May Volunteer of the Month: Caren McMillen!

Caren has been volunteering at SAFE since February of 2014 and we are truly lucky to have her. Caren volunteers every Monday morning to feed the horses and do chores. She is always smiling during her shift and often stays around to help when needed. Beyond just feeding and chores, Caren also helps with turnout in the morning and getting the arena ready for the day’s training. In fact, just the other day, she learned how to drive the tractor! All the hard work and time Caren gives at the barn would definetly be enough to receive this honor but we have exceptional volunteers here at SAFE. She does so much more then that. Caren is an integral part of SAFE’s Marketing Committee, she does site checks for adoptions, and she visits former SAFE horses through our Alumni program. Caren is a shift lead at the barn, you can find her at our work parties, and she ALWAYS helps out at any event that SAFE hosts! We would not be the great organization we are if it wasn’t for great volunteers like Caren.

More about Caren from Caren:

First, I have to say that the family at S.A.F.E. has some of the most dedicated and hard working volunteers, so this recognition is indeed an honor.

When I retired from my job as a graphic designer last year, I began looking into volunteer options as a way to start spending my time. Up until then, I had spent my entire life working for a paycheck and I figured now it was time to do something that really mattered to me. I had just signed on to volunteer at the Seattle Humane Society, when a good friend (and horsewoman) sent me some information about S.A.F.E. and horses came back into my life! I’ve been with the organization a little over a year now, getting started with the Monday morning barn duty shift that I continue to do today. The work always seems to go by quickly and can be a lot of fun, mainly due to the wonderful gals on my team–we always seem to find something to laugh about (or at, if Phoenix is involved)! I also help out on the Alumni and Marketing Committees, and try to fill in elsewhere wherever and whenever I can.

I can’t really say that I have a favorite S.A.F.E. horse as they are all very special in their own way. But I do have a soft spot for Cameo, though. I think it’s her depth of spirit and sassy attitude–the heart of a survivor. And then there’s Phoenix…

I did have a horse through my early teenage years back in Hinckley, Ohio. That was back in the carefree days of jumping on bareback, riding two miles down the county road to a friend’s house, and then spending the rest of the day out in the fields and woods. I built two barns with my dad and sunk many post holes for that horse!

Although I’ve since traded owning a horse for a motorcycle, I’ve found that there’s (oddly) many parallels between the two. Down the road, I’ll probably end up trading in my bike for a horse, but not for awhile yet. There’s still too many places my husband and I want to go!