Wednesday Morning Crew
October 10, 2007
Wednesday morning starts early at the RAL shelter. Emily Stewart opens up and gets the job done. More than seven years ago Emily started volunteering at RAL after adopting 2 cats. Having retired after 30 years of teaching art to school children, she continues her art activities with a particular interest in the abstract. Along the way she found a cause that she is dedicated to—homeless animals. In addition to dog care, Emily also spends many hours per week as the volunteer coordinator, screening and assigning new volunteers. But Wednesday mornings it’s all about the dogs. She is not alone, of course. Her husband Bill has been helping out for a couple of years now since he retired.
Kim Colander, a Florida native, has been with RAL for 3 years. Not only does she do Wednesday morning dogs, she and her husband and daughters play a pivotal role as a foster home to RAL’s animals. Other volunteers note that the family’s fostered puppies come back to the shelter particularly well socialized. She has her own menagerie at home: 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 2 rabbits, a hamster and a parakeet. Kim’s daughter Jen, started volunteering first, followed shortly by Kim and Jen’s twin sister Amy. Not to be left out, Kim’s husband Dave also began volunteering with dogs on Sunday mornings.
Ten years ago Panadora Benton stopped at a table set up by RAL volunteers at a local school. Since then the kitties have had a loving caretaker. Originally from West Virginia, now a Virginia resident and retired from a full time job, she has “several” cats at home. She really enjoys greeting the new cats when she first comes in every Wednesday morning.
Joining Panadora, also a ten year veteran, is Sherry Campbell. Sherry has lived in Chesterfield County her whole life and found RAL after retiring from 27 years of working for Aetna.
Bobbie McCrea is a retired teacher who recently joined the RAL team. She has 3 cats, one of which is an RAL adoptee. Bobbie’s son will soon be married and the generous couple plans to ask invitees to the wedding to donate to RAL in lieu of wedding gifts! What a great idea!
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