Recognizing Our Volunteers

FieldHaven’s All Around Volunteer of the Year 2020 is the A Team: Valerie Howell, Kathi Carlock, and Deb Selbert! Many thanks and accolades to FieldHaven’s wonderful adoption plus team. FieldHaven cannot be more grateful to these volunteers for jumping in at the beginning of what became the COVID crisis. They dealt with and handled so many variables we faced with severe staff reductions and constantly changing pandemic restrictions. FieldHaven is forever grateful for the A Team’s loyalty, steadfastness, ingenuity, and plain old hard work and dedication. Thank you, Val, Kathi, and Deb!

Congratulations to Bart Boryczko, FieldHaven’s Technical Support Volunteer of the Year 2020! Our internet, computer, and phones systems at all three FieldHaven locations are something we depend on every day. We just expect them all to work so that we can sidle up to any computer to look up a cat’s records, check our email, or peruse Facebook. It’s always there and working, until it’s not. Alarm bells go off, we panic because we “can’t work,” and we feel helpless, until magically, they are fixed and working again. All of this happens because of one very important person: Bart B. He has been volunteering since around 2010, possibly earlier. For all that time, he has been keeping our electronics in tip-top shape as our volunteer IT manager. Bart manages to get the last little bit out of every computer or laptop by fixing and upgrading them, saving us thousands of dollars each year. He works hard to keep us up to date on all our tech. We are so grateful for his contributions of time, talent, and skills. Thank you, Bart!

Let’s celebrate! FieldHaven’s Marysville Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Brandy Langbecker Garcia! Brandy has been a long-time FieldHaven volunteer at Buck’s Barn. She came to Marysville through our Kitten Sitters Program. When she brought her kittens in for transfer, there was a litter that had been rejected for lack of socialization. She jumped in and took the kittens home. When we posted a desperate call for help on the Kitten Sitters page, Brandy stepped up. We were having issues keeping up with all of the Kitten Sitters Tasks, on top of everything else. We didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t what we got. Brandy jumped right in again and made Kitten Sitters a success. Without her, we’re not sure FieldHaven would have survived kitten season, but she helped make it a smooth process and has improved the rough idea Joy and Audra had for Kitten Sitters, making it one of our best programs. On top of that, she’s been eager to help with transfers, making appointments for the kittens who need medical help all while still volunteering in Buck’s Barn and never getting annoyed when things are unorganized. If FieldHaven had custom ordered a volunteer to help us out, we couldn’t have dreamed up one as efficient and amazing as Brandy. Thank you, Brandy!

Bright lights and applause! FieldHaven’s Hathaway Spay/Neuter Clinic Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Chris Frickstad! Chris is very kind, but also task-driven and extremely dependable. She works methodically as a Recovery Specialist during Hathaway Clinic’s Spay/Neuter days, making sure the cats and kittens are well cared for immediately after surgery. She is also well-versed and skilled at wrapping and sterilization off the surgical packs needed for procedures. Chris is always willing to train another volunteer so she’ll have a fill in for when she and her husband enjoy retirement in their new trailer. If anyone wants to train in these positions, a thumbs-up from Chris is as good as it gets. Thank you, Chris!

Drum roll please! The Volunteer of the Year Honorable Mention for the Marketplace Behind the Scenes Team 2020 is Corinne Schrader! Corinne started helping at the Marketplace during COVID; in the beginning, she expressed how she wasn’t sure how much help she would be, as it was all new to her! With very little guidance, she has developed confidence performing any task that would come her way.

Corinne has shown such excitement as she grows. She was a major part of the setup of the holiday room. Her attention to detail and willingness to explore new experiences has been invaluable. She developed confidence in setting up displays and using the pricing gun. She accomplishes assigned tasks in a quick and diligent manner. She also is wonderful at being the greeter at the front door, advising customers of specials and thanking them for their business and support. It is a pleasure having Corinne on the team, and we always look forward to her being at the Marketplace. Thank you, Corinne!

