Who is Regina Cat Rescue?
It’s National Volunteer Week and we thought we’d take this time to talk a bit about the selfless citizens who help make Regina a better community for everyone, including our four-legged furry felines, through their work with Regina Cat Rescue. “Who is Regina Cat Rescue?” This is a popular question whenever the RCR name crops up in conversation. Simply put, Regina Cat Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer run organization dedicated to caring for Regina’s abandoned cats and kittens. This answer is short and to the point, but doesn’t say much about who is RCR. For this, we need a bit more explanation.
RCR is
- the feral team volunteer, sitting in a hot car in July, waiting for that one cat to take the bait in the trap
- the fundraising volunteer, soliciting silent auction items for a fundraising dinner
- the foster care provider, giving a cat a chance to be loved by welcoming one more cat into their home
- the bingo co-ordinator, scheduling volunteers for each RCR shift at the bingo hall
- the web designer, giving the RCR website a complete overhaul
- the bottle feeder, getting out of bed in the middle of the night to tend to a litter of hungry kittens
- the photographer, setting up a photo shoot for adoptable cats
- the food and supplies co-ordinator, tracking where donations are located for pickup
- the pet rescue volunteer, writing, posting and updating adoption ads on an on-going basis
- the bingo volunteer, selling bingo cards on a Monday night
- the feral feeder, mourning the passing of a longtime colony cat
- the foster home liaison, ensuring each new intake has an adoption package and appropriate paperwork
- the graphic designer, making posters and tickets for an upcoming event
- the communications volunteer, posting adoption ads and fundraising events to social media
- the treasurer, creating monthly spreadsheets to record donations and expenditures
- the volunteer co-ordinator, putting another call out for Rider game volunteers
- the foster home co-ordinator, calling foster homes to schedule a home visit for vaccinations
- the board member, writing this blog entry
Without you, there would be no Regina Cat Rescue. There would be no foster homes to provide shelter for the 362 cats that were adopted through RCR in 2015, there would be no one to feed and care for the cats at the 33 managed colonies every single day of the year, there would be no one to trap the 35 intact community cats in 2015 to ensure they get sterilized, and there would be no fundraising to help cover $200,000+ in annual expenses. You are Regina Cat Rescue.
Every day, volunteers like you give so much of their time, effort and love to make miracles happen for each cat in RCR’s care. You are making a real difference in the community. In case you don’t hear it enough, THANK YOU!
Over the past few months, we’ve profiled a few long-term volunteers. Learn why they continue to volunteer and what’s involved in their roles.
Meet our volunteers: Danielle Gauthier Kratz
Meet our volunteers: Cheryl Young
Meet our volunteers: Jackie Kruger
If you want to be a part of Regina Cat Rescue, we invite you to look at the volunteer job descriptions. The examples provided above aren’t an exhaustive list, and there are more roles—maybe one that will catch your eye. There are always vacancies and we’d love to have you.