We would like to wish a very Happy Anniversary to the volunteers who celebrate an anniversary during the month of October:
10/25 – Eileen C., NY Community Outreach Liaison – 4 years
10/30 – Danielle M., Southeast, Southern, and Northwest Region Director / Training Director – 2 years
Victoria Scott serves as our Northeastern Regional Director as well as a Member of the Board of Director’s. She always going above and beyond, accepts additional responsibilities, provides excellent customer service to our clients and Foster Homes plus maintains communication with state level volunteers within her region, provides follow-up on any cases where there may be an issue, maintains open communications with the National office, follows and adheres to the organization’s official policies and processes, and always submits the Volunteer Service Hours and Monthly Activity Reports in a timely manner. She became a volunteer with Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet on December 23, 2009 as the National Grant Writer/Researcher.
When as why she does it, she responded:
“Much of my professional and personal life has involved a natural commitment to community service. Volunteering with Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet provides an opportunity for me to give back to those in need, be they humans or creatures, and to those who put their lives on the line. I have always been a strong supporter of the military and while perusing volunteer opportunities for a chance to work with animals, I came across Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet. I was hooked. Soldiers and pets. Pets and soldiers. What could be better!
Every single foster home placement fills me with tremendous respect and admiration for those who invite the beloved pet of a military service member into their home. I truly believe community service and volunteerism are an investment in our future and the people who live in it. Working with volunteers across the country provides an opportunity to interact with interesting and caring people I would never have met under any other circumstance.
Please respect and support our military and always be kind to animals. People too!”
Thank you Victoria for your continued support, dedication and hard work on behalf of Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet!
Cherie Boudreaux serves as our National Treasurer, Southern Regional Director (including TX Director and the Warriors’ Angels Liaison for San Antonio TX. She goes above and beyond holding multiple positions. In September 2013 she stepped up to fill the role of Warriors’ Angels program Liaison assisting the CEO in establishing the program in and around the San Antonio, TX area. She became volunteer with Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet as the TX Foster Coordination Liaison on September 21, 2011.
When asked why she does what she does, she replied:
“I joined Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet because the organization filled a need no one else had thought of at that time. The fact that I get to assist Veterans facing housing issues strikes home for me because my step-father is a Vietnam Veteran and was homeless for a period of time and had to go through the housing process. It makes me feel like I’m saying thank you in some way every time I am able to help one of our clients.”
Thank you Cherie for all that you do. You serve the organization in so many ways and are a joy to work with!
Volunteers at Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet are the backbone of our organization. We would not be here without the Foster Homes who open their homes to caring for a soldier’s pet… but it is our State, Regional and National Support Teams who make the organization run. They dedicate hours of their time each month to make phone calls, set up appointments, file paperwork, and go out into the community to spread the word about what we do. National Volunteer Recognition Week is April 6-13 and during this time we are going to highlight seven individuals who have gone above and beyond in 2013 for Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet. It is our way of shinning the spotlight on their achievements, actions and accomplishments. To start things off, let us tell you about Heather O’Brien…
Heather O’Brien is the organization’s Central and Northwest Regional Directors. She always goes above and beyond, accepts additional responsibilities, provides excellent customer service to our clients and Foster Homes plus maintains communication with state level volunteers within her two regions (Central and NW). She follow-ups on any cases where there may be an issue, maintains open communications with the National office, follows and adheres to the organization’s official policies and processes, and always submits the Volunteer Service Hours and Monthly Activity Reports in a timely manner. She has been a state level volunteer a few years ago, left for personal reasons and then returned as a volunteer with Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet as the IA Foster Coordination Liaison on August 16, 2012 and then last year moved up to Regional Director.
We asked Heather, why she decided to volunteer with the organization, and this is what she said:
“I joined the organization because of my love for animals and my respect for the military instilled in me by my father who volunteered for two deployments to Vietnam during the Vietnam War with the Marines as a radioman. The organization has allowed me to put these two items together to help the military and their pets.”
Thank you Heather for your time, dedication, continued efforts and passion towards the organization. You are a wonderful team member and we thank you for all that you do.
Gatesville, TX, April 1, 2014 – Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet© announces that as of April 1, 2014, their affiliated Minnesota Chapter 32 has filed an intent to “dissolve the chapter” documentation with the MN State Attorney General and will no longer be conducting business in the state.
Due to lack of military activity in the state and support volunteer resources in the state, the MN Chapter 32 Board of Directors voted to start the process to dissolve the chapter. The administration of the foster home program is being transitioned backed to Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet’s National Office with the Central Region Director, Heather O’Brien, handling the day-to-day coordination efforts of the program.
About Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet©:
An ALL volunteer 501c3 Military and Veterans Support Organization supporting our active duty military, wounded warriors, veterans, and their beloved companion animals with programs to ensure these beloved pets are reunited with their owners following a deployment (combat or peacekeeping or humanitarian mission) and/or an unforeseen medical and/or homeless hardship. Also supporting our service members and veterans diagnosed with PTSD needing a specially trained assistance canine enhancing the service member/veteran’s quality of life.
Learn more at www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org and follow our story on our blog, https://tailsfromthefrontline.wordpress.com
Media Inquiries: media@guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org
Congratulations to Heather (Central Regional Director) and Matthew (Central Region Admin Assistant) on their newest family member, Aiden!
All volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit military and veteran service organization cares for military and veterans’ companion pets.
Gatesville, TX, January 17, 2013 – In continuning with the development of the new Regional Director model the organization has previously announced, we are pleased to announce that Courtney Hilborn has accepted the role of Northwest Regional Director. Initially the states assigned to the Northwest region are California, Oregon, and Washington . As needed or defined additional states will be added to the Northwest Region.
Courtney’s role as Northwest Regional Director is to act as liaison between the states in the region and our National office in Texas. In addition where we currently do not have a coordination volunteer covering such states, she will act as the coordination volunteer until we have a coordination covering the state in the region.
We greatly appreciate Courtney being able to accept the Northwest Regional Director role as we continue to streamline things to assist our active duty military service members, wounded warriors, and veterans in an efficient, timely, and professional manner.
Our Regional Directors, State Directors, and our Foster Coordination Liaisons are the backbone of our organization as they are the ones on the front lines as representatives of the organization with our clients, their pets, volunteers who have registered with us as potential foster homes, and volunteers who are fostering (Guardian Angels) specific beloved pets so the pets can be reunited with their owner following a deployment or medical/homeless related hardship situation.
Even though it seems deployments related to combat missions are winding down, there are and always will be deployments related to peace-keeping and humanitarian missions, so we will still be assisting in those deployments, plus to be there for those enrolled with the “Warrior Transition Unit/BN (WTU or WTB) military groups involved with medial related transitioning back to the civilian world and our homeless veterans getting the hand up they need via the official “Homeless Transition Programs” so their beloved pets can be reunited with them following completion of the above programs.
About Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet©:
ALL volunteer 501c3 nonprofit “Military & Veterans Service Organization” (MVSO) supporting our active duty Military, Wounded Warriors, homeless Veterans, and their beloved Pets to ensure the pets are reunited with their owners following a deployment related to a combat or peace-keeping or humanitarian mission or unforeseen medical and/or homeless hardship situation through various programs, services, and capital projects. For more information about who we are, our programs/projects, and ways to help, visit www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org
Media Inquiries: mediarelations@guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org
All volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit military and veteran service organization cares for military and veterans’ companion pets.
Gatesville, TX, January 8, 2013 – Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet© announces organizational changes to better serve and assist the military communities around the country with the addition of the Regional Director volunteer position.
This new role was established to provide additional assistance and guidance to our state level coordination volunteers currently in place plus oversee the efforts within the states assigned to a specific region.
In addition, the Regional Directors will act as a liaison between the State Support Teams in their respective region and the organization’s National Office plus the National Staff, providing a higher level of service to our Clients, their beloved furbabies, foster home volunteers plus our state level volunteers across the country.
The newly appointed Regional Directors for the organization are as follows:
Central Region: Heather O’Brien
Covering: IA, KS, NE, ND, and SD
Southern Region: Cherie Boudreaux
Covering: AZ, LA, NM, and TX
Southeastern Region: Shawna Michaud
Covering: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, NC, SC, and TN
Eastern Region: JoAnn Pilston
Covering: DE, NJ, PA, WV
About Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet©:
ALL volunteer 501c3 nonprofit “Military & Veterans Service Organization” (MVSO) supporting our active duty Military, Wounded Warriors, homeless Veterans, and their beloved Pets to ensure the pets are reunited with their owners following a deployment related to a combat or peace-keeping or humanitarian mission or unforeseen medical and/or homeless hardship situation through various programs, services, and capital projects. For more information about who we are, our programs/projects, and ways to help, visit www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org
Media Inquiries: mediarelations@guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org
Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pet
Kristen Lucarelli
Tails from the Front Line 