Marie Parks

Marie Parks joined The Heritage Humane Society volunteer program in July 2023. She jumped in with both feet helping with morning cleaning three days a week and helping to walk our dogs three to five days a week. One can definitely say Marie is committed to the care of our animals.

Below are some words from Marie Parks:

I grew up in and around Greensboro NC.  I taught elementary school for 44 years and raised 2 sons in Williamsburg. They grew up in the CW Fife and Drum and now play the fife for the Army. I retired in 2023 and now play grandma. I enjoy gardening and baking.

How did you find Heritage Humane Society?  We adopted 2 kittens from HHS in 2000 and I remembered that as a wonderful experience. My love of animals came at an early age because my father raised beagles and I had a great role model for how to treat animals. We also took in animals that needed to be rehomed so we always had dogs and cats around the house. When I retired last year I knew I wanted to volunteer doing something with animals.   

What are the most rewarding aspects of volunteering? The warm feeling I get when I take a dog outside in the fresh air and watch them sniff the air. The feeling of satisfaction when I give them a clean space to live in. And the good feeling when I look on my step counter after one shift at HHS and see I already have 10000 steps!

What advice would you give someone thinking of volunteering at an animal shelter? I would tell them to take it seriously because the animals and staff are depending on you. The volunteering aspect at HHS is like dominoes-if the dishes are not done, the animals don’t have anything to eat in, if the laundry is not done the animals do not have clean bedding, and if the dogs are not walked or the cats are not cared for they suffer. Those are a lot of extra responsibilities that volunteers can do to give the staff more time with the animals.