During its annual volunteer appreciation celebration on July 30th, Cleveland Animal Protective League President & CEO Sharon Harvey announced the winners of the 2013 Volunteers of the Year award.
Barbara Reitzloff of Cleveland, Cheryl and David Storgard of Brecksville, and Lesley Wright of Avon Lake each received the prestigious award for their extraordinary volunteer service to the Cleveland APL and its animals. They were among fifteen other APL volunteers who earned President’s Gold Volunteer Service Awards based on the number of hours they contributed last year in addition to three others who earned their Lifetime Achievement.
Reitzloff was recognized for utilizing the dog personality assessments to connect with our dogs to give adopters wonderful, helpful information about our canines. She uses this information not only to become their advocate but to tell their happy ending stories (and, of course, those of our cats and small mammals) when writing for our Pet Patter newsletter. Barbara has also played an invaluable role at all of the APL’s major fundraising events in addition to helping to interview incoming volunteers and welcome them to our program. “Barbara has a big heart, a wonderful sense of humor and is someone who everyone at the Cleveland APL can count on,” shares Volunteer Manager Danielle Begalla.
Cheryl and David Storgard were recognized for their compassionate, loving care for the nearly 40 cats that they fostered last year. Many of the cats required lots of medical care, bottle or syringe feedings, and needed to stay in their loving care for extended periods of time. “Cheryl and David are so in tune with their foster animals that we can always count on them to give them the care that they so desperately need,” shares Foster Care Coordinator Samantha Starkey.
Lesley Wright was recognized for her extensive efforts from dog walking to offsite cat care to offsite transport of cats to helping in the veterinary and animal welfare clinics. Lesly is incredibly helpful, reliable and supportive, but she is also kind, fun and certainly not afraid to get dirty. She knows what needs to be done, and there is nothing that she will not do. “Often times the work that Lesley does isn’t glamorous, yet she always does it with a smile on her face,” shares Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Allison Lash.
Upon further reflection after her award, Lesley Wright shared, “My commitment to the Cleveland APL is constantly reinforced and supported by the passion and enthusiasm I see in volunteers and full-time staff alike. This shared dedication to animal welfare keeps me energized and ready to help as much as possible.”
More than 65 volunteers attended the event, sponsored by LaBodega and SoFo Foods. In all, 1,000 volunteers helped to change the world for Cleveland’s homeless animals in 2013 by contributing over 67,675 hours – the equivalent of 32 full-time employees.
For more information about joining the Cleveland APL volunteer team, contact Volunteer Manager Danielle Begalla at 216-377-1627 or dbegalla@64.225.16.234.