Woo-hoo! FieldHaven’s Administrative Support Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Diana Jones! Intakes, adoptions, foster kittens, owner surrenders, live release rate: We may be a cat organization, but numbers and statistics are a key part of the business of saving lives. Those statistics are how we tell our supporters what we’re doing with their donations. We need to report numbers to grantors to assure them we are making an impact with their funds. They prove to our communities that we are making a difference with our work. There’re so many reasons we need numbers and statistics. You might think those numbers are generated here at FieldHaven, but you would be wrong. Most of them are generated 1,785 miles away in Rockwall, Texas by the incredible number-crunching whiz, Diana Jones! Need some number? Just call Diana. She’ll have them to you swiftly. Part of her number-crunching volunteer job is making sure the data is clean. That’s even harder than running the numbers themselves. Having so many different sources of data and many fingers on the keyboard of data entry leaves lots of room for error for even the most careful of data enterers. Diana began volunteering at FieldHaven at least 11 years ago, back when she lived near Beale Air Force Base where her husband Brian was stationed. One day, she jumped in her sporty little car and whizzed off to Texas with Bryan and DeeDee (her FieldHaven alumni). We were heartbroken when she left, but she assured us she would continue volunteering. She has been true to her word. She even flies back annually to spend several weeks with her FieldHaven family. Last year was the exception with COVID, but we hope she’ll find her way back here sometime in 2021. Thank you, Diana, for your contributions to FieldHaven! They are 100% appreciated and you’re 110% loved by us all!

Congratulations to Greg Sandusky, FieldHaven’s Community/Cat Assistance Team (CAT) Volunteer of the Year! The Community/Cat Assistance Team (CAT) at FieldHaven is an integral program to FieldHaven’s tagline, “For every Cat in need, a Solution.” CAT is like a personal Google for people with cat issues, assisting with issues from ‘’I found a kitten” to “I need to rehome my cat” and everything in between. CAT volunteers are on the phones six days a week helping people. From cat haters to cat lovers and everything in between, the team passes no judgment: they listen and solve problems.

Being a CAT volunteer takes patience, problem-solving skills, and, most of all, a desire to help people and cats, all while maintaining a healthy sense of humor. Greg Sandusky fits the description to a T. A relatively new volunteer, Greg began giving his time in July 2019. He stepped right up to the plate to help in several areas, but he particularly gravitated towards volunteering for CAT. He enjoys thinking outside of the box and he has a reassuring way of speaking with people, instilling them with a sense of confidence.

Greg also recently stepped back into helping out at Buck’s Barn on a regular basis. There, he gets to know the cats awaiting surgery or on recovery. Sometimes, he sees a cat waiting for spay/neuter because he was the person who was able to convince the caller to TNR rather than employ a less desirable solution. Thank you, Greg, for being a part of this incredible life-saving team!

Three (four) cheers! FieldHaven’s Foster Program Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Jana Pruski-Clark and her family, Lori, Ellie, and Audrey. Jana and her family are relatively new to fostering, but you wouldn’t know it given the level of care and attention to detail they provide to their foster kittens. At the Clark home, everyone participates in the fostering effort. They had back-to-back foster kittens all year. Even when they had foster kittens at home, Jana offered to take more if needed. Ellie and Aubrey are amazing junior foster parents. Their kittens spend 24-hours a day with them. Yes, their foster kittens even participate in distance learning schoolwork with them. The best part is that the kittens get to sleep with them.

Jana and her family were not intimidated by sick or shy kittens, or kittens who needed extra observation. It’s awesome to work with a foster family so willing to learn everything they can about the different foster needs of each kitten and situation. Fostering can be very emotional when it is time to say goodbye on adoption day, but regardless, Jana and her family are always ready to share their love with more kittens in need.

Jana has said on many occasions, “We are here to do whatever needs to be done for the kittens.” It is such a pleasure to work with Jana and her family, and FieldHaven is so lucky to have the Clark family on their foster team. They do an amazing job preparing kittens that can flourish in their forever homes. Thank you, Jana, Lori, Ellie, and Audrey!

