Capital Campaign
November 10, 2024
Introduce yourself!
I’m just a 67 year old kid from Brooklyn, who is a die hard NY Giant fan, and get my bagels Fedexed from home. I am a certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Foundation and have apprenticed in Germany and had the privilege of working for some of the best chef’s in New York. After six back surgeries, I made a difficult decision to hang up the apron and tackle a new career in IT about 15 years ago and now operate my own consulting business and am a System Administrator in an accounting firm in Hartford.
What is your role at DSR? What inspired you to join and take on a board position?
I am now the Director of Volunteer Engagement and Procurement for the rescue. What inspires me to want to be a board member is that our rescue is entering its most exciting part of its journey and I want to help ensure that we become the rescue of choice for volunteers due to our renewed sense of on-boarding, training, and retention of volunteers. A volunteer is what makes this rescue tick, from Intake to Adoption of our pups, providing them the best life they can have in this complicated world we now live in. It’s a serious commitment and it should be filled with lots of puppy cuddling and fun.
As for the Procurement side of my role, I want to make certain we are spending our donations in a fiscally responsible way so that volunteers have the supplies they need to work with and at the best market price.
What values or principles guide your decisions and leadership within the organization?
A core tenet of our mission is to offer meaningful, rewarding volunteer opportunities and experiences in the communities we serve to support our mission of saving dogs’ lives and to extend resources, services, or programs to our community that will enrich and transform the lives of companion animals and their owners. This drives me and when I hear back from an adopter six months down the road and they are so happy with their pup, there is no better payback.
Can you share a particularly memorable story or experience you’ve had during your time at DSR?
Oh boy, there are so many. I have had dogs for over 50 years and one in particular was so very special to me. I had Taboo, a Chow/lab from 6 months old to a week shy of 15. He was in a lot of ways, the most important member of my family and confidant. When I had to put him down, I was not able to go near another dog or even think about a new one until I was urged by two of my clients that are volunteers. They urged me to just come to an event and see what DSR does. I was overwhelmed with the care, commitment, and love that our volunteers exhibited and I realized that Taboo, while never will or can be replaced, would want me to have the companionship that I was lacking. I’ll never forget that “gotcha moment”.
What have you learned from Dog Star?
Well aside from all the above, we have 3 indoor cats, that when I went to adopt, had been rejected for not having them up to date with their vaccinations. While still able to adopt Cheyenne after getting Kitty, Boo, and Yuma up to date, that will never happen again. I take better care of them than myself, even preparing their meals.
Do you have any advice for volunteers?
Be open to advice, learn by observing and asking questions, enjoy and most importantly, have fun.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Our volunteers are amazingly committed, always with our pups in mind. They also are some of the best people I have come to know and consider a lot of them family. They are there for you any time of day, night, 52 weeks, 365 days a year.