Stephen Kiraly
“It’s a lot of fun, it’s fulfilling, you meet a lot of new friends, and you get to play with all the animals!” says Stephen.
While Stephen has a PAWS Chicago dog of his own at home, having a pet is not a requirement to volunteer at PAWS. In his opinion, not having pets at home is even more of a reason to become a volunteer. Stephen began volunteering at PAWS in 2017 before adopting Harvey in August 2020.
“I didn’t have an ideal profile for a dog owner—I worked a lot and had many other commitments—but volunteering was a flexible way for me to spend time with animals and contribute to the PAWS mission,” says Stephen.
Stephen has been a PAWS Chicago volunteer for eight years and during that time, his love of animals has only grown.
“Animals are inherently powerless, and they need us as their advocates. And I appreciate the special joy that animals bring us—our pets accept our weird personalities, our flaws, our mistakes—and they’re always willing to accept everything that we are and remain loyal to us,” says Stephen.
Stephen has had additional training to help dogs that need special handling at the Medical Center. He also saw the transformation of our Medical Center firsthand during our renovations a few years ago.
“I remember the excitement in 2019 when the redesign project began at the Medical Center, and each week the excitement would grow as we’d see this new, awesome building taking shape. We couldn’t believe how incredible it was going to be, or that it was going to be our new home,” says Stephen.
In addition to helping pets, Stephen helps our new volunteers as a mentor and teaches New Volunteer Orientation classes. Stephen also volunteers as an adoption counselor at our Adoption Center, drives our transport van, and works at special events throughout the year.
“They’re all fun and all my favorites for different reasons! There are countless things to do as a volunteer, and you should try as many as possible,” says Stephen.
Ready to discover all the ways you can volunteer at PAWS?