We had a great turnout for our Volunteer Celebration on April 30th! Over 50 people were treated to a slide show and movie-style snacks. Community Outreach Coordinator, Valerie Swensrud, organized the event. We took this opportunity to recognize our 2024 Volunteers of the Year.
Shelter Volunteer of the Year went to Cynthia Beck. She’s a dog walker who works with our behavior dogs and fosters them when needed. Cynthia is a mentor for new dog walkers and chairs our Animal Welfare Committee. She’s also our Board Treasurer and has taken our finances to a place where our money is earning money at levels never seen before. We are so honored to have her in our OCHS family!
Jon Marcotte is Thrift Store Volunteer of the Year. Jon has been a steady voice in the thrift store through several staff changes over the last few years. He prices, merchandises, organizes, and provides exceptional customer service. Jon even drove an unhoused man and his dog to the shelter from the thrift store one day so the man could access our Community Pet Food Bank. He’s a great example of someone who lives a life of service for others, both two-legged and four-legged.
We added in a new category this year – Community Events Volunteer of the Year. We chose Trudy and Krisi Maderos, a mother/daughter team who elevated our estate sale program to record sales. They have a knack for researching items to capture their maximum value. Krisi also socializes our small dogs and the two of them have encouraged multiple adoptions by networking our shelter dogs among their friends. We’re so glad to have them with us on this journey.
In 2024, OCHS volunteers donated over 19,000 hours of service to the animals and people of Florence. That equates to nine full-time employees, which almost doubled our workforce. We are truly a volunteer-powered organization! We were also voted “Best Place to Volunteer” three years in a row!
To find out more about volunteering at OCHS, check out our Volunteer page.
Trudy and Krisi Maderos
Cynthia Beck
John Marcotte (holding cookie jar)