Vera Jordan Magazine

LIVE GOOD
volunteer role models in action
Grab an Apron / GIVE YOUR TIME go to pawschicago.org/volunteer
Nikki LeBlanc
“I do this for the most basic reason of
all- it makes my heart happy.”
After moving to Chicago in 2010, Nikki LeBlanc was
faced with having to make new friends in an unfamiliar
city. “Volunteering has been the best way to meet new
friends with similar passions,” says LeBlanc, who shared
with PAWS Chicago why she got involved. She says the
mission of PAWS Chicago is what originally called to her,
but it’s the dedication and energy of her fellow volunteers
that has kept her motivated and inspired over the past
four years.
LeBlanc has a full plate when she is at PAWS. She
spends her time at the Lincoln Park Adoption Center as
a member of what she calls the “4-Apron Club;” a club
that consists of volunteers who do a bit of everything.
LeBlanc balances her time between being a Gold Star
volunteer in Dog Town, a Level 2 and Location Manager
in Kitty City an Adoption Counselor, as well as a foster
for cats.
“I love seeing the transformation of a cat or dog from
shy or scared to outgoing and adoptable,” she says, “I love
being part of that process.”
This incredible volunteer is no stranger to changing
people’s lives. Outside of PAWS Chicago, LeBlanc spends
her time working for a non-profit that matches college
students with study abroad educational programs. She
describes both of these ‘positions’ as vehicles for bringing
“joy, wonder, and new opportunities” to families.
One of her most memorable moments with PAWS
was traveling to Oklahoma after deadly tornadoes hit
the area in 2013. “It was a deeply moving experience,
one that touched me beyond words,” LeBlanc shared.
“Unloading 11 dogs from my van (of 81 cats and dogs
total) into the loving arms of the waiting volunteers and
PAWS staff at the Rescue & Recovery Center is something
I’ll never forget.”
“I do this for the most basic reason of all- it makes
my heart happy.”
John Nixon
“I’m the kind of person who likes variety and to
keep busy and as a PAWS volunteer I get my fill
of both each time I walk through the door.”
Retirement hasn’t slowed down life for John Nixon.
“With my suddenly expanded calendar, I realized that I had
a unique opportunity that rarely comes—to do something
meaningful and enjoyable—and so my thoughts turned
to PAWS Chicago,” said Nixon, who learned about the
organization during his search for a rescue dog to adopt. He
has volunteered since November of 2012 and is currently a
Gold Star Volunteer in Dog Town and Adoption Counselor.
His professional background and experience have helped
his volunteering, frequently calling on his presentation skills
to make his work as a Level 1 instructor more engaging and
tapping into his insightful interviewing skills when working
with potential adopters to help find them the perfect pet.
“I’m the kind of person who likes variety and to keep
busy and as a PAWS volunteer I get my fill of both each time
I walk through the door,” he said. “Whether its training dogs
or walking them, helping clean rooms, feeding the dogs,
restocking supplies, making new adoption kits, showing dogs,
doing dog pairings, or meeting with potential adopters in the
hallways to help them zero in on pet choices that align with
their lifestyle and personalities, the list is endless.”
He says it’s that quest for variety that keeps him trying
on new hats and learning new aspects of the organization.
When John first became a volunteer, he spent six weeks in the
recovery room at the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, an experience
that he highly recommends to all volunteers. In fact, it’s one of
his memories at PAWS that stands out in his mind. “Seeing the
lobby of the Neuter Spay Clinic on Sunday mornings crowded
to capacity with a line out the door, all dog and cat owners
waiting to have their pets admitted for their spay or neuter
surgery at reduced or no cost. I remember the pride in being
associated with an organization that is providing a service that
is so beneficial and needed in our underserved communities.”
Nixon has also fostered four dogs, a gesture that has
fulfilled his previous desire for a dog of his own for now, only
because he is busy tending to the countless homeless pets that
come through the Adoption Center each and every week.
Jaclene Tetzlaff
“I come back year after year
BECAUSE it is so rewarding.”
It was ten years ago that Jaclene
Tetzlaff learned about a new ‘nocage’
sheltering concept that had
taken root in Chicago’s Lincoln Park
neighborhood, and that was all it took
to launch her storied volunteer tenure
at PAWS Chicago.
“I thought, ‘Finally, people who
care enough to make the animal’s lives
better,” Tetzlaff recalls about the day
she discovered PAWS and its mission,
“And I come back year after year
because it is so rewarding.” Particularly
so, she says, because of the wonderful
people she gets to work alongside.
Tetzlaff focuses most of her time in
Dog Town, which is exactly where she
should be considering that she lends
her experience gained from caring
for six rescue dogs of her own. “One
time, I sat for hours and massaged a
beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog,” she
says. She was so grateful and loving.
The next day she was adopted by a
really nice couple, so I was glad she
quickly got a good home.”
Tetzlaff isn’t the only member of
her family to volunteer for PAWS. Her
dogs are all paws on deck, especially
for the Annual Beach Party, which
Tetzlaff helps organize as a host
committee member alongside her
PAWS Alumni dog Vlad, who has
traditionally served as the event’s
honored pet host.
Her connections to the Chicago
media and marketing world have
been of tremendous benefit to PAWS
Chicago when it comes to building
awareness around the No Kill mission;
media companies have donated PSA
air time, print, billboards, and silent
auction items thanks to Tetzlaff’s help.
“I want to keep being a part of
PAWS Chicago,” she says, “And we need
as much help as possible to continue
saving pets and to realize Chicago as a
No Kill community for stray animals.”
30