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Community Heroes: Austin's Go-To Girl
Can one person really make a difference? The folks at Town Lake Animal Center admit they’d be “pretty lost” without volunteer Lee Ann Littrel.
What does it take to be a top volunteer at a busy animal shelter?
“Love for animals, patience, organizational skills, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and compassion—for animals and people both,” says Lee Ann Littrel. And she ought to know—the Austin animal advocate has logged more than 1,000 hours over the past six years and was named Town Lake Animal Center’s 2006 Volunteer of the Year.
Every Saturday morning, rain or shine, Littrel—along with her four-year-old Chihuahua mix, Sophie—can be found anchoring the shelter’s front desk, where she provides invaluable support to adopters and workers alike. Littrel’s contagious smile immediately makes potential pet parents feel welcome as she guides them through the adoption process and the layout of the shelter. She also provides administrative support for the shelter’s pet registration coordinator, and manages several aspects of TLAC’s offsite rabies clinic. These clinics, along with working at the desk, are Littrel’s favorite aspects of volunteering. “I love being at the shelter because I get to witness the excitement people feel when they are getting a new pet,” says Littrel. “But I also like the clinics, because it’s a chance to be out in the community providing help for people who really need and appreciate it.”
Says TLAC’s lead adoption counselor Lauralei Combs: “Lee Ann's extensive experience with the shelter has made her essential. She is our ‘go-to girl’ who always seems to know where everything is, how much of it we have or need, and where it goes. She’s always looking at ways to streamline the processes and procedures for improving the delivery of services to our clients, staff and other volunteers. We’d be pretty lost without her!”
When not helping animals, Littrel helps humans. Her day job is handling disability and workers' compensation claims, and she also does volunteer work for AIDS Services of Austin, the largest community-based provider of HIV/AIDS social services in Central Texas.
This seemingly tireless lady is known for her ability to recruit new shelter volunteers, but she does have some cautionary words for anyone interested in this work: “Leave your preconceived notions at home and come prepared to learn, experience, laugh and cry. The work can be hard, but the rewards to your heart are great.”
More Austin Community Heroes:
Sew Far, Sew Good!
Austin's pet-crazy girl scouts created handmade toys and beds for the shelter cats at Town Lake Animal Center.
The Woman Behind The Wags
Kathy Girling made sure that the Austin Humane Society’s “Rags to Wags” fundraiser went off without so much as a whisker out of place!
Round Rock Rocks!: On August 31, 2007, 42 ill and malnourished Chihuahuas and a lone Great Dane were removed from a home in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. Shutting down this breeding operation was a long, involved process that illustrates the dedication and commitment of Round Rock’s animal control officers.
Del Goss: Not Your Average Cat Lady!: One of Austin’s leading “cat ladies” is Del Goss, a burly retired electrician who eats well and prefers margaritas to Earl Grey.
An AM:O Community Hero
After learning about Austin-based EmanciPET, from her mom, Wendi, Jillian decided to raise money for the non-profit spay/neuter clinic by baking and selling homemade treats for people and their pooches.
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