Valerie joined the Austin Animal Center volunteer team in April of 2023 and quickly found her niche in making connections. She loves the variety of volunteer work, but finds the most joy in two key areas: helping people find their perfect feline companion and socializing the shy ones.

<aside> 💬

“I especially like helping to match people with just the right cat or kitten, and I love working with the spicy kittens to help them come out of their shells.”

</aside>

As a mentor, Valerie enjoys teaching other volunteers the art of the meet-and-greet. She guides them on how to help potential adopters connect with cats and what kinds of questions to ask to ensure every adoption is a good fit.

Though she doesn’t wear them at the shelter, Valerie has always loved flip-flops and owns many, many pairs!