BC SPCA Kamloops Branch staff member wins award of excellence

May 30, 2011. For immediate release.

Whether it’s rescuing animals from raging wildfires or finding herself pulled around the Kamloops shelter by a large dog, BC SPCA staffer Sarah Gerow always lends a hand to an animal in need. The 10-year veteran in animal care rescue was honoured with a BC SPCA Staff Excellence Award at a special ceremony held in Vancouver May 28.

Ms. Gerow has given the BC SPCA 12 years of service, initially spending two years volunteering at the Kamloops Branch. Just a few years into her employment, she played a prominent role in the 2003 “Barrier Fires” that devastated the region. “Sarah is the kind of person who jumps in with both feet — it doesn’t matter what it is,” says Charleen Holloway, Kamloops Branch manager.

Gerow plays a key role at the branch, organizing special events, coordinating volunteer recognition, leading educational outreach, and has acted as interim manager for the BC SPCA’s Sunshine Coast Branch and maintained all shelter operations at the Kamloops branch during a recent management transition last year. This May, she joined the advisory committee of the Thompson Rivers University Animal Health Tech program, the first time the BC SPCA has been invited to participate.

Gerow’s wealth of knowledge and skill level have been invaluable at many key times, says Holloway. Gerow has assisted with staff training at the society’s Shuswap Branch and helped colleagues adjust to rapid change at the busy Kamloops Branch. ”There have been times when the shelter has been overrun with incoming animals but she just rolls with it,” says Holloway. Gerow is also generous with her free time, often doing dog assessments, a time-sensitive and critical task, on her days off. Sarah also volunteers with the spay/neuter clinic and has managed to complete her Bachelor of Science degree while working. “She’s just a remarkable person. She’s patient, understanding, positive, resourceful and compassionate not just with the animals but with her co-workers too. Everyone respects Sarah.”

The BC SPCA Awards Program honours both people and animals who have made outstanding contributions to animal welfare during the past year. Recipients include veterinarians, staff, volunteers and animal heroes. The non-profit BC SPCA cares for nearly 34,000 abused, abandoned, injured and neglected animals each year in British Columbia.

Photo caption: (left to right) BC SPCA Board President Cindy Soules with Sandra Gerow, Kamloops Branch

—30—

For more information:

Lorie Chortyk, general manager, community relations, BC SPCA, 604-647-1316.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.