Volunteers
|
Halie Cleveland
Event Coordinator I have been a volunteer and foster for Adoption First Animal Rescue since September 2021. I have followed this rescue since the beginning and always knew I wanted to be apart of AFAR and I am so glad I finally had the opportunity. I love being able to give a second chance to all of the babies that come into our rescue. AFAR has the best group of volunteers and fosters that are devoted to saving lives and giving second chances. I look forward to many more fosters and many more amazing events! 
Norah Wimer
Administration Our family started fostering with Adoption First July, 2020. In the first ten months with Adoption First we've opened our home to over 20 dogs and puppies. My favorite part of fostering is bringing a dog who is timid home from the facility, and seeing them getting to be a "real dog" once they feel safe in our home. |
Sabrina Lapointe
Fundraising Team I started fostering and volunteering with Adoption First in July of 2020, just two months after moving to North Carolina from my home, New England. I have been a lifelong animal advocate and have been a vegetarian for 21 years! (I’m 26). I am especially passionate about pitbulls and making a better name for the breed. Fostering and volunteering is such a privilege to me. I love seeing my fosters transform into the happy and healthy dog they were always meant to be! |
Lannette Hanslip
Fundraising Team I first heard about AFAR in 2014 and quickly started fostering! Saturdays at adoption events are the best, and I enjoy volunteering at them! I have watched the rescue grow tremendously, helping thousands of dogs over the years find their loving, forever homes. Proud to be a part of the team. |
|
Jaime Duncan
Hi! I’m Jaime. My husband, Wally, and I fell in love with hounds when we moved to North Carolina. Their story, quirkiness, and sweetness had us hooked. We speak for those who can’t and we get to help transform these babies into awesome family dogs. Hounds are underrated....don’t knock it till you try it. You’ll fall in love 100% of the time. |
Karen Kain
Hey y’all! I’m Karen, I’d heard about Adoption First through my siblings and ever since they left, our home was missing something. I’ve never considered myself a dog person but after seeing the look on these dogs faces when they meet their forever family, I know what we do for them is an amazing thing not everyone gets a chance to do and I am glad to be a part of that. |
Lindsay Barber
I've been fostering since 2020 and volunteering since 2019. I started fostering consistently in 2020 when my husband deployed to Afghanistan and I needed something positive to get me through it. Over that period of time, I've fostered 33 dogs and puppies. My husband is home now and we enjoy helping dogs together. I am really proud that my husband, my three rescue dogs, and I have created a home that helps dogs feel safe until they find their forever home. |
Macey Andrews
My husband Brendan and I have been fostering with Adoption First since Feb 2020! Brendan and I and our 2 dogs, Sammy & Juni (an AF Alumni) love having furry friends stay in our home! My favorite thing about fostering is showing these dogs that life doesn’t have to be hard. They can be as lazy or as energetic as they want, and get spoiled along the way. We love opening our home to dogs of all kinds and can’t wait to continue fostering for many years to come! |
Danielle Lowery
I started fostering/volunteering with Adoption First in November 2020. Dogs have always been a big part of my life and I have 3 rescue dogs of my own. I love knowing that we are giving these dogs a second chance at life and helping them find their forever families! When I’m at the rescue spending time with the dogs, my toddler is always by my side. One of my favorite things about volunteering is knowing that my son is learning how to respect and care for animals. |
Nicholas Bingham
I started fostering and volunteering with Adoption First when I moved to my home in North Carolina July 2020. I have a strong love for dogs, especially the fluffy ones. I enjoy fostering the more difficult dogs that require a lot more attention or healing time because it allows me to create a bond with them and it feels even better when they find their forever home! |
Kimberly Burd
I’ve had the pleasure of fostering over 30 pups and it is the most rewarding experience. They have all just blossomed right before my eyes. I’m also an avid jewelry maker and love to share my craft with the rescue. |
Simeone Frost
I volunteered at an animal rescue in DC for six years and felt a huge part of my life missing when I moved here. I searched around for the BEST dog rescue and was lucky to find AFAR. I’ve been volunteering since early 2019 and my husband Milo (also a volunteer) and I foster dogs as well. I love seeing a dog transform from being unsure and shy to having confidence and finding its own forever family. I love doing events because I gives me the chance to talk about the great work AFAR does! This work brings me so much joy and I’m grateful to AFAR to have the chance to do it. And yes both of our dogs are rescues! |
|
David Hekman
I have been volunteering/fostering for Adoption First since October 2014 and I have a beard... :) |
Board Members
|
Staci VenturaStaci is the founder of Adoption First Animal Rescue and the current President. She was raised in California and has lived in North Carolina for the last few years. She has a passion for dogs and wants to help the community, educate the public, and lower euthanasia rates in public shelters.
|
|
Heidi McLaughlinHeidi joined the Adoption First team after being a customer. She adopted her dog from Adoption First in 2014 and has taken a more active role in the organization. She currently is the Vice President and wants to share her experience with others.
|
|
Sabrina AdamsSabrina started with Adoption First in 2016 and strived to make Adoption First more active in the community. She is the Grant Writer and Event Coordinator. With her help the rescue has secured many grants and hosted community events.
|
|
Dakota FultzI’ve been with Adoption First since may of 2017. I started fostering, because I wanted to make a difference. I love that I can pull a dog from the shelter, all curled in a ball terrified of life, & watch their personalities grow and become trusting ❤️ It’s amazing watching the happiness & smiles from everyone around, truly dedicated to saving dogs. I have since moved to my home state of Kentucky and am starting a second location of Adoption First Animal Rescue.
|
|
Breanna PerryMy journey with adoption first started when we adopted "Sun" now Khaleesi December 3rd of 2016. My dog of 13 years passed away on our move across country on June 8th 2016 so I had been looking to fill the giant hole he left. She was the perfect fit and while fiesty she loved playing with dogs. I saw a post on the Facebook page asking for temporary fosters in March of 2017 and decided to take in my first foster. I LOVED it! It spiraled after that! I asked Staci what I could do to be more involved and started doing all the vetting around September 2017. It continues to spiral as I seem to get deeper and deeper daily but I can say I have truly found my passion. I have worked with animals all my life and this is the most rewarding "job" I've ever had!
|
|
Val BurrolaI have been a foster with Adoption First since 2014. Caring for these incredible souls makes everything worth it. Some days are heartbreaking but watching a scared dog become confident and free from previous pain is the best thing anyone could experience. I love being part of this rescue family.
|
|
Catalina Kesler
I am an active duty Marine and when I was stationed in Jacksonville, NC I was a volunteer at the local animal shelter. I became involved with AFAR when Staci helped me pull a dog from the local shelter that was at risk of being euthanized because he was so stressed at the rescue he could not pass his personality test. After AFAR saved my beautiful boy Tank, I became a regular volunteer and foster for them. Aside from the enjoyment of giving dogs an opportunity for a better life, I immensely enjoyed the human connections that AFAR enables its volunteers to forge. I made life long friends through AFAR and I know other volunteers have done as well. After volunteering for almost three years, I humbly accepted the opportunity to become a board member for AFAR so that I can help make a bigger impact in the lives of dogs that need our help and the families that choose Adoption First when growing their family with a four legged fur baby.
|