As of November 2013, I am no longer a volunteer at The Wildcat Sanctuary. Due to allegations brought against the Executive Director, I could no longer commit time and money to them. I miss the cats and many of the people I met while being a volunteer, but many of us had to take a stand. I'm leaving the descriptions of my roles at TWS below as I transition this page out. I think the experience I gained while being a volunteer is invaluable and I look forward to applying my skills to other good causes in the future. 

My Roles at The Wildcat Sanctuary:

Volunteer Website Lead

I built and maintain the TWS Volunteer Resource website to help keep volunteers up-to-date and enable streamlined communications. The new website contains valuable information such as a directory, important documents, event schedules, team descriptions and  donation lists in a secure and easy to navigate system.

Online Merchandise Store Manager

Using my experience with online marketing, web usability and merchandise design, I maintain the online gift shop. This role includes creating new designs, setting up products and laying out the shop in a way that helps visitors find the products they are looking for easily.

Group Day Volunteer

On-site tasks include enclosure building, cleaning, grounds-keeping and general maintenance. This is by no means a glamorous job but it is one of the most rewarding by far! When you have the opportunity to learn new skills, work with a team of dedicated volunteers and ultimately see the physical results of your labor manifest as a wild cat enclosure, it's hard to beat that feeling of pride.

Awareness and Outreach Volunteer

Awareness and Outreach booths are held at events in the summer. These are opportunities for TWS to reach out to various communities and educate the public about our mission and connect with potential donors. Volunteers at these events share stories about TWS, promote appropriate pets and provide more information.

Domestic Animal Care Volunteer

One of the few volunteer options that involves any animal contact, Domestic Animal Care volunteers (DAC) help take care of the domestic hybrid residents at TWS. Tasks include feeding, cleaning and enrichment for almost 40 cats. This role requires specialized training and a higher level of commitment.

Design Support

Responsible for creating specific TWS design projects including Jungle Boogie program materials, social media promotions, enrichment tutorials and education materials.

• Cat Toy Instructions (PDF)
• Tiger Stencil (PDF)
• Tiger coloring sheet (PDF)

Jungle Boogie Planning Committee

Jungle Boogie is The Wildcat Sanctuary's biggest fundraising event of the year. Planning for this gala style event is a monumental undertaking that requires a team of dedicated event planners to organize volunteers, silent auction donations, live auction donations, entertainment, the theme and setup/teardown. My role on the committee is program design support and dining room decoration setup support.

Crisis Communication Team (on-site response team)

In the event of a crisis situation, I am part of the first response volunteer team that will assist with on-site issue resolution. Examples of this include enclosure repair, grounds maintenance, basic office maintenance, etc.