Eyes on IWARS – Kristen Haltermann
By: Brianna MacLean
The Infinite Woofs Animal Rescue Society (IWARS) has been the charity of choice for Pounce Support Services™ from the beginning. Even before our official founding in 2020, IWARS held a special place in the heart of our founder, Kat Mooney, since 2016, as it was where she found and adopted her cats Kiki, ChaChi, and Little Buddy!
Forever dedicated to the well-being of not only cats and dogs but to all small domestic animals, including rabbits, birds, and reptiles, IWARS is an organization driven by its team of passionate volunteers.
“IWARS is completely volunteer-run. We all have busy lives with jobs, friends, and family, but we all volunteer our time because we really believe in helping animals. We believe that we can make a difference.”
As an official volunteer for IWARS, Kristen Haltermann is one of these people making a difference in the lives of animals in need.
Kristen’s journey with IWARS began in 2015 with the adoption of her dog, Brody. Inspired by the work being done by those at IWARS, Kristen started participating in several IWARS fundraising events; she even organized several independent events to raise donations for IWARS through her job as a personal trainer. Following a career change in 2022, Kristen took the next step in her journey by officially joining the IWARS team of volunteers!
Even in her short time as an official volunteer, Kristen has hit the ground running with events that perfectly combine fundraising with fun for everyone involved! She has also been hard at work updating and managing the official IWARS website, taking special care that all IWARS collaborations and fundraising events are always accessible to online visitors.
“Definitely check out our website!
You can watch for fundraisers, sign up to be a foster, or even find the pet meant to be a part of your family.”
Like so many industries and businesses around the world, animal rescue organizations such as IWARS were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to see lasting effects to this day.
“Since COVID, we are seeing an overwhelming number of surrenders, abandoned animals, a shortage of foster homes, and slower adoption rates. We don’t house animals at our headquarters, so we completely rely on foster homes. At this point, we have had to close outdoors to public surrenders because we have nowhere for these animals to go, and saying no is extremely difficult for everyone involved.”
As a non-profit organization that relies entirely on generous donations from the public, IWARS manages to do so much with so little. Despite all the hardships they have endured, IWARS and its team of volunteers remain steadfastly dedicated to their mission of helping animals in need.
“At the end of the day, we’re a group of people who really care about animals, and all we want is the best solution for them. Any help we can get is always very much appreciated, whether it’s by volunteering, donating, or taking on the role of a foster.”
Consider making a donation to support IWARS’ mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome unwanted, abused, and neglected animals, please visit their website today!
To donate directly to IWARS, click the image below:
