We Make a Difference!
THE TALE OF THE STARFISH
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I made a difference for that one!”
We Make a Difference!
Written by Karma Cat + Zen Dog Foster, Socializer, Crafter, Cleaner, and Blog Writer, Jacqueline R.
Volunteering. Well, the thing about volunteering at a place that starts its name with “Karma” is that we believe in something more. Leonardo DaVinci said this about Karma, “Learn to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
So, we can’t necessarily stop the overpopulation of cats, or those who hoard them, or turn them out in the streets, but what we can do is connect with the ones we can, and come to see them and what they need.
Here at Karma Cat + Zen Dog, we have a mighty force of cat warriors who have learned to see and know that we are connected to everything else.
In fact there are 172 of us. Amazing, right?
We have TEAMS of volunteers, each of whom has chosen to help with specific tasks to keep rescuing the kitties who need us. Many of our volunteers help out on more than one of these teams.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of this year’s amazing teams!
20 Adoption Counselors
They’ve all been specially trained to help potential adopters find just the right kitty for them, and have collectively put in over 842 hours this year!
60 Cleaners
Who have worked over 1820 hours keeping our kitties well feed and clean every day!
59 Socializers
Who have put in over 3091 hours letting the kitties roam around and play, and helping them learn all the social skills they need!
14 Merchandise & Crafting Volunteers
They make all sorts of crafty things to sell, and staff tables at events and earn thousands of dollars each year for the kitties. The countless hours they put in sewing and crocheting are hard to track since it’s often done in between making dinner and watching Netflix!
34 Foster Homes
These volunteers open their homes to homeless kitties, giving them the care and love they need to get adopted by the best family ever.
5 TNR Volunteers
Who have spent countless hours with our TNR program; trapping, neutering, and releasing 85 cats so far this year!
Want to Join the Team?
We love our volunteers and are so grateful for every single second of time they offer, and for the love in their hearts for kitties that have no other place to go. If you see and realize that we are all connected, come get your Karma on and join us as a volunteer. It’s not something you’ll ever forget or regret.