The heart behind Gimme Shelter.

Still saving lives — just doing it differently now.

If you asked anyone who’s known me longer than five minutes, they’d tell you I’ve been rescuing animals since birth. It wasn’t a career I chose, it was a calling that chose me. I started scooping up strays as a kid, I even came home with a chicken to our very burb home. ha  Of course I was destined to start a non-profit animal rescue organization, saving countless lives over the years; rescue has been my heartbeat.

But let’s be honest: the COVID fallout broke a lot of us. The dumping. The neglect. The endless stream of pain paired with an ugly lack of accountability. At some point, my heart couldn’t take it anymore. Humanity disappointed me in a way I didn’t see coming, and it dimmed the light I once poured so freely into fostering and rehoming.

So, I took a step back. Not from compassion, I’ll always advocate, support, and fight for animals, it but from the never-ending chaos of crisis mode.

Now, I’m focused on reimagining what rescue looks like. It might not be in the form of crates and transport runs anymore, but through community action, creative service, and conscious giving. I’m still here. Just leading with a different kind of light.

We relocated to the North Georgia mountains 3 years ago and couldn't be more elated with our new lifestyle. My amazing, supportive husband, Terrill, our nine dogs, 50+ semi-tame deer, six (maybe seven?) feral cats, fox, bear, chipmunks, squirrels, and a daily menagerie of gorgeous birds that remind me what real beauty looks and sounds like.

But not everyone here gets to fully experience that beauty. This is a small town with a big heart, and a lot of people are underemployed, overwhelmed, and underserved. So my mission now is to be of service in new ways. Through design, community work, or funding emergency vet care for pets whose humans are just trying to get by,  I’m here for the misfits, the left-behind, and the voiceless. Still saving lives. Just doing it a little differently now.