My Parents legacy
It's thanks to my parents that I give of my time and money to any charity, especially Pet Angel Adoption & Rescue Inc. You see my mother, Joan, was an animal lover and taught me to be the same! (more on this later) My father, Don, was the kindest of men and I will never forget the time my close friend was struggling as a single mom to pay her bills. My Dad took an old worn and folded $50 bill from has wallet and told me he had been carrying it with him for years. Years ago he knew a man that was struggling and wanted to give him the money, but didn't know how to go about it, so he carried that bill with him for over 40 years looking for the right person to give it to. He handed me that $50 bill and told me to give it to my friend, anonymously, and to tell her to pay it forward someday when she could afford to. He was her secret Angel that day!
Flash forward to 2004, my dad had passed in 1998 and my mom passed in May of 2004. Circumstances surrounding her passing had led me to find two feral cat mamas that had 11 newborn kittens. I knew those kittens needed me and when they were 3 weeks old I removed them from their feral moms and began to bottle feed them. Kittens that age are still human friendly, that's why I had to save them at that age. Well, word got out and people and local veterinarians began to call me about strays they found, asking me to take them too. Thanks to my parents love for animals and helping others, I soon realized that it was fate and that I should start an animal rescue. You see the vet that I took those 11 kittens to for a check up told me that they were probably born the same day (two moms, two litters) and it was the day that my Mom passed away!
That year Pet Angel Adoption & Rescue Inc. was born and is still going strong and I am proud to say that I am still a 'volunteer' at Pet Angel, as I do not get paid for running it. It has grown to include around 15 other volunteers and one part time office employee. Pet Angel is in a rented building and licensed by the Michigan Dept. of Ag. We adopt out cats only and around 150 a year find new loving homes through our care.
It has been a struggle over the years for my family for me to be running a non-profit and not getting paid, as we are raising two children on a single income. I wouldn't change a thing though, as my children now 20 and 17, have learned the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community by volunteering at the rescue and watching what I do. I am proud to say they have both found other ways to volunteer in our community and love doing so! This is one of my parents legacies, the passing of the importance of volunteering to my Children!
My parents did not live to see Pet Angel or how it has impacted my life, my childrens lives and my communities, but it is truly their legacy, as it was what they instilled in my heart that allowed Pet Angel to become a reality!
That is my story of my parents legacy and Pet Angel Adoption & Rescue Inc., the non-profit that I give to every day!
www.petangeladoption.com
Review from #MyGivingStory