Animal lovers Jenny and David began helping at their local RSPCA as volunteers, and over the past two decades, their experiences have profoundly impacted the way they want to help animals in the future.
“David is a builder, so he started doing some renovation work and building cat enclosures and all kinds of hands-on things at the shelter,” says Jenny.
Through their time volunteering, Jenny and David got to see firsthand the support that the RSPCA was providing to animals and people in the local community.
“I guess we've always thought the RSPCA as being focused on those critical cases of animal welfare and cruelty, but for me, it's more the impact of domestic violence where women won't leave their home because they're frightened of leaving the pets behind,” Jenny says.
Jenny and David’s time supporting the RSPCA was once very hands-on with volunteering, but now they’re giving back in another meaningful way - through their Wills.
“Being able to contribute in another way has really been important to me because I lost that physical contact at the shelter,” Jenny says about stepping back from volunteering for her health.
After several years of supporting the RSPCA, Jenny and David witnessed how a generous bequest instantly changed lives at their local shelter for the better.
“We saw what leaving a gift in our Will could do,” says Jenny.
“We saw the new facility built through the generosity of someone leaving a gift in their Will, and we thought, well, we can do that too. And that really excited me greatly.”
In their time of need, Jenny and David were able to call upon the RSPCA with help for their pets.
“The RSPCA stepped into our lives in really special ways,” says Jenny.
“When we had a health crisis we were able to turn to the RSPCA, which gave us great support with caring for animals.”
Jenny says that having personal contact with the RSPCA team, along with support offered to her animals in the Home Ever After program, helped her and her husband, David in their decision to leave a gift in their Will to RSPCA Queensland.
Jenny says that it’s important that their life’s work will continue to help other animals into the future.
“I'm excited that there'll be some productive result from our years of work together to build what we're very, very proud of to leave behind.”
Pet ownership is often a worry for people as they age. Many pet owners are concerned about what would happen to their pets if they could no longer care for them in the future, or if they sadly passed away before their animals.
Due to this concern, some animal lovers decide not to own pets as they get older.
But for Jenny and David, having pets not only enriches their life, but also gives them purpose.
“It's a big decision to make to bring another animal into your life when you know that you've only got a finite time to give to that animal.
“For us, the thought of living without a dog or a cat was just a hollow life that we knew wouldn't give us any joy,” Jenny says.
RSPCA’s Home Ever After program assists pet owners who leave a gift in their Will to RSPCA Queensland by providing care and support to animals if their owners experience a medical emergency, or sadly pass away.
David says, “We get so much from animals, and it's our turn to give something back.”
If you’d like to make a difference to the lives of animals into the future, learn more about leaving a gift in your will to the RSPCA and the Home Ever After Program.
This September, RSPCA has partnered with SafeWill where you can write your Will for FREE. Just search RSPCA Queensland on the link above to learn more and how you can leave a lasting legacy like Jenny and David.
