Volunteer of the Month October 2021 – Debra Jackson
Debbie has been an integral part of our volunteers here at NHA since 2008! For OVER a decade, she has given almost 2,000 hours of time, energy, resources, and heart to these animals and this team. She’s so good about focusing on other people and helping them toward success. I’ve been lucky to witness, and even be a recipient of, the ways in which she leads and encourages with patience and understanding. Debbie is an advocate for these animals and this shelter, and she’s always making sure our animals are getting the best care possible. Debbie loves to celebrate adoptions on Facebook with us; she’s guaranteed to be one of the first excited comments when a dog goes home! It’s hard to find the kind of heart that Debbie has, which is why her presence and impact here at NHA are so unique! Few people are as compassionate and dedicated as Debbie, so we couldn’t be more glad to call her one of our own. Thank you, Debbie, for how you’ve represented the essence of NHA throughout the years and how you continue to show these animals outpouring love. We are thankful for you!
September 2021, Holly Horncastle!
Holly has been volunteering at NHA since June of this year, has already accumulated 60 volunteer hours and even worked her way up to becoming one of our Yellow Level Dog Care volunteers! Holly is always willing to help wherever she is need! She is so dedicated to helping the dogs here at the shelter. If Holly sees that we don’t have many dog walkers singed up for a shift then she will make sure to come in that day to walk some of the dogs until they all have been out. She’s a pro at taking dog photos and she always makes sure to send them our way so we can update those doggie profiles. Holly is always offering her help with any event that she is available for and she has already helped out so much with multiple events. We truly appreciate her willingness to jump right in to any kind of project. She’s well on her way to becoming a Blue Level Dog volunteer and we are so excited for her. I would personally like to thank Holly for always asking me if there’s anything that she can help me with while I have been taking over some of the Volunteer Coordinator responsibilities in the interim. It does not go unnoticed and it is truly appreciated. She is such a wonderful advocate for the animals here at NHA and we are so lucky to have her on our team. Holly we are so thankful for you and all that you do! We are so lucky to have you as a volunteer.
August 2021, Melissa Furlong!
Melissa has been volunteering at NHA for a little over two years and quickly become one of our Blue Level Dog Care volunteers! Melissa has a desire to learn and grow her skills in animal body language, behavior, and handling, which has made her an incredible volunteer! As a Running Buddy, she takes some of our dogs who are struggling for daily runs or decompression walks. These daily outings provide the dogs with extra exercise, enrichment, and time away from the shelter to destress. Melissa also spends her time working on basic commands and learning about the dogs, so we can better understand their needs here and in a home! She loves posting adorable photos and videos of her buddies in the volunteer Facebook group to show off their progress, which we LOVE! She is a wonderful advocate for the dogs here at NHA, and we are so lucky to have her on our team. Melissa, we are so thankful for you and all that you do! 
July 2021, Jelena Kyle!
Jelena has been volunteering at NHA for about 3 years now, and she has truly gone above and beyond since she started here. She does anything and everything at the shelter from dog care, cat care, leading events, helping out in the vet clinic, training new volunteers, admin help, fostering, and anything else you could possibly think of! Basically, if we need her, she’s there – even if it’s just greeting you with a smile and an iced coffee in times of stress. The running joke at the shelter is that we should set up a kennel for Jelena because she essentially lives here – it’s honestly not a bad idea at this point. Jelena has such a huge heart and desire to make a difference for animals and people, and we are so lucky to have her share that with us. Jelena – nothing I could write could convey how much you are loved and valued by all of us here. Thank you for choosing to be our teammate, friend, and family for these last 3 years. You are truly one of a kind!
June 2021, Elizabeth Marlowe!
Elizabeth has been volunteering with Nashville Humane for a little over 2 years. In this time she has cared for the dogs at the shelter, helped out at events, fostered, taken on transports, and more but the work she is most well known for here recently is managing our pet food supply. Elizabeth is not only a regular face at our weekly Pet Food Bank but she has also taken charge of organizing and managing the flow of food and supplies for that program and for the shelter as a whole. She spends hours every week ensuring our processes are moving as efficiently as possible to get our animals at the shelter and those in the community the food they need. It may not seem like the most exciting job to some, but it’s absolutely crucial to the shelter and it makes Elizabeth’s organization-obsessed heart happy! Keeping up with all of the moving parts of an animal shelter is hard work, and there is no way we could do it without volunteers like Elizabeth who are ready and willing to jump in and take on these types of responsibilities. Elizabeth, thank you for putting your love for animals and your incredible organization skills to use at NHA! We can’t even begin to tell you how thankful we are for you and everything you do! 🥳
May 2021, Kristine Circenis Arbuthnot & Tucker Arbuthnot!
