OHS volunteers recognized for their compassion and kindness
Exceptional volunteers who go above and beyond were honored by the Oregon Humane Society including Roger Price who was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Roger has been a dedicated volunteer for 19 years and is an invaluable mentor to others.
Close to 5,400 volunteers (including corporate and group 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 135 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 27 categories. Harmon presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Roger Price of NE Portland; the Volunteer’s Choice Award to Sherri Brown of Happy Valley; the Humane Hero Award to Lynn Esser of Happy Valley; Legendary Leadership Award to Sue Sample of Tigard; and the Volunteer of the Year Award to Christy Heyl of Beaverton.
Top Honors
Lifetime Achievement Award
Roger Price of NE Portland has been a volunteer at the Oregon Humane Society for 19 years. He is a dedicated dog walker, mentor to new volunteers and is always eager to take on any job that helps the animals. His compassion and kindness are demonstrated in the way he cares for shelter pets and works with the staff and volunteers at OHS. Roger’s commitment sets an example and provides inspirations to new volunteers.
Volunteer’s Choice Award
Sherri Brown of Happy Valley was selected by her fellow volunteers for the “Volunteer’s Choice” Award. She is one of the longest serving volunteers at OHS and has been giving back to the pets for more than 28 years. Her hard work and expertise serves many areas of the shelters with a focus on event management and fundraising. She is key member of an OHS steering committee working on the long term strategy for our community.
Humane Hero Award
Lynn Esser of Happy Valley was the recipient of the Humane Hero award for volunteering 3,600 hours in 2018. She was honored for her work in the shelter, walking dogs and helping in the Volunteer Department. Lynn is also a dedicated foster parent to pets who are too young for adoption, recovering from surgery or healing from neglect.
Legendary Leadership Award
Sue Sample of Tigard has been a dedicated OHS volunteer for more than 12 years. She helps train new volunteer and assists staff caring for cats and assessing feline behavior. Her caring expertise is especially helpful with cats who are stressed in the shelter environment.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Christy Heyl of Beaverton has been an OHS volunteer for two years. She cares for cats, mentors others and helps with a variety of tasks around the shelter. Christy especially loves working with shy cats, helping them come out of their shell and ready for a new home.
More Award Winners
Administrative Ace: Christopher Walker (NE Portland). This award is for the volunteers who do behind-the-scenes work to keep the shelter running smoothly.
Admissions: Malyia Pladziewiez (SE Portland). This is a new award and honors the volunteer who helps newly arrived animals feel safe and comfortable.
Behavior and Training: Lois Johnson (SW 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: Nancy Judy (NE Portland). This award is for the volunteer who does outstanding work helping cats at the shelter.
Client Companion: Lisa Lakes (SE Portland). This award recognizes the volunteer who has helped the most in the Customer Care Department.
Development Dynamo: Chris Veatch (SE Portland). This award recognizes the person who has helped extensively in the Development Department.
EAS Superstar: Jamie Kline (North Portland). This award goes to a dedicated volunteer who worked tireless hours in an Emergency Animal Shelter.
Education Extraordinaire: Madison Miller (North 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: Kim Strand (NW Portland). This award is for the volunteer who has been consistently dedicated to OHS and done great work for the shelter as a whole.
Foster Care Award: Carol Christensen (Milwaukie). This award honors volunteers who work from home, taking care of animals that aren’t yet ready for the shelter.
Kennel Buddies: Paula Moore (SE Portland). This award recognizes a volunteer who has helped OHS dogs by enriching their time in the kennels.
Loyal Friend: Carrie Larsen (North Portland). This award is presented to the volunteer who demonstrates a consistent commitment to the animals.
New Best Friend: Michele Wier (NE Portland). 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): Virginia Krakowiak (Camas). 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: Charles Aubin (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: Brenda Christiansen (Gresham). 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: Doug Otani. 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: Julie Trude (Clackamas). 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: Sara Gefre (Milwaukie). This award recognizes the volunteer who works with small animals, such as rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, chinchillas, birds and the occasional degu.
Spay & Save: Pat Bowman (NW 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: Lori McDonough (NE Portland). 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: Michael Bower (SE Portland). This award recognizes a dog walking volunteer who has made a major impact on the dog walking program
