Volunteer of the Month for May 2014

Our volunteer of the month for May is Lynette Eldred. Congratulations, Lynette!

Lynette has been volunteering for Last Hope since October 2012 and has been busy making many contributions. Here is a sampling of what Lynette has accomplished:

• Post animals to PetFinder
• Foster dogs (sometimes three at a time)
• Care for permanent foster dog, Pebbles, who is diabetic and blind
• Foster lead (support foster homes, answer their questions, help them train their dogs, and make home visits for new fosters)
• Worked at all the farmers’ market and NewBo market dates in summer of 2013
• Made hundreds of dog treats for sale at summer markets and holiday markets
• Helped organize two indoor garage sale fundraisers where over $600 was raised at each event
• Lead at the Cedar Rapids Pridefest event in 2013
• One of the organizers for the Super Sundae Puppy Bowl Party in February of 2014 where over $2,000 was raised
• One of the Facebook administrators and posts items to Facebook
• Creates online fundraising posts on YouCaring.com; the first being a fundraiser to cover the medical bills for her foster, Fergus, for his eye issues and heartworm treatments
• Helps with PetPoint entries and contracts when needed

Lynette says she likes volunteering for Last Hope because she likes spending time with other people who are passionate about dogs and rescuing them and she has met and created friendships with people that she never would have met otherwise. They often find other things in common, beyond the love of saving dogs.

She loves to foster because it is so rewarding to meet a new dog that she knows nothing about and find out who they are. Dogs have different personalities, just like people, and the best thing a foster home can do for them is help them be who they were meant to be. She loves training dogs and teaching them new skills that will help them enjoy themselves and make them a more appealing dog for the right adopter. “When a match is perfect there is nothing more rewarding, even though it is hard to say goodbye.”

Thank you, Lynette, for all you do for Last Hope and the dogs we save. You have contributed a lot and are an inspiration for other volunteers.