Animal Humane Society Volunteer Recognized for 25 Years of Service
In order for nonprofits like the Animal Humane Society to function, it requires a lot of hands-on-deck. Including those who come to the Golden Valley shelter without taking on a salary.
“Our volunteers are kind of an addition to our paid staff,” said Joey Babay, foster coordinator at the Animal Humane Society (AHS). “They take on so many different roles in so many different areas.”
There are now more than a thousand volunteers who help at the AHS, but there are few who can say they’ve done it as long as Joan Corbett.
“Well, on record, it’s 25 years. But it’s been more than that, I think,” said Corbett.
The former social worker has a knack for giving back. In her 25 years of volunteer service, she’s worked in a number of different roles. But there’s been one constant — she only works with dogs.
“I believe having a dog is a privilege, and it’s a wonderful relationship. They love you no matter what,” said Corbett, of Minneapolis. “So to be part of that, to see a nice family go home with a lovely dog, it’s just a wonderful feeling.”
Corbett has turned into somewhat of an animal whisperer over the years. She still helps to walk the dogs for their daily dose of exercise, but she recently took on a much larger role — working with pups who aren’t quite ready for the adoption floor.
“So my job initially is to say, ‘hey, this is a safe place for you, and we’re kind,’ and see if we can change their mind enough about, you know, the way the world works. And that takes a lot of patience,” she said.
Joan Corbett, a longtime volunteer at the Animal Humane Society, works to comfort a dog that’s not quite ready for the adoption floor.
Her patience was on full display as she calmly sat with a dog who’s skittish around people. This is her routine every Thursday. She spends about three hours working to comfort various dogs.
“[Corbett] likes not just the animals but the people that she’s working with,” said Babay. “She understands what our mission is and supports that. So those are the important things.”
Corbett will turn 70 in January and even after 25 years, she said she’s not stopping anytime soon.
“I hope somebody who’s watching this sees me as a 70-year-old with gray hair and says, ‘well, if she could do it. I can do it,'” said Corbett.
Corbett is the longest-acting volunteer at the Animal Humane Society. Over those 25 years, she’s put in more than 1,600 hours.
Related: Animal Humane Society Receives $1.1 Million for Low-Cost Vet Care
