It’s been a bittersweet time for KD this past month due to our beloved Board Member & friend, Lisa Loyd, stepping down from KD to live out her dreams in Washington state.
Lisa had been with us from the very beginning & to say we are going to miss her dearly is a massive understatement. Not only was she a pleasure to work with, but always very kind & giving & one of the most level headed you could ever meet. She always put her best foot forward & shared her time so freely with us in effort to continue our mission.
Lisa is absolutely impossible to replace, but we’re so elated that she gets to do what very few can, which is to live in a place where she finds true & ultimate happiness!!!
TO LISA LOYD, WITH LOVE
Dear Lisa,
I remember when you PM’d the old Kitty Devore page – back when we were set up as an account during the first 6 months of being officially operational. You inquired about fostering with the possibility to adopt. Back then, we had no website so the online foster application was a thing that was two years into the future. Instead, you submitted your application via PM… and in that old locked account, your application is still there.
You joined our crazy little rescue team back then and immediately began fostering. Ginger, later renamed Princess, was the first. There were many more to follow. A few were FIV+ kitties. One was a very special girl named Racecar – who went on to have an entire Examiner story written about her. I never doubted the care each kitty who found his or her way into your care would receive anything but the very best… and would each have fabulous photos taken of them thanks to your amazing photographic eye.
The first time I had the pleasure of meeting you, I was amazed at how tiny you were – and how beautiful. Soft spoken yet determined and empassioned, kind, intelligent and so warm and pleasant to be around. It was our first Homeward Bound event. I was so happy to meet you and so glad you were there.
A year later, you volunteered to assist Michelle Parlato with the Petfinder listings and, when Michelle took her leave of this position, you embraced it as your own and went on to manage it entirely. What people may not know is how many potential adopters you’ve interacted with over the last few years and how many kitties owe a debt of gratitude to you for the assistance you provided in helping them find their forever homes. Potential adopters who may have wanted one kitty but, knowing that kitty might not suit, you suggested one or two others that would in order to up the chances of a more harmonious match. Many of us agreed you had a gift in this respect.
When the Board was created, as Petfinder Manager, you became and integral member. Never one for drama, you tended to keep your piece unless you felt especially moved to voice your well thought out and well considered perspective or if your voice was needed for a vote. Your suggestions were always solid and positive. Your opinions and insight, always thoughtful and to the point.
There were also numerous behind the scenes situations you assisted with that we might not have been able to pull off if not for your generosity of time, energy and resources. I know one of those situations in particular was especially distressing but, thanks to you, we were able to re-rescue several kitties out of a bad foster situation and get them into better placements and provide them with the opportunity to be adopted rather than languish unseen.
On a personal note, your kind and encouraging words during an especially challenging time a couple years back are ones I will never forget – nor will I ever forget your friendship and loyalty when I needed it the most. Thank you so much – more than I can even begin to express.
Not too long ago, when you shared with me that you, your husband and the kitties were going to be relocating to Washington to live closer to nature and with more space to breathe, I knew there was a possibility you’d be leaving us even though it was not expressly stated at the time. So when you wrote in to Lauren and I earlier this week to let us know the moving date was looming and that you would be taking your leave from the Board as well as the position of Petfinder Manager that you so adeptly managed so well, I was not surprised… but I was sad.
Lisa, we are going to miss you SO much! You are an absolutely amazing woman on so many levels – beautiful, kind, loving, caring, compassionate, skilled, intelligent, strong, wise. You will always be part of the heart of KD and I know I am not alone in wishing you the very, very best and a life better than you have experienced thus far in Washington.
We love you so much, Lisa!!!
XOXO
Nae
Are you interested in volunteering with KD?
We are always in need of volunteers to donate their time to our cause by fostering, assisting with big adoption events, pulling, transporting, etc.
If working with KD sounds like something for you head on over to our website and fill out an application today!