Best Friends is totally blessed with the number of truly amazing volunteers we have – many of whom come out at least once a year, sometimes more, and think nothing of working as hard as the caregivers do – all on their precious time off work.  Then they go home, and continue the volunteering at home, in addition to their regular jobs!

Cyndi Pearce is one of these people.  Cyndi is primarily a cat person, and back in 1999 she read an article in the local newspaper (Raleigh, North Carolina) about a new no-kill shelter – SAFE Haven for Cats.   She mentioned “I had been wanting to volunteer at a shelter but emotionally could not handle working at a kill facility so this was great news, finally a place I could feel good about what they are doing for the animals.”  She started out with cleaning, moved into socializing, doing tours, answering the phones, adoption counselor – pretty much the whole shebang.  She still volunteers there, as well as another no-kill shelter in Cary, called Cat Angels.  She said the big reward for her in volunteering is “seeing how the animals respond to the love and affection they receive.”

She first came out to visit Best Friends in December of 2005, after surfing the Internet for no-kill shelters – and was so impressed with what she read, she couldn’t wait to visit!  While here, she fell in love.  Her company gives its workers a week of paid volunteer time each year, so Cindy has been able to volunteer at Best Friends twice a year, since her first visit.  She particularly enjoys volunteering in the winter, when the tourists are all gone, and she feels the need is greater.  “On my first visit they had me working in Kitty Motel for the whole week, I was head over heels in love with all the cats there and that has been my favorite building ever since, just don’t tell the cats in Jills Diner, the Colonels Barracks, or Bentons!  What can I say, I love them all!  I’m also in awe of the caregivers there, some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met!”

Kitty Motel is home to some of the Sanctuarys ‘special needs’ cats.  There are a few cats in the lobby who have cerebellar hypoplasia, several with paralyzed back legs, and the infamous  Scooter – a cat with NO back legs, amongst others.  There are several rooms in the building – one for geriatric kitties, 2 for FIV positive, and my personal favorite – The Incontinental Suite.  The special needs kitties are the ones that steal Cyndis heart.  She carries this love to her home, where she & her husband Gary have 4 kitties.  3 are blind, and one is 3 legged.  “We joke we don’t take any cat in that has all it’s working parts J.  They are truly amazing and teach us something each day.”

Cyndi also – in all her free time! – takes care of a feral colony that she came across, ironically, after a visit to Best Friends.  Her flight had come in late, so she asked Gary to stop at a fast food restaurant so she could get a bite, and saw several cats dumpster diving for food.  She was able to figure out that they were coming from the woods across the street of the fast food place, so she set up a feeding area for them in the woods, using large Rubbermaid containers to put the food and water in, as well as some hay for bedding.  She has since managed to trap 8 of the cats and had them spayed and neutered.

Cyndi exemplifies so many of our wonderful volunteers – she has truly made the world a better place through kindness to animals.  Thank you Cyndi!

Written by Jennifer Johnson

Photo Taken by Linda Leary