Congratulations to Katrina, our volunteer of the month. Volunteer Services manager Michele Gingras says, “Katrina is in her element at Shea.” With only one year of Shea volunteer service, Katrina checks all the lesson volunteering boxes.

Why we love her: Katrina was a frequent leader for our summer camps, works in the grain room each week to fill grain/supplement bags for each horse, fills hay balls, and helps put horses on and take them off the Euro-walker, our ‘treadmill’ which provides daily exercise for the herd. She volunteers for special events and serves in client lessons as a sidewalker or leader; she can encourage Oakley into a nice, forward walk during lessons!

Road to The Shea Center: Katrina’s stepson Mark has been a Saturday morning volunteer, working with client Paul Fischer, for almost two years. When Katrina heard Mark talk about his volunteering, she was on board: “I signed up for training and fell in love.”

Years of Service: Katrina started volunteering in October 2022.

Lessons learned: “Gratitude. I’m grateful every day I get to go to the barn for my health and family.”

Favorite Shea Center memories: “This has been a year of firsts for me, and so many wonderful firsts. There are too many to choose from, but I have so many memories of laughing with the kids.”

When not at The Shea Center, she can be found doing this: “I can be found at home with my husband of two years and our two Havanese dogs, Jack and Charlie. My love language is positively ‘nurture’.”

She finds her bliss doing this: “I find my bliss in my kitchen or lost in a book.”