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Health & Fitness

AAHS Features Exceptional Volunteers for Volunteer Appreciation Week

Today we're featuring Lyndsey L., one of the Adoption Center volunteers for the Athens Area Humane Society.

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, so we are featuring an exceptional volunteer from each of our locations every day this week! We value and appreciate ALL of our wonderful volunteers and thank each and every one of them for their dedication to help the animals at the Athens Area Humane Society!

Today, we’re recognizing Lyndsey L., one of our Adoption Center volunteers.

Lyndsey began volunteering at AAHS in December 2012 after wanting to volunteer for some time. She hadn’t signed up because she thought the time commitment wouldn’t be flexible enough for her erratic schedule, but when she found out her friend was volunteering and that she could sign up according to her schedule, she immediately went online and started the process to become a volunteer!

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Lyndsey volunteers primarily at the Adoption Center, which offers more hours during the week and weekend for volunteers to help. She spends time socializing with the animals, but she also helps with daily tasks that are a huge help to our Adoption Counselors. She concentrates on the tasks that need to be completed first and doesn’t need much direction to know what to do when she comes in for her volunteer shifts.

When asked what her favorite part of volunteering at AAHS is, Lyndsey says, “Meeting each new cat brought to the Adoption Center and seeing them find their new forever homes makes me feel like I’m directly impacting the lives of these special beings.” She especially enjoys spending time with the cats who need special attention and assisting with the adoption process to help potential adopters find their match, like Wendy who was adopted in February. “I always made time in my volunteer day to play with her and hoped that this would be the last time I would see her—because that would mean that she had found her forever home! When I saw the [Facebook] update while at work that she had been adopted, I started crying with happiness, and my co-workers actually understood what ‘Wendy got adopted!’ meant to me… It was weird not to see her the next day I volunteered, but it made me so happy at the same time!”

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 Lyndsey also enjoys spending time with the Adoption Counselors, who are there individually throughout the week and only have volunteers or visitors to interact with in addition to the animals. “They always make me feel appreciated, and I look forward to volunteering every week.” And our Adoption Counselor, Lacey Lancaster, enjoys having Lyndsey as a volunteer and friend. “She’s great company to have around… I look forward to coming in for a shift more when I know she will be there because I know she will work hard, and the day goes by faster because of her company. Good volunteers provide much-needed human interaction and a feeling of having co-workers [there with us] for the Adoption Center staff.”

When asked what she would tell those thinking about becoming a volunteer, Lyndsey says, “It is very rewarding and you really underestimate the impact that one person can have. Each person has their own network of people that may include someone looking for a new companion, and through volunteering at AAHS, you can help the animals looking for new homes and possibly connect them with a new family. To donate a couple of hours, out of the 168 we are given each week, to help the sweet animals at AAHS is truly a wonderful experience and a great way to give back to the community.”

Thank you, Lyndsey, for your continued support for the animals and the Athens Area Humane Society!

 If you would like to become a volunteer at AAHS, please visit us online at www.AthensHumaneSociety.org/Volunteer.

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