Jill has been the Volunteer Coordinator at A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter for two years and is also the Coordinator of the shelter’s Foster Care Program. Before coming to A.D.O.P.T, Jill worked at another shelter for seven years.

Jill’s main responsibilities are to recruit, train, schedule and maintain volunteers at the shelter. “Volunteers are crucial to the success of the shelter,” says Jill. “We couldn’t operate without them.” Volunteers do everything from hands-on animal care, adoption counseling, off-site events, social media, fundraising, foster care and more. Over 13,400 volunteer hours were logged in 2016.

Foster Care is another important component of the shelter. The majority of animals in Foster Care are either too young to be adopted, are recovering from illness or need socialization. Foster volunteers care for the animals in their own homes and remain in close contact with the animal care staff until the animals are ready to return to the shelter. Jill has been a foster mom herself for ten years.

Jill, who has a Master’s degree in Psychology, worked for 15 years in the healthcare industry. She then decided to follow her true passion, animals. “I just love everything about them,” says Jill. “They give unconditional love, companionship and loyalty and ask for so little in return. The best part about my job is seeing a cat or dog go home with his/her new forever family. We love getting updates and pictures and seeing how happy the animals are.”

Jill is a proud “cat mom” of several cats. She is also active in several Animal Rescue organizations.