Volunteer of the Month 2020

December 2020, Maggie Grandon!

Maggie has been a volunteer at NHA for nearly a year and a half now and she has done so much for the shelter and the animals during this time! She is a member of our Dog Care and Community Outreach Teams and she volunteers at events, teaches humane education classes, cares for the dogs, leads pet visitations to assisted living facilities, and so much more! Most recently she has become one of our Running Buddies which means she spends part of every week coming to the shelter to take one of our higher energy dogs out for a run! This program does wonders for our dogs that are going a bit stir crazy at the shelter and Maggie has been an incredible Running Buddy team member. She cares so much about every dog’s well-being and she has built such a bond with her running buddies like Doogie who she’s pictured here with. Maggie and her fellow teammates play a huge role in the improving the lives of high energy dogs at the shelter and preparing them for their future homes. Dogs like Doogie are so lucky to have volunteers like Maggie on their team and so are we. Maggie – thank you for your dedication, your positivity, and your never-ending love for the animals. We adore you and we are so thankful you’ve chosen to be a part of the NHA family! ❤️

November 2020, John O’Day!

John has been a volunteer at NHA for nearly a year and half and has become a familiar face to all of us here at the shelter during that time. John’s volunteer work spans across a number of our volunteer teams and he is always happy to take on a new project – whatever it takes to help the animals! John helps with supply deliveries to our partner organizations within the community, projects to keep our shelter safe and beautiful, disaster relief, transporting dogs for surgeries, and so much more! He is shown here in his element – delivering dog food to a local food bank to help pet owners in need. He’s always the first to offer up his truck and his time to get supplies to those who need it! John’s friendly, can-do attitude makes him so much fun to work with and such an incredible team member. His dedication to NHA’s mission is inspirational to all of us here and we can’t express how much we appreciate everything he does for the shelter and the animals. Every shelter needs someone like John on their team and we are so lucky to have him on ours! John – we can’t thank you enough for for choosing to donate your time to NHA to better our shelter and our community. You are the best! 🤩

October 2020, Steve Nesbitt!

Steve has been a volunteer at NHA for 13 years! In these 13 years he has stepped up to help the shelter in any and every way he can. He is a member of our Community Outreach, Dog Care, and Shelter Operations Teams! Steve has a huge heart and he is always happy to help an animal or person in need. When NHA needed volunteers to assist with tornado relief efforts back in March, Steve was one of the first people to jump in and he was at the shelter every day offering his help to anyone who could use it. His desire to help those in need doesn’t end there though – he continues to dedicate his time to providing supplies and assistance to people and pets in our community by working our weekly Food Bank. Steve also loves sharing NHA’s mission and helping animals find loving homes by volunteering at our Community Events where he can always be found holding or cuddling a dog while he tells potential adopters all about how wonderful they are. It’s not every day that you meet someone who has as kind and generous of a personality as Steve and we feel incredibly lucky that he has chosen to be a part of our NHA family for over a decade. Thank you so very much for all that you do Steve!❤️💙💛

September 2020, Tracy Pomeroy!

Tracy has been a volunteer at NHA for a couple of years and, in that time, she has become an instrumental member of our Vet Team. Tracy spends time every week in our Vet Clinic assisting with procedures and taking care of animals before and after surgery. Our Vet Clinic is a very fast-paced and busy place to be and she fits in seamlessly as a member of the team. Tracy’s dedication and expertise were made especially clear when COVID first hit Nashville in March and the shelter (and Vet Clinic especially) was facing extreme new challenges. Tracy did not waver and instead spent extra days and longer hours in the Clinic helping the team take these challenges head on. The staff looks back now and agrees that they have no idea how they would have made it through those times without Tracy and all of her hard work. She is a shining example of what it takes to be a Vet Services Volunteer and she is paving the way for more of her fellow volunteers to join our Vet Team’s lifesaving work. Tracy – we will never be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done for the animals at NHA over the last couple of years and that you continue to do today. We are so lucky to have you on our team! 🥳

August 2020, David Wood!

David has been a volunteer at NHA for one year and in that year he has gone above and beyond for our shelter and our animals! He not only spends his time walking the dogs at the shelter, fostering dogs in his home, and helping out at adoption events, but he also works hard to help maintain our shelter and ensure that it’s a safe space for the animals. David is not afraid to take on the difficult jobs like yard work, construction projects, unloading endless amounts of food pallets, delivery driving, and so much more. He is a team player and always happy to step in wherever he can help. We always know we can count on him and his can-do attitude to get the job done and we are so appreciative for his dedication and all of his hard work. Thank you David for your commitment to the animals and for everything you do for our shelter. We are so lucky to have you on our team! 🎉

July 2020, Ingrid Komisar!

Ingrid has been a volunteer at NHA for a little over a year and has contributed to the shelter in so many ways during that time! She is a part of our Dog Care and Community Outreach Teams, a NHA foster parent, and a recent adopter! In addition to all of this, Ingrid also donates her time and canine expertise to help other foster and adoptive families navigate behavioral and enrichment needs for their animals to ensure that they are happy and healthy in their home! Anyone who’s worked with Ingrid knows she has a huge heart and a fearless determination to help the animals. She is an amazing caretaker and teacher and she is the biggest advocate for animals everywhere. Ingrid is a passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated member of our volunteer team and we are so lucky that she has chosen to share her time and talents with us. We are all so thankful to have you as a member of our NHA Family Ingrid! 💙❤️💛

June 2020, Joel Jensen!

