Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Week of 7/17/16 Humane Happenings

by Eliana Aubin

Lorena and her daughter, Sophia
 49 years old Lorena passed away suddenly very recently. She was a remarkable individual, with a zest for clean and healthy living and a passion for animals that everyone who knew her well respected and admired her for.  Lorena became actively involved with the Sierra County Humane Society in 1990, while she was finishing her college education in Las Cruces, NM. That’s when she decided that she could help make a real difference for companion animals by doing her part as we were getting an animal welfare organization off the ground amidst strong opposition from uninformed and narrow-minded local folks.  

As one of its very first Life Members, Lorena started helping out with a number of fundraising events, such as the organization’s Annual Have-a-Heart dinner dances, also its gigantic semi-yearly yard sales, among others. Soon after Paws & Claws Thrift Shoppe had opened for business in 1997, she made a point to help out in any way she could there, as she was starting to make a living while raising her small baby girl as a new single mom.  She started and developed an internet store to benefit the organization, utilizing some of the most unique and searched-after items donated at the store.  

At some time, Lorena relocated to North Carolina with her beloved young daughter, to take advantage of a career opportunity not available locally. Still, she stayed involved in our animal welfare organization, always there to help out, this time as a member of the Advisory Board.  Lorena’s life was cut short at the peak of her career and of her life, but her memory will live on forever. 

To honor this remarkable individual whose passion for animals was overshadowed only by her passion for her little girl and her determination to live a life that truly mattered, Lorena’s family is inviting those whose lives she touched to make a donations to Desert Haven Animal Refuge, the sanctuary that Lorena helped get off the ground and then made a point to involve her very young daughter Sophia in supporting it and making it an integral part of their lives over the years. 

Desert Haven is open to visitors every Tuesday, from 9 AM to 4 PM.  Contact us at 575-894-2639 and weR4pets@gmail.com.  Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com, www.Facebook.com/DesertHavenAnimalRefuge and www.Facebook.com/PawsnClawsThriftShoppe.  We can also be reached at PO Box 638, Williamsburg, NM 87942