Kristine and Tucker began volunteering with Nashville Humane less than two months ago and they have already become very well known faces around the shelter. This couple hit the ground running and has helped with anything and everything from dog care, cat care, transports, shelter maintenance projects, and more! They are pictured here with the newest addition to their family, Mona, whom they fostered and eventually adopted after transporting her litter from another shelter to NHA. Kristine and Tucker are always so friendly, positive, and helpful to all of their fellow volunteers, staff, and adopters and it makes them so much fun to have around! It’s really inspiring to see two people who are so driven and passionate about helping animals and who choose to spend their time together as a couple doing that! Kristine and Tucker we can not thank you enough for choosing to share your time and talents with us. You are a true power couple and we’re so happy to have you on our team! 🥳🥳
April 2021, Chuck Link!
Chuck began volunteering with Nashville Humane in November of this past year. In less than six months he has already put his extensive knowledge, commitment, and skills to work to become a Blue Level Cat Care volunteer! Chuck spends multiple days each week at the shelter caring for the cats and spending special quality time with his best bud, Mochi (as seen in this photo). He has a real soft spot for those that need a little extra love or care and, as a member of our Cat Pawsitive team, he’s able to work with our cats who are struggling to adapt to shelter life to help them gain confidence and build trust. Chuck has quickly become adored by the cats as well as his fellow volunteers and staff for his huge heart, his positive attitude, and his desire to make the shelter a happy place for the animals and the people here. He’s become such an invaluable member of our team and we are so thankful he chose to join us in the midst of this crazy past year. Chuck, we appreciate all that you do and we are all so lucky to know and work with you! 🥳🥳🥳
March 2021, Debbie Schmidt!
Debbie has been a volunteer at Nashville Humane for 3 years and during that time she has become a member of every single one of our volunteer teams! Debbie walks the dogs, cares for the cats, helps run our weekly Food Bank, participates in events, assists the staff at the front desk, helps out with cleaning duties, and more! She jumps at every new opportunity we offer and loves to lend a hand wherever she can even when it’s the hard or not-so-glamorous work! Debbie always has a friendly and positive attitude and she is a wonderful teammate to staff and her fellow volunteers. We feel so lucky that Debbie has chosen to give her time to NHA and we are incredibly thankful for everything that she does for the animals, the shelter, and the Nashville community. Debbie you are one of a kind and we hope you know how valued and loved you are by everyone here at NHA! Thank you for being the amazing person that you are! 🥳🥳🥳
February 2021, Madeline Christin!
Madeline has been a volunteer at Nashville Humane for 3 years and has gotten involved in many areas of the shelter during that time but when she discovered our Pet Services Team she fell in love and has been at home there ever since. The Front Desk at our shelter is easily the busiest place to be but Madeline thrives in this fastpaced environment and you can tell she genuinely loves every minute up there in the “Pit of Positivity!” She can be found greeting members of the public, answering phones, assisting adopters, and so much more all with a huge smile on her face. She loves bringing animals and people together and she is such a pro at it! Madeline has become an invaluable member of the Pet Services family and has recently become our first Pet Services Lead Volunteer! We are so thankful that she has chosen to donate her time and talents to our shelter and that she continues to grow with us and our volunteer program. Madeline, you are such an incredible joy to work with and we love and adore you! We can’t thank you enough for all that you do but please know how much you are valued by all of us here at NHA! 💙
January 2021, Alyssa Nelson!
Congratulations to our first Volunteer of the Month of 2021, Alyssa Nelson! 🤩
Alyssa (shown here with her precious pride and joy, Jack Muffin) has been a volunteer at Nashville Humane since August and has accomplished so much during her first six months with us! She has already served for well over 100 hours, has trained as a member of every volunteer team, and has become a Lead Volunteer on the Cat Care Team so she’s now training new volunteers to be pros like her! Alyssa cares so deeply about the animals and the shelter and she is always looking for ways to help wherever she can. She takes on every challenge with a positive attitude and a determination to do the best job possible. Alyssa’s kind and friendly personality and commitment to helping the animals make her such a joy to work with and an invaluable member of our team. We know that Alyssa will continue to excel at anything she puts her mind to and anywhere her passions lead her and we feel incredibly lucky that they led her to us in the middle of this crazy year. Alyssa thank you so much for choosing to be a part of our team and for everything that you do for the cats, dogs, and people at NHA. We are all so fortunate to work with you and we want you to know that you are so loved and valued by all of us here! ❤️
In the spring of 2019, NHA began revamping our volunteer program. We’re introducing programs for skilled volunteers, animal training for volunteers, and so much more. We’re looking to build a volunteer force that is empowered to do so much great work for homeless and adoptable animals.
If you’d like to join our volunteer ranks or would like more information about volunteering at Nashville Humane, please contact: volunteer@nashvillehumane.org.
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