering at our special events and volunteering as an Adoption Counselor. John’s “can do” attitude is infectious and his sense of humor always makes people laugh!
Barrie Barry—Kitty City Volunteer
Barrie’s compassion for Chicago’s homeless felines is evident by her dedication and willingness to help in any way that she can in Kitty City. Whether it is by showing a new volunteer the ropes, educating the public on cats, talking to a potential family about adoption, or scooping litter pans, Barrie’s commitment to our felines is apparent. She takes great pride in her part of making Chicago a No Kill city for felines.
Susan Barrish—Volunteer Program Volunteer
Susan dedication to the success of PAWS Chicago is amazing! She spends an average of 30-40 hours at the Adoption Center during most weeks. Susan has been instrumental in supporting the Volunteer Team. Susan is willing to do whatever is needed of her. She helps with everything from giving tours to local schools and other organizations, helping confirm volunteers for the week, to assisting with the Shelter Outreach and Family Services Program, to assisting with our major events such as Angels With Tails. Her dedication and commitment to the team and her willingness to do whatever is needed is remarkable and very much appreciated.
Laura Hickle—Volunteer Mentor
From her first day volunteering with PAWS Chicago, Laura has been an amazing asset to the Volunteer Program. Laura’s passion, commitment, and dedication to the mission of PAWS Chicago is an inspiration to us all. Laura has played a key role in the recruitment and retention of volunteers, even leading our volunteer orientations. She has also trained volunteers on everything they need to know about Dog Town and Kitty City, leads volunteers at major adoption and special events, and does amazing tours of the Adoption Center. After sitting through one of the volunteer orientations being led by Laura, even one staff member wanted to volunteer!
Manu Puri—All Star Volunteer
When the PAWS Chicago staff thinks of Manu, what comes to mind is the “go to” person for special projects. He has assisted with everything from Hurricane Katrina rescue to the opening of the Adoption Center to events during busy holiday seasons. He is great for last-minute assistance, when someone is needed who represents the heart, soul and mission of PAWS Chicago. He is integrated into so many different aspects of the organization—animal transport for major events, lead volunteer for special events, media opportunities, Site Manager for off site events, and Lead Adoption Counselor, to name a few. His commitment to PAWS Chicago, the animals in our program, the volunteers he mentors, and the adopters with whom he works, is truly amazing and appreciated.