Joel has so many roles at NHA – he’s a part of our Cat Care and Dog Care teams, he’s a Lead Volunteer, he’s a foster parent, and he’s a member of our Cat Pawsitive Pro team! Even over the last couple of months, when it’s been the most challenging time to stay engaged as a volunteer, Joel has made it a priority to remain a present part of our team. He (along with his fiancé Katherine who is also a NHA volunteer!) has fostered multiple animals during this time and has attended every single one of our virtual Happy Hour Huddles to keep up with everyone and everything going on at NHA. Joel spends so much time working with the animals he fosters as well as with those at the shelter and he has helped so many find their forever homes. Joel’s constant positive attitude and enthusiasm for helping the animals make him a joy to work with and an incredible teammate and role model for his fellow volunteers. Joel makes the shelter a better place for the animals and the people here and we are so thankful to have him as a part of our NHA family. Thank you for all that you do Joel! 🐾

May 2020, Diane Telgen!

Diane is a member of our Cat Care Team and her dedication to the cats and the shelter is immeasurable. She provides all of the cats with constant love and care and, as a member of our Cat Pawsitive Pro team, she also helps train and provide enrichment to some of our cats who have had a difficult time adjusting to shelter life. Diane doesn’t just train cats though! She is one of our Lead Volunteers so she also trains new volunteers and helps them become cat care pros like her! She is also always willing to lend her sewing skills to any project, share her data expertise, or wear her cat costume whenever necessary which we love her for! But it isn’t just Diane’s knowledge or the work that she puts in that makes her an excellent volunteer. She is also compassionate, gentle, and considerate with the animals and people she works with which is what really makes her an outstanding caregiver and teacher. And to top it off she’s so much fun to work with! The cats at NHA are so lucky to have Diane on their team and we are all so thankful to have her as a part of our volunteer family. Thank you so much for everything you do Diane! 💙❤️💛

April 2020

Our Volunteer of the Month is a bit different for April. Usually this segment highlights one member of our amazing volunteer team who has recently gone above and beyond to help the animals and the people at NHA. But this month we had to switch it up to recognize all of you who selflessly put your community first when it needed you most.

This month we are recognizing all of our Disaster Relief Volunteers. It’s almost hard to believe that so much has happened in one month but just a few short weeks ago Nashville and surrounding areas suffered a devastating tornado. Many families lost their homes and some lost much more. At NHA we knew that there were families and pet owners who needed our help so we got to work, but there was so much to be done. We called upon our volunteer team to join in our efforts and we were blown away with the response. Hundreds of you immediately stepped up to offer every bit of time and energy you had to make these efforts possible. You ran mobile pet shelters, canvassed affected neighborhoods bringing supplies to pets in need, counted and organized rooms full of donations, ran supply stations around the city, and so much more. And those that were not able to help with relief efforts continued to take amazing care of the animals in our shelter. Every single need that arose our volunteer (and foster!) team was on top of. At NHA it is our mission to serve our community and this was a time when that was put to the test.Because of you, we were able to exceed what we thought possible and provide assistance to families in Nashville and beyond.

We have always known that our volunteer team is full of amazing and selfless individuals but the response we received during our disaster relief efforts floored me. We are so lucky to work with all of you and cannot thank you enough for all that you do for NHA and the Nashville community. 💙❤️💛

March 2020, Waldi Schmid!

Congratulations to our March Volunteer of the Month, Waldi Schmid! Waldi has been giving amazing care to the dogs at NHA for years. She does it all when it comes to helping the dogs – she walks them at the shelter, works on their training, helps out at events, and even trains incoming dog care volunteers. Most recently she was one of the many volunteers to help out with our disaster relief efforts after the tornadoes that devastated parts of Nashville and surrounding areas. Waldi’s never-ending knowledge and passion for the animals has made her an invaluable member of our team. She is a friend to volunteers, staff, and of course the animals at NHA. Waldi, thank you for your dedication to our shelter and the dogs who call it home. And thank you for making that home a happy one during their time here. We are so lucky to have you as a part of our NHA family! 💙❤️💛

February 2020, Victoria Callan!

She is seen here in her happy place – the NHA Cat Room. Victoria is one of our amazing Cat Care Lead Volunteers and her dedication to the cats is inspiring. She spends so many of her afternoons at the shelter taking care of the cats and working hard to get them adopted. Victoria is also an invaluable member of our Community Outreach Team and is happy to step in wherever she is needed! Victoria’s positive attitude, huge heart, and eagerness to help others make her such a joy to have as a part of our team. She’s been volunteering with us for 6 months and we already don’t know what we’d do without her! Victoria, thank you so much for everything you do for NHA and the animals here. We ❤️ you!

January 2020, Cindy Hemby!

Cindy Hemby is our January Volunteer of the Month! Cindy has been a dedicated volunteer at NHA for over 15 years and has touched the lives of so many dogs and people here. She has spent over 2,000 hours caring for the dogs at the shelter and she has a soft spot for those that need a little extra help finding their forever home. She is shown here with her favorite fella, Lt. Dan, whom she has worked tirelessly with to get adoption-ready. Cindy made it a point to spend as much time working with Dan as she possibly could and would even come to the shelter to eat her lunch with him to keep him company and give him some extra love. Cindy is a champion for the dogs like Dan who need her the most and we are so appreciative to have her and her amazing heart around. Cindy, thank you for being an incredible member of our team and for all that you do for the animals here! 🎉