I wrote this story for the Gateway Pet Guardians WHY Holiday Campaign. In conjunction with Newman’s Own and #GivingTuesday, Gateway Pet Guardians hosted their 2017 WHY Holiday Campaign, encouraging supporters to tell others their WHY. Why do they volunteer? Why do they foster? Why do they donate? WHY Gateway Pet Guardians? The goal of the campaign is to raise funds and awareness, encouraging supporters to share their story with their family, friends, co-workers – heck, the whole world, and help GPG continue our life-saving work in the East St. Louis community in 2018.
Click the link below to read my submission on Crowdrise, or read it below.
The Many Layers of My WHY
I decided to participate in this campaign a few weeks ago. I have spent every day since trying to think of a single story to write about. My WHY. But when you spend nearly every day interacting with incredible animals and people, it’s impossible to pick just one story that resonates. It’s a series of moments, of feelings, of accomplishments that keeps me moving forward and giving to the organization that I hold near and dear to my heart. So here it goes… My WHY.
My WHY has several layers. On the surface, it’s the tail wags, play bows, and belly scratches of every rescued animal in our system. The lives that we save, whether pulled from the euthanasia list at animal control or found roaming at large on the streets. Your average rescued pets, to your life-changing miracles. Your tiny neonate kittens to your giant blocky-headed, lovable beasts. Each is precious, and each one is a small piece of my WHY.
Peel past that layer, and my WHY lies with the people. Animal lovers. Pet owners. From low-income pet-owning families in the Metro East, to volunteers and supporters, to adopters looking to add to their family. I’m surrounded by people who love with all their heart, with compassion and dedication and love that carries us forward, united to make a difference.
And beneath that layer are many more, representing the human-animal bond. Everyone should benefit from the emotional, psychological, and physical benefits of owning a pet, regardless of socioeconomic status. The Gateway Pet Guardians Community Outreach Program arms low-income families in the Metro East with resources to care for their pets, including doghouses, tie-outs, collars, leashes, straw, and spay/neuter services. By keeping pets in their loving homes, we keep them out of area shelters. Again, saving lives.
These layers are filled with stories that represent the strength of that human-animal bond. Stacy and her cat Snuggles, who she rescued from a storm drain. Andrew and his dog Caesar, who showed up on his front porch as a skinny stray. Rhonda and her dog Sparkle, who was reunited thanks to a microchip implanted through our Spay/Neuter Program. Gwen and her ten outdoor stray cats, who she feeds every single day simply because nobody else will.
And the deepest layer—the pit of my WHY. Gateway Pet Guardians is a resource to Metro East families when they have nowhere else to turn. These situations are not always happy endings, which is why I bury them deep inside. But they are the most important, compassionate, and critical moments in my WHY. Hugging a 13-year-old girl after her cat got hit by a car as she sobs into my chest. Holding the hand of a sick woman who is more worried about her dog’s well-being than her own. Breaking the news to a family after the puppies that they worked so hard to save didn’t make it. These heart-wrenching moments speak volumes about the compassion and care that Gateway Pet Guardians provides families in the Metro East.
My WHY has many layers. It’s complicated. It’s messy. But ultimately, my WHY is not enough, because we can’t do it alone. I hope that my WHY inspires others to dig into the layers of their own WHYs, and give to Gateway Pet Guardians this holiday season. Whether it’s your time, your talent, your home, or a monetary donation, your gift will help us save more lives.