Paws with Purpose

• What nonprofit(s) are you involved with?

I serve on the board at the Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS Durham) as the vice chair and secretary. I have been connected with them since 2019 and have served on the board since 2020. APS Durham is the county shelter that provides behavioral assessment and life-saving services to animals, as well as care and compassion for the humans who care for them. 

• How did you first get connected?  

Through the Young Nonprofits Professional Network (YNPN) listserv! At that point in my career, I had been at Triangle Community Foundation for a little less than a year, and I was interested in exploring board service and eager to dig into a local nonprofit. 

I went to an open house networking event hosted by APS Durham and had great conversations with a couple of board members. I was later asked to join the development committee and about six months after that, I was invited to serve on the Board of Directors. 

• Why does this cause matter to you? What sparked your interest/passion for serving at this organization? 

As someone who did not really grow up with pets, after moving to North Carolina, suddenly there were animals everywhere. I quickly realized I needed a dog and adopted ‘Pop’ in spring 2017 (pictured left). At the time, I was connected with a dog named Brutus through a hospice foster organization, which provides dogs with palliative care through the end of their lives when they are too sick to be adopted. 

Brutus was found through APS Durham where he was evaluated with the goal of placing him into a foster home in the community. One of the things I love about the organization is that they understand pets are family and should be cared for as such. Not only do they care for the animals, but also take care of the humans with resources to ensure their four-legged family members have what they need. I knew I wanted to get involved with APS specifically. 

• What does your involvement look like (board, committee, mentor, event volunteer, etc.)? What’s the time commitment like? 

The time commitment is a couple of hours a month - it's really not a heavy lift in my schedule. We have our two-hour board meetings every other month with some “homework” and prep work in between. Overall, the time commitment feels very manageable.    

• What has surprised you about serving?

I would say the depth of need was surprising. I joined the organization in 2020 and learned that many folks adopted pets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to various life situations including economic factors or even the reality of immigrant families being separated, many people had to make the difficult decision to surrender their pets. I’d say most people don’t want to make that difficult decision, but I think if you care about the animal, you must also care about the humans behind it. At a national level, animal surrenders are at an all-time high, and shelters are overwhelmed. That was truly surprising to learn. 

Something else I have learned from serving is to remove judgement from the way folks care for their animals. I treat my dog like a pampered prince, but I recognize that is just one way of caring for an animal. Additionally, something I did not expect is the emotional weight carried day-to-day by the folks who care for shelter animals as their job. They are incredible humans. The truth is that this work operates 24/7. Even if the building isn’t open, there is still an animal being found somewhere in a neighborhood. It is a beautiful network to help folks reunite with their beloved animals.

 

•  What would you say to someone who thinks they “don’t have enough time”?  

I would share the reminder that volunteering is a spectrum, and there are opportunities to get involved no matter what your capacity looks like. While I don't currently have the capacity to commit to a weekly in-person volunteer shift, I can commit my technical skills.  

That could look like helping promote an organization’s social media pages, or being hands-on at a shelter walking dogs. I know that if I walk the dogs, I will leave with a dog every day, so to alleviate that temptation, I focus my volunteer work behind a computer, using my skills and connections in the community to really help APS's mission.  

There's this idea of time, talent, and treasure – I feel like my volunteer work with APS focuses on the talent piece. It's important to recognize that all forms of volunteering are equally beautiful and equally needed. 

• How has your work with APS Durham shaped the way you think about giving back?

For me, understanding that these pets are not just animals, but part of people's families has shaped how I think about giving back. The reality right now is incredibly difficult, and families are navigating complex circumstances while trying to care for all members of their household with dignity and care.  

Yes, I love these animals, but that means you must take care of their humans, too. Everyone deserves the love of a pet, and everyone deserves to have a family that looks and feels whole to them. 

If that means providing financial support to help families keep their pets in their homes, then let's make it happen. 

Join Natalia and the APS Durham team on May 30th at the annual Walk for the Animals! Registration is now open.