By Jennie Baxla, Volunteer Coordinator
Pam Larrick has been volunteering at SICSA for around 14 years and, since she joined, has become an invaluable member of SICSA’s volunteer force.
She came to SICSA, like so many, due to her love for animals. She decided she wanted to volunteer somewhere and, when she heard about the good things SICSA was doing, she knew it would be a good fit for her.
Pam started volunteering at SICSA’s Front Desk, helping customers and answering questions. In 2004, she joined Friends of SICSA (FOS). The previous leader resigned, so Pam, along with Heather Saxe and Sue Wolf, assumed a leadership role to keep FOS active and successful. Under the leadership of these three wonderful women, FOS has grown in both membership and fundraising. They earn more money for SICSA’s animals each and every year.
Pam continues to volunteer at SICSA because of her love for animals, and enjoys being a part of helping them find their forever homes. She loves that SICSA saves lives but also educates the public, empowering them to take care of the animals in the community. She enjoys working alongside like-minded people who love animals as much as she does.
Pam is also an active SICSA foster. After Hurricane Katrina, SICSA helped by taking in some dogs from the area. Fosters were needed to take in these animals, and when Pam learned of this, she fostered her first dog a short time later. Pam is an exceptional foster because she is always willing to take on special needs cases.
One special foster dog sticks out in her mind, a Shih Tzu named Mr. Magoo. Mr. Magoo had a severe skin condition, and also had dry eye that had damaged his eyes. After some testing with the help of a dermatologist, SICSA discovered that Mr. Magoo had severe food and environmental allergies. He needed special food and allergy shots. Pam had fallen in love with this little dog in the short time he’d been with her, so she decided to adopt him.
SICSA had estimated that Mr. Magoo was about 10 years old at the time he came to the facility and Pam had him for nine additional years before he died just last year. Pam credits Mr. Magoo with making her want to foster, and especially for her giving her an affinity for animals with special needs.
Says Pam, “Fostering makes a big difference in providing quality care and love while the critter is waiting for that forever home. You know you are making a difference in that critter’s life.” She loves that fosters are able to give that animal additional time to find a forever home.
We thank Pam for opening her home to so many special animals, giving them a second chance at life, including the six dogs and two cats she has adopted. We thank her for everything she does for SICSA and the animals – we don’t know what we’d do without her!
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