VANESSA JOWELL
Name:
Vanessa Jowell
Occupation:
Stay-home mom/house manager. (Used to be a Neonatal Intensive Care RN for Sutter.).
Birthplace:
Oxford, England
About my family:
Dave (husband of 15 years); sons: Luke (9 years old and fellow cat lover), Dylan (7 years old great at art), and Jacen (2 years old, future NFL player or World Wrestler!) All three boys are born in December within a week of each other and they LOVE to read! Luke and Dylan are green belts in Karate and are joining the "Black Belt Club" this month. They both are swimmers on the Broadstone Barracudas Swim Team. Luke plays baseball and Dylan plays soccer. You can imagine our grocery bills when Jacen joins the action!
Companion animals I share my home with:
Edna, 16-year-old grey and white tabby. She has extra thumbs on her white front paws that look like boxing gloves. In her prime, she would open up kitchen drawers to make a "ladder" to climb onto the counters to search for goodies!
Rascal, a 6-year-old Ragdoll, thinks he is the top dog of the household (he competes with our true dog for scraps under the table!), but really he is the top cat. Wherever my 9-year-old son Luke is snuggled with a blanket and a book, there is Rascal curled up with him!
Moe, a 6-year-old orange and white tabby, was a rescue kitty from a parking lot and he appreciates the simple things in life! My best girlfriend has his calico sister, Pokalina, so that gives the connection even more depth. He is my favorite kitty! I love his spunk and naughtiness. However, he is also very sweet and likes to purr and give me "love bites."
Princess Leia will turn 2 years old on Halloween. She is a white Havanese dog with tan ears. My son Dylan says that she looks like a bagel with cream cheese! She is definitely my GIRL baby and my dog. No matter what my energy is, she matches it. If I want a long walk, she is right there at my side. If I need to curl up on the couch in sickness or exhaustion, she is laying on my legs to keep me warm!
Favorite hobbies:
Reading, walking, gardening.
Favorite foods:
Ooooo, this is a hard one! Indian food and sushi are high on the list! I also love brie and dark chocolate-covered pretzels from Trader Joes! But truly, my list could go on and on. I LOVE food!
Favorite movies:
What about Bob?, Office Space, and Milo and Otis.
Favorite TV shows:
Mystery Diagnosis, Jon and Kate Plus 8, and of course many shows on Animal Planet.
Favorite way to relax:
Yoga, or reading a book while snuggled up in the warm sun with a critter on my lap.
Books I'm currently reading:
A Grateful Heart by M. J. Ryan; The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller and Andrea Cagan; and Screamfree Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel
My first job was:
Babysitting for a family with two boys when I was in high school. And my first "real" job was at a bagel store in Santa Barbara.
Job (besides my own) I'd most like to try:
Zookeeper working with big animals (especially elephants).
I play the following musical instrument:
Recorder (at Christmas). I use to play the violin, viola, and oboe while growing up and into high school.
Most-extreme sport or activity I've tried:
Waterskiing
Country in the world I'd most like to visit, and why:
Alaska. I've heard it is a beautiful adventure with lots of nature and wildlife.
My idea of a perfect vacation:
Hiking or relaxing in a lush rain forest with a babbling creek nearby.
Most surprising fact about me:
I met my one and only as a freshman in high school 21 years ago, and we've been married for 15 years! He's my bestest friend.
Causes or issues that matter most to me:
Protecting the innocence of children and animals, beings that depend on us.
Current volunteer role with FFR:
Making initial contact and following up with new volunteers. From time to time I help with some part of the newsletter mailing process.
Why I decided to volunteer with FFR:
I was excited by LapCats because it reminded me of the organization I volunteered with in high school, taking a variety of animals (even a tissue-eating goat!) to retirement homes and children's hospitals. It is amazing how unbiased and forgiving animals are!
What I like best about volunteering with FFR:
Many things! I like being part of an organization that believes in and stands for the overall well-being of the kitties. FFR doesn't just treat symptoms. FFR works on underlying causes, such as spaying/neutering to prevent overpopulation. I like that FFR doesn't just find a place to "dump" the kitties, but rather holds new homes to important standards that give the cats the best possible life. I like that we never disown a kitty. Last, but not least, I like knowing that anything I do, big or small, makes a difference in the life of a feline.
A favorite story about my volunteer experience:
I will never forget a special resident at Fountainwood Assisted Living, who simply came to life when we brought the kitties in for a visit with the LapCats Special Care program. He could barely move his arms, and yet even with his "weak" side, he managed to stroke the cats so gently. It was amazingly touching to witness a purring kitty settle into his lap, and I could actually see a sparkle emerge in this gentleman's eyes! (sigh) OK, I also have to mention one time when I worked an adoption event and I witnessed a little kitten "choose" her owner. Although usually a shaky little critter crying away, this time the kitten crawled up the woman's sweater and curled up under her chin purring away. There is nothing like love at first sight!
Other community groups/activities (besides FFR) I'm involved with:
I help when I can with my church activities and in my two older sons' classrooms.
Advice I have for other people wanting to volunteer:
You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly an even small contribution of time can positively affect the outcome and well-being of our much-loved feline creatures! Volunteering for FFR can be as solitary as licking envelopes or as social as adoption events, trappings, holiday parties, etc! Whatever your style, availability, or desire, FFR has a place for you, and you have a place in the heart and purr of a kitty! 