Volunteers honored for their compassion and spirit of giving back.
Exceptional volunteers who go above and beyond were honored by the Oregon Humane Society including Janet Bates who was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Janet has been a dedicated volunteer for 18 years and an invaluable mentor to others.
More than 5,000 volunteers gave their time, talents and love to the pets at OHS last year. These compassionate individuals work in every area of the shelter; walking dogs, socializing cats, cleaning kennels, teaching pets good manners, staffing events and helping with administrative tasks.
“We would need 123 additional full-time employees to equal the amount of time contributed by our volunteers last year,” said Sharon Harmon, OHS President and CEO. “We truly could not do the work we do at OHS without our volunteers.”
During the awards ceremony held at the Red Lion on the River in Portland, OHS awarded special recognition to volunteers and one staff member (chosen by the volunteers) in 25 categories. Harmon presented the Volunteer of the Year Award to Dennis Beard of NE Portland; the Lifetime Achievement Award to Janet Bates of SE Portland; the Volunteer’s Choice Award to Pat Bowman of NW Portland; and the Humane Hero Award to Judy Griffin of Milwaukie.
Top Honors
Volunteer of the Year Award
Dennis Beard of NE Portland began volunteering for OHS in July 2010 and has become an irreplaceable member of the Second Chance team as a driver, saving lives each week. He safely transports thousands of animals each year from OHS’s partner shelters around the region. Dennis also walks dogs regularly and helps bring donated food to the OHS Pet Food Bank.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Janet Bates from SE Portland has been an OHS volunteer for 18 years. She leads two OHS dog walking teams and mentors new volunteers. Her dedication to the dogs at OHS includes providing enrichment and exercise to dogs that are not ready for adoption and need additional support. She is particularly skilled at working with fearful dogs, helping them to gain confidence. Janet also spends time doing administrative work for the Volunteer Department.
Volunteer’s Choice Award
Pat Bowman of NW Portland was selected by her fellow volunteers for the Volunteer’s Choice Award. Pat’s work at OHS includes administrative help for the Spay & Save program, walking dogs and being a dedicated member of the Second Chance team. Her fellow volunteers admire her huge heart, sense of humor and willingness to take on the dirtiest jobs.
Humane Hero Award
Judy Griffin of Milwaukie was honored with the Humane Hero Award for contributing the most overall volunteer hours to OHS. In 2017, Judy spent 790 hours at OHS walking dogs and transporting animals. Additionally, Judy spent more than 1,100 hours caring for foster pets in her home. Judy began volunteering in 2006 and has logged more than 5,300 hours in total.
More Award Winners
Administrative Ace: Libby Beard (NE Portland). This award is for the volunteers who do behind-the-scenes work to keep the shelter running smoothly.
Admissions Concierge: Carol Haertlein (SE Portland). This is a new award and honors the volunteer who helps newly arrived animals feel safe and comfortable.
Behavior and Training: Candace Bailey (NE Portland). This award honors a volunteer’s contribution to the reward-based Pet Pals and Kennel Buddies training programs for shelter dogs.
Cat’s Meow: Jennifer Watson (SW Portland). This award is for the volunteer who does outstanding work helping cats at the shelter.
Client Companion: Kallie Thomas (NW Portland). This award recognizes the volunteer who has helped the most in the Customer Care Department.
Database Dynamo: Robert Grossman (Banks). This award recognizes the person who has helped with database or IT work in various departments.
Education Extraordinaire: Sienna Lytle (SE Portland). This award honors the volunteer who has assisted the humane educators of OHS, helping to inspire the next generation to be kind to animals.
Faithful Companion: Pat Stanish (SE Portland). This award is for the volunteer who has been consistently dedicated to OHS and done great work for the shelter as a whole.
Tony Platt Foster Care Award: The Dolsen Family (NE Portland). This award honors volunteers who work from home, taking care of animals that aren’t yet ready for the shelter. The award is named in honor of dedicated foster volunteer Tony Platt, who passed away in 2012.
Kennel Buddies: Robert Parenteau (NE Portland). This award recognizes a volunteer who has helped OHS dogs by enriching their time in the kennels.
Legendary Leadership: Leslie Winton (Tualatin). This award recognizes the volunteer whose welcoming leadership helps new volunteers at OHS.
New Best Friend: Hallie Tomlinson (Beaverton). This award honors a volunteer who is new to OHS but who has helped the animals in a significant way.
OHS Technical Animal Rescue Team (OHSTAR): Melanie Anderson. This award honors OHSTAR volunteers who help rescue stranded animals and animals in need of human assistance to survive. These volunteers climb trees, rappel down cliffs and search the wilderness when called to help pets in need.
Outta this World: Maureen Olbrich (Lake Oswego). This award recognizes adoption outreach volunteers who showcase OHS animals at locations outside the shelter almost every week of the year. Outreach venues include everything from shopping malls to Blazers games to OHS red carpet events.
Party Animal: Bobbi Waggoner (NE Portland). This award honors the volunteer who helps get the word out to the public by helping with OHS special events and outreach campaigns.
Pick of the Litter: Ginny O’Brien. Voted on by the volunteers themselves, this award honors the OHS employee who they think goes the extra mile when it comes to working with volunteers.
Second Chance: Kristi LaHaye (NE Portland). This award honors a volunteer who has been a major help with the OHS Second Chance program. This program transfers pets to OHS from other shelters that are faced with too many pets and too few resources.
Small and Mighty: Brad Turk (SE Portland). This award recognizes the volunteer who works with small animals, such as rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, chinchillas, birds and the occasional degu.
Spay & Save PurrPurrwork Wrangler: Clara La Marche (NE Portland). The Spay and Save program reaches out to low-income residents to alter their cats and some dogs for little to no cost. This award honors a volunteer who help with the program through data entry, phone calls, outreach and promotion.
Surgical Sweet: Cathy Rounds (Washougal, WA). This award honors a volunteer who has made a big difference by helping the OHS veterinary medicine team. The OHS Holman Medical Center is a major asset to shelter pets, and volunteers contribute significantly to its success.
Top Dog: Jennifer Crisp (West Linn). This award recognizes a dog walking volunteer who has made a major impact on the dog walking program
