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Community Heroes: Supermom Takes on Philly!
It looks like PAWS volunteer Gwen Cohen passed the compassionate gene on to her kids.
When Gwen Cohen’s 15-year-old pit bull, Winnie, died last year, she decided to honor her dog’s memory by helping other shelter dogs, especially pits. Gwen found her niche as a regular volunteer at the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Every week at PAWS, Gwen helps families find their perfect mate—always racing against the clock, as it is sadly not uncommon for animals to be euthanized in order to free up cage space for incoming animals. “If you get an animal adopted, you're also helping that animal who gets to move up to the adoption floor—so you're saving two lives,” Gwen says.
In addition to her work with animals, Gwen trains new volunteers. “Gwen is a central figure in our volunteer efforts,” boasts Melissa Levy, Director of Development at PAWS. “By sharing her enthusiasm, experience and time with new volunteers, our volunteer base continues to grow and strengthen. The number of lives she has been indirectly responsible for saving as a result is immeasurable.” Thanks to volunteers, the live release rate of animals has increased dramatically at PAWS.
Though she works hard to get all of PAWS’ animals adopted, Gwen particularly has a weakness for the skinny dogs. When she saw one emaciated girl two weeks in a row, she told the dog, “If you're still here next week, I'm taking you home.” The following week, the dog was still there—and true to her word, Gwen adopted the 23-pound Olive Oil. “She now weighs 65 pounds, and is a shining example of what wonderful family dogs pit bulls can be.” Talk about taking your work home!
Speaking of home, how does a full-time real estate professional and mom find time to volunteer in the evenings? It’s all in the scheduling, she says. Gwen’s family knows that Tuesday night is mommy’s night at PAWS. That means her husband, David, cooks dinner and packs lunches for their three kids: Maia, 8, Clay, 5, and Nathaniel, 2. “One of the things that I find most gratifying in my volunteer work is the example I set for my small children. Just the other day, my daughter said to me, ‘I can't wait ‘til I'm 18 and I can volunteer, too.’”
For anyone who’s thinking about volunteering, Gwen says go for it! “Today more than ever, there are ways to make it fit into your lifestyle. There's lots you can do in your own home, from fostering an animal to getting the word out in your community via the Internet.” Thanks, Gwen, for your dedication and inspiration!
Click here to meet some young Philadelphians who made a difference for animals—in their own backyard!
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