Volunteers are essential to the Oakville & Milton Humane Society’s (OMHS) success, with dedicated individuals working tirelessly to support our mission to improve the lives of animals in our community. OMHS’ fifth annual Community Awards Celebration was held on June 17th, 2024, at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre to recognize volunteers whose contributions go above and beyond.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such engaged volunteers and community members. Their dedication and continuous hard work ensure the well-being of the animals in our community and help to keep their families and their animal companions together. Our volunteers remind us that together, we make an extraordinary difference,” said Jeff Vallentin, executive director of OMHS.
Kudos to our Community Engagement Committee, who had the difficult job of selecting this year’s OMHS award recipients in the following eight categories:
- Outstanding Volunteer Service Award
- Outstanding Youth Achievement
- Outstanding Corporation Award
- Outstanding Veterinary Partner Award
- Foster Family of the Year
- Youth Crusader Award
- Patch Award
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Outstanding Volunteer Service Award
This year, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award was presented to two recipients, Susan Ehrichs and Russell Gonsalves, in recognition of their substantial contributions to enhancing the quality of life for animals.
Susan Ehrichs
Susan, a retired teacher, began volunteering for OMHS in March 2020. She holds multiple roles within the shelter. Her expertise is invaluable to our educational programs, where she helps develop the next generation of animal welfare advocates. Susan also socializes cats during their stay and helps potential adopters connect with them as a cat matchmaker.
Russell Gonsalves
Russell is an artist, using his photography and digital media skills to tell stories that speak to the community. He has designed pieces for campaigns, events, and digital platforms to encourage support for the shelter’s efforts.
Outstanding Youth Volunteer Achievement Award
The Outstanding Youth Volunteer Achievement Award is presented to a youth volunteer who has made a significant contribution to improving the quality of life for animals.
Matthew, Caileigh & Andrew Ferguson
Siblings Matthew, Caileigh, and Andrew Ferguson have been volunteering at the Pet Food Bank since its inception in 2021. This year, they were presented with the Outstanding Youth Volunteer Achievement Award. This remarkable trio is dedicated to packaging food, helping manage inventory, all while maintaining their studies, playing sports, and caring for their own pets – two dogs and two cats. With their hard work, the Pet Food Bank has been able to serve more than 100,000 meals this year to help keep people and pets together.
Outstanding Corporation Award
The Outstanding Corporation Award is presented to a corporation or small business who consistently demonstrates dedication to animal welfare through equitable partnership, financial support and raising awareness for the OMHS.
Royal Canin
Since 2019, Royal Canin has supported OMHS in numerous ways with a key focus on nutritional support for shelter animals. They were presented with the Outstanding Corporation Award for making significant contributions through partnership, financial support, and raising awareness. Since its launch, Royal Canin has been the presenting sponsor of Prancing with the Stars, OMHS’ signature annual event taking place on November 7, 2024. Doug Willows, Royal Canin Professional Sales Representative, has joined the Prancing with the Stars 2024 cast as a community dancer.
Outstanding Veterinary Partner Award
The Outstanding Veterinary Partner Award is presented to a veterinary partner who has made a significant contribution to improve the quality of life for animals. This year’s recipient is Erin Mills Pet Hospital which has consistently demonstrated commitment to animal welfare and shows an unlimited amount of kindness to animals and people.
Erin Mills Pet Hospital
Outstanding Veterinary Partner Award was presented to Erin Mills Pet Hospital for being a supporter and partner of OMHS for over 30 years. They provide many crucial services to the animals of OMHS, including emergency care and boarding. They treat every pet as an individual, and understand the long-term goals of each animal. Erin Mills Pet Hospital’s primary focus has been on spaying and neutering kittens and supporting OMHS through third-party events like donation collections and calendar sales.
Foster Family of the Year Award
The Foster Family of the Year Award is presented to an individual or family that has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in fostering animals.
Paulina Palele
The Foster Family of the Year Award was presented to Paulina Palele. Many animals in the shelter’s care benefit from the extra space, love, and patience that a foster family can provide. Since 2013, Paulina and her husband Indra have opened their home to at least 12 cats, often taking on the more challenging behavioural cases. Cats in Paulina’s home that were initially semi-feral, timid, or grumpy blossomed under the care of Paulina and Indra.
Youth Crusader Award
The Youth Animal Crusader Award is presented to a youth fundraiser who has made a significant contribution to improve the quality of life for animals, by demonstrating kindness towards animals, is a role model who inspires others, helps raise awareness about the OMHS and enables the shelter to further our mission by raising funds.
Rotherglen School, Class 8C, Ms. Colgan's class
This year’s Youth Crusader Award is extra special as it was presented to a whole class of young animal advocates: Ms. Colgan’s eighth grade class at Rotherglen School. They chose to support the Oakville & Milton Humane Society for their Legacy Project, in which they were tasked with conducting research on organizations that benefit the Halton community. These remarkably kindhearted students planned a school-wide event to raise awareness and funds. They ran their own “Mission Pawsible” event, holding a dress-down day, a raffle, and a pet food drive. Through careful planning and a desire to give back, these students collected 4565 cans of food and raised $2172.
Patch Award presented by lexus of oakville
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond in demonstrating compassion for animals and has also demonstrated exceptional service and leadership qualities over at least 15 years of consistent and active participation with OMHS.
Max & Jack Lawton
Patch was an outgoing, charismatic pup and the beloved pet of Frank Apa, former owner of Lexus of Oakville. When he passed away in 2001, the PATCH program was created in partnership with OMHS to honour his legacy. Now, the PATCH program supports OMHS’ mandate to teach youth about fostering care and compassion towards animals and the importance of kindness. To date, the PATCH program has raised more than $280,000.
This year’s PATCH Award was presented to brothers Max and Jack Lawton, who embody Patch’s legacy. The empathy and commitment Max and Jack show through their involvement fostering contributes significantly to the wellbeing of animals in the community. Their mom describes the impact animals have on the boys as “magic,” a testament to the profound effect the human-animal bond can have on us all.
From devoted volunteers and supportive partners to compassionate youth advocates, each recipient’s commitment highlights the importance of their efforts to enrich our community and promote a better future for animals.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond in demonstrating compassion for animals and has also demonstrated exceptional service and leadership qualities over at least 15 years of consistent and active participation with OMHS.
Charmaine Wunsch
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an active OMHS volunteer who has gone above and beyond for at least 15 years. Charmaine Wunsch, recipient of the award, has achieved that twice over. For 32 years, her volunteerism has touched every aspect of the shelter. Charmaine is a foster parent, enriches the lives of shelter cats and dogs, and even supports fundraising efforts by participating in special events and taking on administrative duties. She is compassionate, committed, and represents the incredible impact volunteers make.
