Last month, we celebrated Women’s History Month by featuring some of the incredible women who have played a key role in the history of our organization.
As a young child, Hope Lowry was known for taking in stray animals off the street. She was passionate about helping animals that had little hope of finding a home. She would push her mother’s wheelchair door to door asking for donations to help nurse animals back to health before finding their forever homes. She was a trailblazer and a force to be reckoned with when she founded the Lenawee Humane Society in 1921.
Edith Holmes was a great supporter of Lenawee Humane Society, serving on the board of directors for a period of time, participating in our many fundraisers, with the Howl-O-Ween Ball being her favorite.
She even made it her mission to win the bid on our van wrap in the live auction so she could spotlight her best friend Morley, her beloved pitbull, on the side of our van.
Edith volunteered her time and talents at Lenawee Humane Society right up until she passed in 2017. She was a very caring and giving person to many people and causes. Her passion for dogs and LHS led her to include us in her estate hoping her donation could make a significant difference in the future of LHS. We are in fact honoring her wishes.
Cathy Nystrom became involved, as a volunteer at the Lenawee Humane Society in the early 80’s when the facility was out on Academy Road, our first physical shelter. It was clear to her at that time that both Lenawee Humane Society and Animal Welfare in general had outgrown that dark dismal space and the common practices that had been used in animal welfare. Cathy joined the board and vowed to make a difference in the lives of animals.
Cathy was instrumental in helping LHS secure support to purchase the current facility on Beecher Street. Kennels had to be installed and a few other modifications had to be done but it was a vast improvement over the previous facility, allowing more space and the ability to save more animals. When the opportunity became available for Cathy to become certified in humane euthanasia, she took it. While it was a task no one ever wanted to do, sometimes it had to be done and learning a more humane and efficient way of helping animals was always at the top of Cathy’s mind.
In the early 90’s the shelter was in turmoil and had to close for a few months. Cathy worked hard alongside other board members to work through the problems and open the doors once again. She helped with fundraising to secure funding, mopped floors to help the staff and helped with adoptions. There was no job that Cathy wouldn’t do to help the animals and the staff.
Over the years Cathy has seen the best of times and the worst of times at LHS but one thing that has always remained the same is her support and dedication to the mission of Saving the lives of animals while enriching the lives of humans.
