How volunteers from Tierra Del Sol help animals in Los Angeles
By Nicole Hamilton, BestFriends.org
There’s a group of volunteers that can’t wait for their weekly shift to begin at the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Los Angeles, where they do laundry, prepare packets for new adopters and wash dishes. As members of a group working behind the scenes, they play an invaluable role at the center and are helping in a big way to save lives.
These are the volunteers from Tierra Del Sol, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with Down syndrome, autism and other disabilities by teaching skills that will help them reach their potential.
What Tierra Del Sol doesn’t need to teach the volunteers is enthusiasm for helping dogs and cats. That comes naturally for them and it spreads to others whenever they’re at the pet adoption center. In fact, fellow volunteers have been known to change their shifts, just so they can work alongside the group from Tierra Del Sol.
“They are a joy to be around,” says Christine Quesada, volunteer department lead at the center. “And they make our jobs a little easier to do.”
