The trajectory of Samantha Shelton’s life changed on a seemingly normal Wednesday. Standing in her kitchen on Oct. 10, 2001, Shelton glanced outside her window and saw a mother cat and her three kittens.
Without knowing where the cats came from and after learning the cats would be euthanized if she took them to a shelter, Shelton immediately knew she had to help the animals and sprung into action.
She left her corporate job after Sept. 11 and ran towards her newfound calling, which would become a remarkable journey of launching and expanding her nonprofit Furkids.
“It changed my life,” Shelton said. “That moment. And I guess I get teary-eyed because it comes from a place of gratitude that I get to do what I love every day and what I’m passionate about.”
Since then, Shelton and Furkids have changed the lives of more than 65,000 dogs and cats. Furkids is the largest cage-free, no-kill shelter for cats and dogs in the Southeast. With its team of employees and volunteers across metro Atlanta, the organization provides many services and opportunities, including fostering, adoptions, volunteering and donating.
“I love meeting new people that can lend their skills and talents to the organization to help us save more lives,” she said.
Renée Jensrud works as a fundraising and nonprofit consultant and has known Shelton since 2019. Jensrud describes Shelton as passionate, a big-picture thinker, and a connector.
“What she’s done [with Furkids] and her vision for it is really, I think, very special,” Jensrud said. “I don’t know that anyone could see this vision before Sam rolled it out as a vision.”
Jensrud also noted that Shelton takes so much of the load onto her shoulders and her method of getting things done, while not always the most traditional, led to the Furkids achievements we see today. As CEO, Shelton takes a hands-on approach.
“She had this vision and she’s like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to get to the end, but we’re gonna get there,” Jensrud said.
Shelton’s role as CEO means dreaming and envisioning the next steps for the organization and communicating the vision with her team. She raises the funds to make these dreams attainable.
Furkids is building the new Sutherland Dog Shelter and the Giaquinto Medical Center on the headquarters’ property in Cumming, Ga.
With the addition of the new medical center, Shelton expressed how important it is for Furkids to take in any animal, no matter their medical condition. The newly built cat shelter hosts separate rooms for cats with Feline Immunodeficient Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), diseases that cats can live with but still frequently get euthanized for.
FIV is an infectious disease for cats that acts similarly to HIV in humans, meaning smaller bacteria or infections can cause severe illnesses, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center. FeLV is feline leukemia where, if not treated, can be easily spread among cats.
Furkids will also perform surgeries on animals that may not be deemed worth it by other organizations.
“Right now, as we’re talking, we’ve got a little puppy that’s at UGA, having a very expensive, very dangerous surgery,” Shelton said. “It may or may not make it, but we’re giving it a chance and we’re putting up the $5,000 or $6,000 that it needs for this lifesaving surgery and we’re hoping it’s gonna make it. But I’m drawn to these cases because they don’t stand a chance anywhere else. And if we can do something to save a life, we’re going to do it.”
John and Kay Giaquinto are among Furkids’ largest donors and have become close friends of Shelton. Since Kay became involved 16 years ago, they have donated more than $4 million to Furkids and to Shelton.
“She is Furkids,” John Giaquinto said. “Of course, she’s the founder and now the CEO, so it all lays on her.”
The couple said she develops rapport and connections with anyone involved with the organization.
“When you get to know her, and people are so attracted to her and that’s why people are willing to donate money to this organization,” John said. “They not only believe in the organization and what it does, they also believe in her.”
While Shelton’s work is essential, Furkids thrives from the contributions of the whole team.
“It’s people, every single day it’s people, whether it’s people that choose to volunteer, whether there’s people who choose to adopt, whether there’s people that choose to donate, everything at Furkids is really at the local, local level,” Jensrud said.
Kate Gorman worked as a volunteer with Furkids for 10 years before starting as their marketing consultant two years ago. Her experience seeing the impact that Furkids was making in the community led her to seek a full-time position.
“She really does have a profound impact, even with volunteers and supporters, but she cares deeply for each individual staff member, and it is more to her than a job in unmeasurable ways,” Gorman said. “So, she does go the extra mile in making sure that if there’s anything she can do to make your experience better, she will do it.”
For those interested in volunteering, donating, fostering or adopting an animal at Furkids, go to furkids.org to make a paw-some difference in these animals’ lives.
The Everyday Heroes project is a partnership between Fresh Take Georgia, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other newsrooms in Georgia.
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