April Volunteer of the Month

We are pleased to honor Tina Falker as our April 2010 Volunteer of the Year.  Tina began volunteering for the APS of Durham in the summer of 2009 and has been volunteering twice every week since!

Before she began volunteering, Tina, like many prospective volunteers, had concerns about the difficulty of the job knowing that many animals never have the chance to leave the shelter alive.  This fact undoubtedly keeps many people from helping.  But, as Tina thoughtfully says “After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that animals in need of care would always be at the shelter, whether I chose to be there or not.”

Every time she volunteers, Tina can be found working away in the cat rooms, usually cleaning the cages so that when we open to the public the rooms smell fresh and are spotlessly clean.  The cats will have fresh bedding, clean litter pans and food and water and a toy or two to enjoy.

Her favorite thing about volunteering is seeing the “happy endings”, those cats that find wonderful homes.  She is always cheered to arrive in the morning and see an “adoption pending” sign on one of the cages.

Caring for cats comes fairly naturally as Tina has ten cats of her own.  Tina moved to Durham with her husband from Houston and besides her volunteer work, she enjoys reading, gardening, cross-stitch, and Pilates.

We are so thankful for the work that Tina does each time she volunteers.  She is not only a big help to our staff but her kindness and care makes the lives of the shelter cats better and for that we are so grateful!