Volunteer Spotlight: Melissa Ziberna
After spending years in corporate America Melissa Ziberna found out that her true calling was helping animals.
Ziberna, a Senior Director of Risk Management at Bally Total Fitness always wanted to give back, but the job, family commitments and lack of time prevented her from diving in. Finally, in January, Ziberna decided, “it was now or never, bit the bullet, and went part-time at my job so I could pursue this next phase in my life.”
Ten months later, Ziberna is happier than she’s ever been, volunteering four days a week at PAWS Chicago. Rescuing animals is nothing new to Ziberna, whose two beloved cats; Jeremiah and Sammy NO are both rescues.
“It is difficult not to take this personally, and to see the dear little creature back again in search of a family. But as Robin likes to remind me, it is just not the right home for them, PAWS will take care of them and they will all eventually make that perfect match.”
Ziberna started at PAWS Chicago in Kitty City (where all the cats in the Adoption and Humane Center reside) cleaning up, helping potential adopters and greeting newcomers. She quickly moved on to Dog Town, where she cared for, socialized and walked the dogs. But she wanted more responsibility. She began working on new volunteer orientations, eventually finding her niche as an adoption counselor.
Ziberna explains that this was the first time she ever felt that she was really making a difference in animals’ lives. “Truly, the first time I completed my first adoption on my own, I felt a part of the process, a part of the whole,” says Ziberna. “I am still going strong being an adoption counselor, and am about to lend a hand to the head of the adoption program”. Today, the adoption events are her favorite part of working at PAWS Chicago.
The animals themselves top the lists of both her favorite things and the hardest parts of volunteering. Ziberna describes three of her favorites – a dog, Missy, who reminded her of her long-deceased, and beloved German shepherd; a blind cat named Sheridan; and the fat-and-sassy cat, Shakespeare. The drawbacks of volunteering, she insists, are few and far between, but Ziberna says the hardest part of her work is “…when an adoption does not work out and the animal is returned.”
Her eyes tear up as she describes the most difficult area of adoption counseling.
“It is difficult not to take this personally, and to see the dear little creature back again in search of a family. But as Robin likes to remind me, it is just not the right home for them, PAWS will take care of them and they will all eventually make that perfect match.”
When Melissa isn’t dedicating herself to PAWS Chicago, she loves spending time with her husband and working out at the gym. Ziberna also loves spending time with the people at PAWS Chicago, who she describes as exceedingly talented, and who’ve made a conscious decision to follow their passion to help animals.
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- Volunteer Spotlight: Patty Smith
- PAWS Profile: Deborah Chapman
- PAWS Profile: Lynne Styles
- PAWS Profile: Susan Robinson
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