Tuesday

Apr 23

2013

APRIL VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: CHRISTINE HOFFMAN

Christine Hoffman has been the KFP recruiter for several years, and can often be seen managing kitten foster adoption fairs and helping out at the shelter on the weekends. Christine comes up with innovative ideas to recruit Kitten Foster volunteers, meets each prospective volunteer for a one on one orientation, and is always willing to help out wherever she is needed. Christine keeps track of all the kitten foster volunteers contact information and maintains our adopter database. While many might not know Christine, she is always working in the background, often from home and behind the scenes to get the job done. Without Christine the Kitten Foster Program would not have 60 foster families ready to take on kitten season each year.

Monday

Apr 1

2013

MARCH VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: IRENE OROZCO

Irene Orozco is an absolute angel.  Nicknamed “Mama Irene” by the staff, she has been a volunteer with the VBAS for many years.  She comes in after work at 4:00 most weekdays to help.  She socializes the shy cats or dogs, cleans anything and everything, and basically tucks in the animals for the night.  She can take the most fearful and hissy kittens and turn them around to be adoptable.  Some days she comes in with her daughter Marisol and they are a tag-team of efficiency taking care of the animals.  Showing cats and dogs, poop patrol, litter box patrol, checking food and water, and helping the medical staff put away animals after surgery are just a few more things she does in those 2 hours.  Mama Irene is a huge help to medical and kennel staff – and especially fellow volunteers!

Monday

Feb 11

2013

January Volunteer of the Month: Your VBAS Photo Team!

The VBAS Photo Team
This team meets weekly on Thursday’s to photograph the animals that are available or are becoming available for adoption. When days are light, the team doesn’t just pack up and go home, they reshoot animals that have been at the shelter for awhile to continuously get our adoptable animals seen by the public. It is the collective effort of the wranglers, photographers, and coordinator that makes the Photo Team such a vital part of the success of the VBAS.

Thank you!

Friday

Dec 21

2012

December Volunteer of the Month: Your VBAS Team!

As we close out 2012, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank each and every member of the VBAS. You’re all our December Volunteers of the Month!

Our VBAS volunteers work in almost every aspect of the Burbank Animal Shelter. They’re on poop patrol; they’re sitting on a bench with a harder to adopt dog so (s)he has the opportunity to be noticed by the public. You may have talked with a volunteer about their foster kitten; you may have had a volunteer smile and greet you at one of our recent events.

No matter how you slice it, each of our volunteers is truly special. They all come to the VBAS with one goal in mind – to help find homes for every animal that walks through the Burbank Animal Shelter doors. And this month, we celebrate all the time, energy and spirit our volunteers put into their work with our organization… and most importantly, with the shelter residents they work with.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work. Can’t wait to see the successes 2013 will surely bring!

Wednesday

Nov 21

2012

Volunteer of the Month: November

Picture this: a long-time volunteer tirelessly dedicated to making sure the community knows about the shelter and the animals that are cared for here. But no imagination is necessary, because that volunteer is Lorry Izor, our Volunteer of the Month for November. Lorry is the leader for the VBAS photo team that takes pictures for the shelter website, publicity materials, and the photos that appear on Pet Harbor. She helps wrangle the animals for their close-ups, ensures that the photos get to shelter staff, and maintains a database of pictures of the pets that have passed through our doors. In addition, she can be found helping out in many other ways, including the Adopt-A-Pet Show, community events, program planning, email communications, or wherever an extra hand is needed. She gives many hours of her time every month and is always a happy and enthusiastic person to work with. In the month when we traditionally give thanks for our blessings in life, it’s only appropriate that we honor Lorry and give thanks for her continued service.

Tuesday

Oct 16

2012

VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH: CONSTANTINO COSTA AND CAROLYN MALDEN

Back to School, Football, Labor Day … all these great things happen during the Fall months, but for VBAS one of the most important things about Fall is selecting the people to honor as our Volunteers of the Month! Tino Costa and Carolyn Malden represent September and October and we are thrilled to present them as great examples of the heart and soul of the VBAS.

September Volunteer of the Month

Constantino Costa, Tino for short, grew up on his father’s cargo vessel and traveled the world before landing in Burbank, California. Although Tino has sailed around the Greek isles, through the Indian Ocean, and been through most of Europe, he has found a home socializing the feline companions at the animal shelter. Tino’s worldly perspective has given him a calm and accepting attitude that soothes the hissiest kitten or the angriest cat into loving submission. It is here that Tino has found his calling by being an instrumental figure in our feral cat program, constantly documenting our available animals on Pet Finder and assisting the staff with tricky cat adoptions. Like the ship he grew up on, Tino sees how each individual and every action, no matter how small, contributes to the success of the overall organization and that’s what makes him successful in supporting every program he joins.  Along with his amazing contribution to the hissiest cats, he’s also been an instrumental Volunteer helping in the Volunteer Services department as well.  He’s interviewed and met several  of the current VBAS Volunteers.  This drive, attitude, and eye for cooperation make Constantino Costa our September Volunteer of the Month!

