The 2024 PAWS Volunteer of the Year is, Virginia Ishler!
Nominations are accepted annually through the end of June. A review team, composed of 1-2 members of the PAWS Board of Directors, the PAWS Operations Team, and the Executive Director, considers all candidates and collectively selects the winner from all of the nominations submitted.
To be eligible for consideration for the Dave Abler Volunteer of the Year Award, the nominee must be a current, active volunteer with PAWS, have a significant depth of involvement with PAWS on a daily basis, and/or spearheaded an effort that was invaluable to the organization, has volunteered with PAWS for 5 or more years and exemplifies the PAWS core values of compassion, generosity, open communication, and responsible practices in their volunteer work
The Volunteer of the Year is awarded a brick in the PAWS Memorial Patio with their name and year of award, a senior dog and senior cat will have a Guardian Angel awarded in the winner’s name and they are featured on the PAWS website and in upcoming social media and email newsletters.
Ginny is the PAWS Dog Foster Coordinator and works very closely with our dog volunteers, fosters, and operations staff. Ginny also serves as a PAWS Board member. Her nominator said, "I witness Ginny exhibiting all of the PAWS core values. She shows compassion for dogs who are struggling in kennel by seeking fosters who can meet their considerations. She also displays compassion for care volunteers who strive to adequately tend to struggling dogs and for fosters who need breaks. She is generous with her time, as coordinating fosters is a near-daily responsibility. Her regular messages between fosters, staff, and care volunteers display open communication. She practices responsibility in finding the right foster home for each dog...Ginny’s dedication to her work at PAWS allows care volunteers and staff to better perform their own work on behalf of all our dogs. Every volunteer makes a difference to the dogs, cats, and people in Centre County, and Ginny’s impact to the mission of PAWS is extraordinary."