Bravo, bravo! FieldHaven’s Marketplace Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Jordan Humphries, who has volunteered at the Marketplace for over four years! Since 2012, Jordan cashiered at Snap It Up! Thrift Shop and continued to do so when the two stores merged in January 2017. From the beginning, he quickly caught on using Square, our cash register system. When the store was opened six days a week, he often worked two or three shifts. When the store re-opened in September, he unhesitatingly returned and now works two shifts. Jordan has shown that he has a good eye for merchandising. Other volunteers have expressed similar observations. When Champy’s Catfé was occupied with cats, Jordan assisted and completed the paperwork for adoptions. While soliciting donations, which were typically $1 to $10, Jordan secured two full $50 adoption sponsorships! Finally, he has consistently stayed after 5 PM and has learned to close out the register, which is a responsibility that requires following accounting procedures and attention to detail. Jordan’s positive attitude represents FieldHaven at its best: he works well with everyone ad his willingness to learn and take on any task has earned him many thanks for his dedication and support. Thank you, Jordan!

Hip hip hooray! FieldHaven’s Marketplace Behind the Scenes Team Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Kay Rockwell! Kay has been a lifesaver for the Marketplace work team. While all of her work is behind the scenes, things would be ugly without her. She has organized and maintained the backroom, keeping a steady stream of merchandise coming to the sales floor. Kay has helped with sorting and pricing a wide assortment of donations. There was an incident where she noticed unique markings on a cup and saucer, which would have been priced around $5 in the store. It was offered for sale on eBay and it quickly sold for $125 (yay or the cats, too!). She has a good eye for noticing the unique and valuable items being donated. Kay is always willing to help with any project and often contribute helpful insights. It is a pleasure having Kay on the team and we always look forward to her being at the Marketplace, especially for remembering “special” days for our team members. Thank you, Kay!

Cheers! FieldHaven’s Shelter/Buck’s Barn/2^nd Chance Ranch Cat Care Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Mary Carrisosa! She has been doing cat care at the 2nd Chance Ranch since it opened. Before volunteering, she came all the way from Sacramento, bringing pills of newly-sewn fluffies, office supplies, food, and an assortment of prizes/goodies. When she retired from her day job, we swept her up for the Ranch. To kkeep up with our “pharaohs” (ferals), it takes extra diligence, dexterity, stamina, and MUD boots! Their pantries must be kept stocked with beverages, sardines, newly-scrubbed litter pans, litter, and clean and dry bedding. She also brushes Mufasa on command, cleans poop off the ground, and performs cage cleaning for the endless SNAP guests in Buck’s Barn, all the while enjoying the aroma and sounds of un-neutered or recently neutered males. Watching for King Arthur’s swats is mandatory, as is trimming back the honeysuckle so one can open the gates. Let us never forget serving each starving pharaoh with its own bowl of canned food. Get the picture? That’s our Mary, never complaining once and still bringing fluffies and prizes! What would we ever do without you, dear one!/ Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Mary!

Attention please! Our Honorable Mention for the FieldHaven Donations/Fundraising Team 2020 is Maureen Moss! She stepped up to help with acknowledging many of the donations FieldHaven receives, including In Memory Of and In Honor Of donations, until she had to step away for what we hope are temporary reasons. Thank you, Maureen, for all of your help with this project and working mainly via email!

FieldHaven’s Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) Program Volunteer of the Year 2020 is Nick Thompson and Sandy Hamer! Nick and Sandy have been trappers extraordinaire! No place is too far, no cats are too many! If we need extra help pushing to get a colony fixed, they are on it. The largest colony so far has been a colony of 30 cats in Linda, CA. At this site, they also set up clean beds and cubbies in an elderly gentleman’s garage. Without their help, the gentleman (who is in his 80s) would not have been able to TNR all of the strays that his neighbors had let breed and he was feeding. “I’m very grateful to Nick and Sandy. They did a fantastic job. i was shocked at their commitment,” he said. Another of the many they have helped says, “I had been trying to get all 17 of my ferals altered for years. I’ll always remember and appreciate them. Both Nick and Sandy had volunteered for other cat rescues before coming to FieldHaven where now they have become superheroes. FieldHaven is so lucky to have you. Thank yo from the bottom of our hearts. You have prevented many, many litters that would have had a miserable, short, diseased life and eased the suffering breeding adults. Thank you, Nick and Sandy!