In 2006, Morden's Laurie Magotiaux and her daughter Krista started volunteering at the Pembina Valley Humane Society (PVHS) as dog walkers for school credit. Nine years later, Laurie became a board member and served another 7 years. Recently, Magotiaux decided it was time to slow down and shift priorities to being a grandma, and stepped down from the board.

However, the board members had another idea.

"When Holly Thorne and Audrey Wiebe approached me with the opportunity of being an Honorary Board Member (for life), I was over the moon," said Magotiaux. "It gave me a chance to stay active with the Board, but not. Essentially, I will be there for the Board if they have any need for a historical perspective, or have any questions about a volunteer position or policy."

Public Relations Chair Holly Thorne explained how the decision came about.

"We stopped and we thought about it and we were like, 'Honestly, aboard at the Pembina Valley Humane Society without Laurie, there is no board that I want to be part of.' So, we made the decision to create an Honorary Board member For Life position for Laurie. Her dedication and her years of service and the passion she has for animals, it was just the perfect way to honour somebody who gave so much of their heart and soul to the animals at the Humane Society. We're really excited that she's still going to be part of a team, even if it's in an honorary role."

It's easy to see why Magotiaux still plans to stay connected to PVHS, as most of her sharing centred around why others should be a part of the organization, and singing the praises of the work that has been done and will be done.

"We had a program where a volunteer would take an animal to Tabor Home and visit with the folks there, and going into the school, teaching kids about dogs. It'll be nice to get that going again. I'd like to work with the Education Chair. There's a program that came to my attention with moms and tots and teaching kids at a young age how to approach dogs and get them feeling comfortable around animals. There are so many things that are of interest to me, so I was so glad to be able to keep at it."

Magotiaux recalled her time as a foster home for dogs awaiting placement, often finding homes for them with family and friends.

"When we ran out of family and friends, we had a dog named Sal, and he pulled at our heartstrings. He had a problem with food guarding, and we worked with him day after day after day, and got him through that, and found a lovely family for him. We've actually visited him in his home since he was adopted and he's doing well."

Magotiaux added another memory that speaks to what kept her volunteering in some capacity, even when she was a volunteer board member. She noted it's good for board members to still be involved as much as possible in some way, if they can, to stay connected to the work and the people doing the work.

"When I was a shift leader on the evening shift on Sunday, I had just a wide variety of characters working with me and I just loved it. We worked as a team, got it done, and enjoyed it. We often hung around after and just sat where the animals played with them in the backyard, just because we enjoyed being there. It's definitely a family atmosphere, one of the things that attracted me and have kept me there for so long."

Magotiaux encouraged anyone who loves animals and wants to volunteer in animal care, fundraising or becoming a sponsor to support the PVHS. You can find more information on the PHHS website.