Meet Carrie! RASKC is incredibly happy to honor Carrie Driscoll. She serves as Co-Lead of RASKC Tukwila Petco Cat-Care Team. Carrie does a magnificent job of onboarding new volunteers, going to great lengths- sometimes on a moment’s absence notice- to ensure there’s volunteer coverage for cat-care at the store, maintaining the accuracy of the online schedule, following up with team members who may not have posted their hours, and participating in team leadership meetings. She does so with great skill, diligence, and humor. Carrie and her son Jacob have been volunteering on biweekly shifts for many years. RASKC is also in awe of the fact that Carrie and her spouse foster five children, four of whom are under five years old. Thank you for all that you do to make the world a better place, Carrie!

Q: How did you hear about RASKC?

A: My oldest son Jacob wanted to volunteer with animals when he was nine years old, because he wanted to be a veterinarian. I started researching organizations where he could volunteer and found that RASKC was the only organization that would let him volunteer for his age.

Q: What made you want to volunteer, especially to work with animals?

A: I have always loved animals and had a lot of animals as a child growing up. When Jacob wanted to volunteer to work with animals, it was right up my alley…a perfect match. .

Q: What do you do when you aren’t volunteering at RASKC?

I am a stay-at-home mom, but not a stay-at-home mom. My husband and I do foster care for children, so we are raising seven kids in total, aging from two years to 16 years old. We also have three dogs. We try to go for walks on the weekends with the kids and the dogs. .

Q: What is your favorite place to take your dogs for a walk?

A: We like to take the dogs and the kids out for a walk anywhere that is not muddy. The Des Moines Marina has a nice trail to walk.

Q: How would you describe your pets’ personalities?

A: Riley is getting older and set in his way of “Leave me alone, unless I want you” (cat like). Parker is the sweetest most loving dog I have ever had. Bailey is playful and sweet.

Q: What is the best advice you would give people who want pets?

A: Pets are like kids; they are a lot of work, need a lot of attention, and need a lot of love, but it’s totally worth it.

Q: What have you gained and hope to gain from your experience as a volunteer with RASKC?

A: Being a mom of seven, it’s hard to find a job outside of the home that will accommodate the kids’ schedules. Volunteering with RASKC has given me a sense of purpose- a job that I can have and still take care of my kids. It’s something that I love to do.

Q: What is your life motto?

A: What’s important to me, and what I try to teach my kids, is: Be responsible, self-sufficient, and a hard worker, because you are the only person in charge of your life.

Q: Please describe a memorable moment you’ve had with an animal.

A: My most memorable moment was when we had this little kitten at Tukwila Petco. I was holding and rocking him in a blanket and he fell asleep. Like most of my kids, when I went to put him down, he woke up and started crying.

Q: What else would you like to say about volunteering for RASKC?

A: My most honorable award is being RASKC’S Volunteer of the Month for August! RASKC has an amazing group of people that are wonderful to work with. I am so fortunate and lucky to be a part of this remarkable organization!

Interested in becoming a RASKC Volunteer? We’d love to have you! For more information visit our page — easy as 1, 2, 3!

kingcounty.gov/RASKCVolunteer