Pet Lover Puts Animal Project On Day Of Service Roster

LITTLETON, Colo (CBS4) - Coloradans love their pets, which is why one animal lover created a project to help pets for Xcel Energy's Day of Service.

"I've always loved animals," said Kathy Gade, a cat owner.

She told CBS4 that she could spend all day in the cat room at the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley.

"They're just my favorite, although I love dogs too," she explained.

Gade said that she can't bring any more cats home, so now she's spearheading an effort to help the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley.

"This is a passion of mine," she added.

Gade is a senior HR Generalist at Xcel Energy. She's also volunteered for the company's Day of Service over the years.

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"Each year, I kept looking at the list and saying, 'When is there going to be an animal shelter added to the list?' and there never was," she told CBS4.

When she couldn't find an animal project, she created one. Now she's the team leader for 110 volunteers.

"There's a lot that needs to be accomplished in a very short period of time," Gade explained.

She laid out all the available jobs on a board, and uses stickers to organize the workers.

"They want to walk dogs, so we try to accommodate that. Everyone is going to have a chance to walk a dog if they want to," she said.

This is the second year that the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley has participated in Day of Service, and staff welcomes the influx of help.

"We have had a few people who have become regular volunteers since the Day of Service last year, and we're excited to gain new volunteers," said Linzi Garcia, the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley.

Gade hopes that a good experience during Day of Service will inspire the community, just like she's inspired.

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"I am just very proud that I work for Xcel Energy, and that they do this Day of Service."