Volunteer Spotlight: Sarah
Sarah started at Heartland in November 2019. She has been a consistent and reliable member of the Sunday morning crew doing barn chores and animal care. And because that crew is so efficient, they get rewarded by doing some of the ‘less fun’ (but equally important) housekeeping chores like cleaning, organizing, restocking and more. Everything our dedicated volunteers like Sarah do is in service of the HFS residents, making sure their living spaces are clean, safe and organized.
Why Heartland? My dad was a veterinarian, and he shared his passion of caring for people
through their animals. I am a social worker, not a vet, but volunteering at Heartland is a
little bit of both.
What do you love the most about volunteering? Walking in and being among these incredible creatures. It takes you out of your world and life for a minute (or a three-hour shift) and changes your perspective. Each animal has such a distinct personality, story and journey of how they came to us. (Sarah also appreciates the vegan resources we share each week via email.)
Favorite Heartland Animal? That isn’t a fair question — they are all so unique in their own way. From the newest adorable Breakfast Club, cuddly Murphy and Truffle, amazing-sounding emus, sibs Justice and Libby…but as a lifelong swimmer, I have always been drawn to the ducks. I always take a minute to watch them jump into the pool for the first time in the morning, as they dunk their heads and splash in the water.
When pushed a little, Sarah acknowledged Hank as her favorite. While I love everyone there to my core, Hank has a special place in my heart. When I found out about his story and how he was neglected and abandoned twice, I made him a promise that I was going to be his friend. It took some time for him to fully trust me. I knew that we reached the point of mutual trust when I sat down with him outside in the pasture and he leaned up against me and laid down.
Outside of Heartland: I love cycling, walking my dogs, cooking, traveling, hiking, yoga and swimming.