The Lori Kauffman Volunteer Of The Month Award

Sherry Blanton is the recipient of the April 2009 Lori Kauffman Volunteer of the Month Award

Congratulations to Sherry Blanton, our April Volunteer of the Month! Sherry has been a member of the voice mail team for one and a half years and works the Thursday morning shift. Sherry found GRRA after her beloved golden, Mattie, died in June, 2007. Sherry was heartbroken and not ready to adopt another dog. She still wanted to help dogs and visited the GRRA website where she made a contribution and expressed an interest in volunteering.

During her shifts on the voice mail team, Sherry periodically checks for messages individuals leave with GRRA's answering service. She returns the call and either helps the caller herself or directs them to someone else who can help. The calls range from individuals interested in adopting a dog to those who have a dog they can no longer keep. One caller discussed her dog's fear of thunder and another called over concerns about how a neighbor was treating a dog.

Sherry talks with and listens to each caller. She is a voice of comfort when dog owners are faced with difficult decisions to make whether they are health-related or about whether or not the owner can keep the dog. She is an advocate for the dogs and for people who adopt them. Sherry enjoys talking with people about dogs and befriends each caller.

Over time, Sherry's heart healed, and she is now the proud mom of Miss Belle whose is pictured here. Sherry loves golden and got her first one, Max, in 1984. Max lived to be 15 years old, and she adopted Mattie two months after Max passed away. Mattie was six years old when Sherry adopted her.

Thank you, Sherry, for all you do for the dogs and for GRRA through your participation on the voice mail team! One thing to note is that Sherry lives in Alabama which shows how far reaching GRRA's influence is and that one can volunteer with GRRA regardless of one's location.

Lori Kauffman, who passed away in 2007, was a GRRA™ volunteer who wanted to ensure that GRRA™ continued to do its valuable work. Lori wanted people to know, "Dogs are not disposable. Having a dog is a lifelong commitment. They are an equal part of the family".

If you are aware of a volunteer's efforts that exemplify what is needed to make our volunteer organization survive and thrive, please send a note to volunteer@grra.com. Monthly Nominations are due by the 17th of each month. Click here to see previous award winners.