2023 Volunteer Awards Celebration

Volunteers Receive Awards and Special Recognition...

 

With over 160 active volunteers helping care for animals and educating the public, the Sanctuary Staff always feels blessed to have such great help in following the organization’s mission.  Seven days a week carloads of volunteers show up bright and early in the morning ready to tackle whatever job is waiting for them!

 

Each November, Sanctuary Staff spend hours thinking back through the past year in order to discuss and vote on the best of the best in volunteer achievements. The goal is to identify and award many of the volunteers for their amazing accomplishments and all around contributions toward the welfare of the animals in our care.

 

Top honors include numerous categories and special achievements.  However, each year, we create a slideshow of all the volunteers working throughout the previous 12 months and play the resulting video at the beginning of the celebration.  The video below is from the 2022-2023 volunteering timeframe.

 

Everyone in attendance had a wonderful time and really enjoyed seeing so many of their colleagues honored with everything from special patches, honorary certificates, and highly-customized plaques!  Of note, two of the top honors went to Dee Pierce who received the “Guiding Star Award” for her hard work in educating the public about the Captive Wildlife Crisis and her incredible help in animal care.  Dee is a mentor and a friend to her fellow volunteers, a reliable support to staff, and a true advocate for the Sanctuary… and Sally Sherman, who received the “Volunteer Of The Year Award” for her hard work (never hesitates to stay late when needed) and outgoing/positive personality.

 

The awards celebration was definitely missed, but everyone is looking forward to next year’s awards celebration.  We want to thank our wonderful volunteers again for the amazing work they do, and hope all of our supporters get the opportunity to meet these very special people!