Community: Interview with Nancy King of Pets Lifeline
This summer, the girl & the fig will celebrate 20 amazing years of business in Sonoma Valley.
We were deeply humbled by the overwhelming enthusiasm from our community when tickets were released to the 20th Anniversary Celebration. As you may know, a portion of the proceeds for each ticket purchased will be donated to a local charity-and they quickly sold out! (Those of you joining us: thank you for your generosity!! You warm our hearts!)
the girl & the fig would not be what it is today without the incredible support of this town, our community, our friends. Now that the celebration is quickly approaching, we'd like to share a little more about these charities and their great work.
Today we're thrilled to introduce Executive Director Nancy King of Pets Lifeline, Sonoma.
Please tell us a little about the work you do at Pets Lifeline and how you became involved?
"The work I do with Pets Lifeline is complete oversight and management of everything that happens with the organization. Although fundraising is a key function of my particular job, we all wear many hats with only 5 full time employees and 4 part time staff and a minimum of approximately 40 dogs and cats in our care. Sometimes our inventory can be up to 135 animals in the height of our kitten season.
As the Executive Director my focus is Resource Development, Human Resources, Communications and PR, and Financial oversight and management. Since we are a private non-profit that receives no funding from the city or the county, the fundraising component is vital."
"It was total divine intervention the brought me to Pets Lifeline. I was in the film industry for over 23 years and would volunteer at animal shelters in between projects.
I moved to Sonoma in January 2009 to start a film project in the spring. I took a job as Administration Director while waiting for the project to start. The film project folded and I continued my work as Administrative Director at Pets Lifeline. In November of 2010, the Board of Directors asked if I would take over as Executive Director and the rest is history. I could never have asked for a better turn of events."
What's the best part of your day at Pets Lifeline?
"The best part of my day is saying hello to all the animals. We are a small enough shelter that I can do that and pretty much know all their names. (Maybe not at the height of kitten season, but most of the time.)
Another favorite part of my job is when I get to talk to people about Pets Lifeline. The work we do here is so important as there is no other facility within 35 miles north, south, east or west of PLL. We take in over 500 animals each year and if we weren't here, I don't where those animals would end up. Not to mention the humane education we do in all the schools, the free spay/neuter program we offer to those in need and our dog training classes."
What impact do you hope Pets Lifeline has on the animals or individuals you work with or the community as a whole?
"I know that all the animals that come through our doors are in a better place than where they were. Their next stop after Pets Lifeline is their forever home.
We have 98% adoption rate and we give each animal in our care everything they need from critical medical care, food and shelter...and of course lots of love. The community is impacted everyday because we are the only shelter in all of Sonoma Valley. We have the ONLY free spay/neuter program and we are in every school in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District teaching kids compassion for all living things.
I'd like to think we are a critical resource in our community."
How can people who are interested support your efforts?
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Michael Fontaine at
michaelfontaine@petslifeline.org or (707) 996-4577 x104 or visit www.petslifeline.org.
Note: Thanks, Nancy, Doc, and Reagan for spending time with us for photos! Reagan (above) is currently available for adoption.
