Janet Cotton
Janet Cotton has been volunteering at VHS since July of 2011. She is a dedicated cat socializer and critter cabber. She also assists with special events as needed. Her favorite part about volunteering includes playing with the cats and working with the staff. She loves that VHS is a no kill and how Yayoi picks out animals for the center.
Janet is an avid golfer and tennis player when she is not busy volunteering. She also has three pets at home- Brody, Romeo, & Juliet. Brody is a 7 year old border collie mix; Romeo is a 8 year old cat who was a stray that followed Janet home; Juliet is a 9 year old momma cat who is described as overly affectionate.
The value Janet identifies with most is optimism. She describes her reasoning as, “I feel the staff always is friendly and professional and sets a great tone for the volunteers. I always look forward to seeing which animals have been adopted when I come in and know the ones in our care are very lucky. I always leave with a smile after my shift.”
Valerie Cho
Valerie Cho began volunteering at VHS in August of 2012 and she is a dedicated Sunday afternoon Cat Care volunteer. Her favorite part about being a Cat Care volunteer is when she feeds the cats and gets to see how happy they are. She also loves the atmosphere at VHS which she describes, “everyone is really friendly here and makes volunteering extra fun.”
In her free time, Valerie likes playing video games and folding origami. She also enjoys doodling but claims her drawings aren’t very good. Valerie has four goldfish at home names Regirock, Gollum, Gandolf, and Hobbes. Her fish kick up rocks and make a lot of noise.
Valerie feels that optimism is the most important VHS value because “…having a positive attitude makes VHS a friendly place. Creating a friendly atmosphere [at] VHS is beneficial to both the animals and the customers who come in.”
Cathlin Derosa
Cathlin Derosa has been a devoted VHS foster parent since 1996. She describes herself as “addicted to warm fuzzy bodies” and loves being a foster to the animals in need. She is proud of everything that VHS offers in terms of care to the animals and enjoys the people of the organization.
When asked what her hobbies and interests are, Cathlin shared that with her busy work schedule, children, and chores, she has no time for hobbies! With her families combined household, they have 5 cats and 3 dogs. The cats of the family include: Boom Boom, Ashes, Screech, and 2 others. The dogs of the family include: Kayla, Homer, and Barkley. Many of her animals are from VHS or rescued from other areas.
Cathlin describes optimism as being the value she most relates with in her volunteer work as a foster. She shares that she always appreciates the happy, cheerful folks she runs into when she is in the shelter for foster vet checks or to collect supplies.
Justin Noble
Justin Noble has been volunteering at VHS for about half a year now. He is dedicated to filling in at many of our open shifts in many different positions, including: dog socializing, cat care, dog care, and isolation. His favorite part about coming to VHS as a volunteer is working with the animals; he also appreciates that VHS is a no-kill shelter.
Justin loves being with his cats (Mocha, Rocky, and Tux), playing videogames, and listening to classic rock in his free time. The value Justin most relates with is companionship because he feels it is very important for animals to get nice homes and the love they deserve.
Ginger Stoddard
Ginger Stoddard began volunteering in the summer of 2011 and now comes in weekly to work as a cat socializer in Kitty City. Ginger enjoys volunteering at VHS because it gives her something useful to do with her time and gives her a purpose. She also appreciates the companionship of the animals, staff, and volunteers. As well as all of the above, Ginger enjoys meeting new people and also seeing people add new pets to their families.
Her hobbies and interests include gardening (digging/weeding/wishing & hoping!) as well as doing home improvements. Ginger loves walking her dog Sparky and meeting new neighbors as well. Sparky is half poodle, a quarter spaniel, and a quarter Chihuahua. His name is short for Spartacus.
Optimism is the value that Ginger associates with most. She states that, “…everybody is here for the same good reasons and all the pets here are always better off being here.”
