My name is Jane Higgins, I am retiree spending time volunteering at a local animal shelter in the city of Chicago. This works speaks to me as a dog lover and as someone who strives to be more involved in my community. It brings me great pride to be able to spend time getting to know each animal, doing the little things that help make the shelter run. By volunteering my time at this shelter, I aim empower my community to be the change they want to see as they rely on their volunteers to provide daily care in foster homes and facilities. It gets me out of the house and into my community, doing something that I love to make a difference in the life of a pet or soon to be pet owner.