October Volunteer of the Month

Superheroes are popular choices for Halloween costumes, so October seems the perfect month to recognize someone who has become a shelter superwoman, helping so often and with so many things, it’s hard to believe she’s a mere mortal! Carolyn Malden began volunteering with the bunnies, bringing them fresh greens and consistently offering to come in to take care of them whenever needed. The turtles, chickens, and other animals enjoy her thoughtful care for them as she tends to their food and water as well. Carolyn has applied her incredible attention to detail in tidying up and organizing the Bunny Corral. She brought in containers for the hay and other items, and she posted whiteboards with calendars and a task chart to help us track what has been done each day. When the washer and dryer weren’t working, she even took home dirty towels to launder them herself. Additionally, Carolyn has graced the shelter with her great sense of aesthetics, including prepping and decorating for the Black and White Catillion as well as adding some autumn flair to the bulletin boards in the main hallway. On top of all that, she took in foster kittens and helped at the Warner Bros. event. Staff and other volunteers have been amazed by Carolyn’s investment of time and energy. With her loving heart and industriousness, she has made an incredible impact. For all of that and more, we are delighted to announce Carolyn as our October Volunteer of the Month!

Friday

Aug 17

2012

Volunteer of the Month: Amy Reynolds

Though many people call this time of year the dog days of summer, for us at the Burbank Animal Shelter that just means a time to give special attention to our canine guests and to those who help care for them and help them get adopted. Therefore, we are proud to announce that our Volunteer of the Month is Amy Reynolds. Amy has been volunteering at the shelter for two years and has devoted much time and energy to keeping our dogs happy and helping match them with the perfect forever home. She is one of our Level 2 dog trainers, and her wit and personality make her classes fun and informative. If she’s not leading a training class, she can be found exercising a dog in the yard or talking with potential adopters.
Amy is also a talented photographer and puts her skills to work taking pictures of all our adoptable animals. These pictures are then shown on the shelter website, Twitter feed, Facebook page and in the weekly Pet of the Week features, helping the animals look their best for the public and drawing in potential adopters.
Amy has shown great dedication and enthusiasm in whatever she does and is well-deserving of our thanks and congratulations as the Volunteer of the Month.

Tuesday

Jul 31

2012

July Volunteer of the Month: Scott Hewitt

This month’s Volunteer of the Month, Scott Hewitt, is someone who has a true feline fancy. He doesn’t just see that the basic needs of our cats are attended to, he takes the time to get to know each and every one and seems to understand their personalities. Armed with that specific knowledge, he is a master at finding just the right fit when potential adopters walk in the door. To him, it’s not enough to find a home for our precious cats, it is his goal to find them the “purr-fect” home.

When you see Scott around the shelter, which is an awful lot, he always has a cat in his arms because he wants them to have that one-on-one attention so they feel loved and cared for. With Scott, every cat is unique and therefore every cat needs personalized attention. A devoted volunteer who always responds when a call-out for help is made, Scott is always willing to come in at a moment’s notice. He did just that when Univision recently came to the shelter unexpectedly and assistance was needed with cat adoptions.

We are truly blessed to have Scott as a part of our group. Please join me in thanking and congratulating him as our July Volunteer of the Month.

Thursday

Jun 14

2012

June Volunteer of the Month: Pat McCauley

The saying goes if you want a job done well, give it to a busy person and that sentiment certainly applies to the Volunteer of the Month for June! Busy volunteer Pat McCauley always takes on new tasks with a smile and gets the job done well. The list of her jobs at the shelter is long, and yet she willingly steps up to the plate for another task whenever asked. Pat not only does Into Training, keeps the training logs up to date and has helped to organize Level 3 Cat Training, she also always finds time to be involved with Orientation for new volunteers. As Happy Tails Coordinator she organizes the classes and she never misses a Sunday hike into the local hill area. Many a new volunteer has learned the ropes by shadowing Pat during a normal shelter workday. A class in Reiki was led by Pat to introduce this technique and its application with our animals. She has also been instrumental in writing and compiling the shelter’s Wellness Newsletter. Pat has been a true inspiration to our new volunteers, a talented, energetic and resourceful member of both the Training and Volunteer Services teams, a friend to all who step into the shelter, and above all, an advocate for our shelter animals. We love you Pat!

Tuesday

Apr 24

2012

April Volunteer of the Month: Tara Causland

April represents spring, sunshine, and the Easter Bunny! What a perfect time to honor a volunteer who is the epitome of such positive things. Tara Causland’s cheery attitude and loving, caring manner have made her a favorite amongst the staff, the volunteers, and the public. Whenever her name is mentioned, the consistent response is “Oh Tara, we love her!” …and that’s just what I hear coming from the Bunnies!!

Tara is the self-designated Head Easter bunny! You will find her each and every Saturday cuddling our bunnies, exercising them, bringing them treats and giving them the attention they so deserve. During St. Pets day, it was Tara that made sure our bunnies got their chance for a home. She gathered them up and brought them to the conference room so they wouldn’t be overlooked. In a shelter that typically focuses on the dogs and cats simply because of the numbers, it is nice to know the bunnies have such a devoted advocate looking out for them.

And bunnies aren’t her only passion, she makes sure all the smaller animals like the hamsters don’t get ignored. I guess you could say she looks out for the “little guy!” Tara has a proven track record of reliability and consistency here at the Shelter. Her care and concern for the well being of our animals is truly remarkable. Accordingly, we would like to recognize Tara as our April Volunteer of the Month.