Nicole with her dog, Nicholas
Age: 31
Address: Exeter Township.Family: Parents, Randy and Sharon VanArt, and sister, Christie, 28, all of Wernersville; and fiance, Eric Hohl, Exeter Township.Occupation: Works at ATV Bakery in Reading.Making a difference: VanArt volunteers for a variety of animal and wildlife welfare organizations in Berks and Schuylkill counties. Her compassion for animals is something she’s wanted to share since a very young age.”I started volunteering about 10 years ago,” she said. “Actually, my boyfriend had found a baby bunny that was injured, and we looked everywhere for someone who would take it.”After talking with several veterinarians in the county, they were referred to Red Creek Wildlife in Schuylkill County. Red Creek Wildlife rehabilitates injured and abandoned wildlife such as rabbits and deer, VanArt explained.VanArt and Hohl then started transporting animals from the Reading area to rehabilitate at Red Creek after learning the center needed volunteers. They also started assisting Helping Hands Wildlife Center, also in Schuylkill County. Helping Hands focuses on rehabilitating animals such as skunks and raccoons, VanArt said.Over the years, VanArt and Hohl have done numerous fundraising activities, such as bake sales and yard sales, for Helping Hands. They also hold picnics at their house and ask guests to make donations for both organizations. Most of this work is done on their own initiative.”It’s been something that I’ve been interested in since I was little,” VanArt said, adding she’s always wanted to help animals and causes for animal welfare. “It’s just what my whole life has been about since I’ve been very young.”VanArt said she couldn’t have accomplished what she has without the support of Hohl, who has encouraged her interests in animals and wildlife. He volunteers with her for many of these causes.In addition, VanArt volunteers with the One By One Inc. Adoption Center at PetSmart’s Wyomissing location. Since she started working afternoons and evenings, VanArt has taken the Monday morning shift, a time slot that she said was difficult for other volunteers to fill. She feeds and plays with the cats available for adoption and cleans their cages and the center’s area in the store.”Just satisfaction and not feeling like I’m wasting my time or wasting my day,” she said of what motivates her.She also volunteers with Carol’s K-9 Rescue, an all-breed dog rescue based in Leesport. Primarily, VanArt helps with the rescue’s information booth at special events.”We go out and set up and try to get donations,” she said. “We take animals and try to get people to see them.”VanArt formerly worked at the Animal Rescue League of Berks County as a kennel technician and rescue coordinator, an experience she found very fulfilling.”When the dogs find homes, when they get out of rescues and know they found somewhere they can be for the rest of their lives,” she said is what she enjoys the most. “Knowing that even if it was just taking an animal somewhere or making a phone call to try to get it help, just knowing that you had some part in helping.”VanArt volunteers with Dogs Deserve Better’s campaign, “Unchain My Heart.”. Every year she makes Valentine’s Day cards and sends them to dog owners who chain their dogs in an effort to persuade owners to unchain their pets. She also volunteers getting petitions supporting animal welfare signed by members of the community. “I think that’s a really great way people can help animals,” she said.Rewards: “Feeling complete,” VanArt said. “Without doing this I just would feel like I wasn’t fulfilling what I was out to do in life.”Advice to others: “Any little thing you do to help any of these groups is good,” she said. “You don’t have to work an eight-hour day or go every day to make a difference. Every little bit you do makes a difference.”Recommended by: Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein.