Volunteer Spotlight: Sandy Winter

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Friends of Strays all-star volunteer Sandy Winter had quite the life before landing in Saint Petersburg. From South Dakota to Austria, she’s lived more places than most visit in a lifetime. Sandy’s career saw her spend 35 years at international manufacturing company Krauss-Maffei were she worked her way up from accounting manager all the way to CFO. Despite being an animal-lover, her long work hours didn’t allow her much time for volunteer work. So upon retiring to Saint Pete, she began to get her fix volunteering at different shelters across the county but quickly found her niche here at Friends of Strays. At first, Sandy volunteered in our dog program but after realizing her unique skill set, she was asked to cultivate corporate donors. On the shelter’s behalf, she built invaluable relationships with local businesses that have all contributed to our recent growth. Now, as the newest member of the FOS events committee, Sandy’s on to her biggest task yet -- chairing a major event.

Sandy is leading the charge in organizing Tattoopalooza: A Cause 4 Paws, Friends of Strays’ upcoming fundraiser on April 27th. It’s a unique event that requires immense logistical and strategic planning. In fact, Sandy’s husband often jokes that he sees her less now than he did during her CFO days! Her goal in chairing this event is to bring together a diverse group of animal lovers, so much like St. Pete itself. In addition to animal-themed tattoos from Buku Tattoo Studios, the afternoon will include dozens of street vendors, food trucks & craft beer, live music, and hennas for those of us who don’t want to make the full commitment. We can’t wait to see what Tattoopalooza: A Cause 4 Paws has in store for Friends of Strays! If Sandy’s history has given us any indicator, it’s sure to be something special! For more information on the event, visit the FOS Facebook page or www.friendsofstrays.org/events.

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