Volunteer Spotlight: KLARISSA

Meet KLARISSA, the target of this month’s volunteer spotlight and the lead volunteer for the St. Pete adoption center (and one of our most experienced medical fosters, to boot). 

She’s been volunteering with RPOF for about 3 years, and like most of us, has a very uninspiring origin story - a friend was fostering, and somehow she got roped in, too. And loved it! Fast forward to how she became a lead volunteer - this gal is not just ANY volunteer, she’s also a MICROBIOLOGIST at her day job. Her biology background made her an ideal helper with medical fosters, and once a lead position opened up, she was willing to take on the extra responsibilities. Which - TBH - are MANY. Her average day is

• Wake up

• Feed cats (+ her own animals and self)

• Go to work

• Go to adoption center on lunch to check on kitties/drop off supplies

• Back to work

• Depending on the day, after work is either coming home to take care of her fosters, going back to the adoption center to meet up with fosters/check in kitties/adopt out kitties

• Sleep

• Repeat

This is a LOT of work, but she says she views it as a hobby. Some people come home from work and play video games or watch TV, but for her, volunteering is what sparks joy for her. When asked what her dream job would be if she won the lotto, she’d go back to school to become a vet…and volunteer even MORE. Is she crazy? Probably. Is she the best kind of crazy? 100%. 

The best part of volunteering, she says, is watching the lil kitty nuggets and then seeing them adopted - and even more rewarding, getting updates from adopters showing off the happy furever families.

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine - the most challenging part of volunteering for her is when the rescue has really sick kitties - especially ones that are genetically disadvantaged and have to work harder to stay alive, which in turn motivates her to work harder to help them stay alive. I asked her what one piece of knowledge she would impart to every person in the world regarding rescue life: The importance of spay/neuter and not letting them outside because we’re constantly fighting an uphill battle finding homes - and there are just not enough homes in the world for every cat that’s born. Preach, sister.

But to end this spotlight on a positive note, if Klarissa could be any kind of animal, she would be a Salamander. Just chillin’ under a log, no thoughts, no responsibilities. Kinda love this!