Home > Out of the Cage! > June 2005 > Volunteer Spotlight: An Interview with Grace Lerner, Volunteer

Volunteer Spotlight

An Interview with Grace Lerner, Volunteer

If you've seen the 2005 Mayor's Alliance Pet Adoption Festival ads in the New York Daily News, New York Post, and many other local and neighborhood newspapers, then you've seen Grace's handiwork for the Alliance. She designed the ad, and each month adapts it to the specifications for the different publications that carry it. Grace designed the logo screening for the Mayor's Alliance transport van, too. Grace also volunteers with A Cause for Paws, an Alliance Participating Organization (APO) based in Manhattan. Following is an interview Grace recently gave to Out of the Cage!

Tell us about yourself.

I'm a native New Yorker — born and raised in Queens. I moved to Manhattan for college, and now I now live in Park Slope, Brooklyn with my husband Jay and our three cats — Jai, Posey, and Stash. I'm a Senior Art Director at Momentum, an events marketing and promotions agency, where I have worked for more than three years. I've worked in the advertising field for over 11 years. Jay and I enjoy traveling, and we take advantage of the snow up in Vermont to go snowboarding any chance we get.

How would you describe your attitudes toward animals?

Animals have taught me to be a better, more enlightened person. I admire how they view the world through their innocence, intelligence, and spirit. I don't discriminate against any animal either — when people ask me, "Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?" I say, "I'm an animal person." They have also dramatically changed my eating habits. I have been a vegetarian for seven years and haven't bought a leather product in over two years. I also don't buy any products that have been tested on animals.

What prompted you to get involved with rescue animals?

About five years ago I was thinking of volunteering with animals. I would always get literature in the mail asking for donations. I felt like even though my money was helping, I wanted to step up and get more involved and work with the animals directly.

Jay and I used to live across the street from where A Cause for Paws holds its adoption table, and we would stop by every Saturday and Sunday to meet the new animals they had rescued. A Cause for Paws had just started, and was looking for volunteers. That was it for me — I started volunteering right away. It was hard at first — I became very attached to the animals and had a hard time dealing with it all — especially when they got adopted. I had to be able to detach myself from my emotions and realize it was about the animals, not about me. Now I can't imagine not doing this. I can still get attached, especially if I'm working closely with one particular animal, but once he/she is adopted and I receive letters and photos from their adopters on how great they are doing it's worth it all! While I am empathetic towards unfortunate humans, I still feel like they can help themselves. Animals can't. Humans are the cause for this homeless animal problem, and I feel the least we can do is help reverse what we did.

How long have you been involved with A Cause for Paws?

I have been involved for about five years. I started off volunteering at the adoption table and helping out with graphics. I then started taking the lead on any communication aspects and outside A Cause for Paws programs for the group, like placing ads in newspapers, being interviewed for articles, creating calendars that we sold at the end of the year to raise money, and handling all aspects of our membership in the Mayor's Alliance — adoption festivals, monthly stats, etc. I then became a Team Leader, which means I organize volunteers for a particular Sunday we hold our adoption table. (There are 3–4 of us, and we take turns every week). I also took dogs to obedience class, fostered cats, and handled all first correspondence with fosters and volunteers. We have been involved with the Mayor's Alliance since 2003.

How did you first get involved with the Mayor's Alliance?

I just loved what the Mayor's Alliance stood for. When I realized that there were so many other rescue groups, just in NY alone, I couldn't understand why they all weren't getting together to make a difference. Apparently, Jane Hoffman was thinking the same thing. When I first started with A Cause for Paws I thought, "Wow, these people are just like me when it comes to animals." And then when I got A Cause for Paws involved with Mayor's Alliance and started going to the meetings and adoption festivals, I thought the same thing all over again, but on a much larger scale!

What volunteer activities have you engaged in?

A Cause for Paws is involved in most of the adoption festivals and I attend the meetings and some seminars that are given. I have also taken advantage of their list of foster homes. The Mayor's Alliance has always met my expectations. I have never been dissatisfied with anything. I also really enjoy working directly with them in helping create ads for adoption festivals, van wraps, or any other area where I can put my design expertise into action. I think the Mayor's Alliance has given great validity to what all rescue groups have been doing for years and years. It helps get the message out to a wider audience and maybe people will take notice and listen. I just hope that the Mayor's Alliance model will spread to even more cities around the country!

What other current or past volunteer work have you done?

Through my job, I deliver food with God's Love We Deliver, delivering food to people living with AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses.

Tell us about your own companion animals.

We have three cats, Jai, a gorgeous female Siamese mix filled with "cattitude," Posey, a shy (but super affectionate to her mommy and daddy) female brown tabby, and Stash, a crazy, off-the-wall, beyond affectionate, male tuxedo — all A Cause for Paws rescues. They love and rely on each other and us so much. Every time I look at them I can't help but think what their life was like before they adopted us. And I always wonder what goes on in their little walnut sized brains — I know it's a lot more than we think and give them credit for! Jay still can't get over, when he sees me sitting on the floor with one cat in my lap, the other laying at my feet and the other sitting in front of me, that five years ago I was deathly afraid of cats!

Any advice for someone considering volunteering with animals?

Understand that animals, like people, each have their own personalities. Not all cats are lap cats. Not all dogs want to run and play fetch and cuddle on the couch with you. Some animals you will have to really work with but that's where the special relationships begin to grow. It is a truly rewarding experience to have these animals come into your life. You will gain a huge appreciation for all creatures on this planet. And knowing that you are saving their life is a feeling that is unexplainable. You will gain a ton of forever friends.

Anything else you'd like to mention?

Education is so important. When I was a little girl, my mom's friend's cat hissed and swatted at me. That left a huge impression on me. From then on, I was petrified, I mean petrified of cats. No one ever told me why the cat behaved that way, and that not all cats hiss and swat. Any encounter I had with a cat would send shivers down my spine. It wasn't until Jay surprised me with two very energetic kittens that we fostered for ACFP that I started to understand these amazing creatures more fully. Proper animal care and understanding need to be taught in schools and at home. Adults need to be educated as well.

For information about volunteering with the Mayor's Alliance or to complete a volunteer application online, click here. To find out about volunteer opportunities with any of the Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs), click here and select from the list of APOs.