2020 Community Partner of the Year: Ritter Insurance

Each year, the employees of Ritter Insurance Marketing, an insurance brokerage firm focused on the Senior Insurance Market and ACA Marketplace, chooses an area charity for their fundraising efforts. While Ritter had done several donation drives for the Humane Society in the past, they recently made the Shelter their primary focus their fundraising. The employees of Ritter came through in a big way, donating thousands of dollars’ worth of pet toys, food, detergent, gift cards, and more over Christmas. When the Pandemic hit, it did not damper Ritter’s philanthropic spirit. Despite many employees working remotely, they still found time to drop donations off at Ritter for the Humane Society. Again, the employees donated boxes full of blankets, pet toys, food, and more this summer. And Ritter is not slowing down, as they have already planned other donation drives for HSHA. 

2020 Employee of the Year: Alyssa Ginez 

Alyssa started with us over 8 years ago on kennel staff and, in that time, has worked in or taken the initiative to become trained in nearly every department.  Alyssa stepped up in 2020, with many of the challenges we faced due to COVID, and has been essential in filling in for many different departments – all with a positive attitude. 

Her perfect attendance has not gone unnoticed, and sometimes has to be “forced” to take any time off for herself and reminded not to respond to all her emails and phone calls on her days off. Alyssa is now the Behavior Team Leader and is responsible for learning the personalities of all of our dogs to help them become adopted. 

She offers rehab for the animals that need a little more work before adopting out and has made some very solid rescue partner relationships that have helped us with the animals that need more assistance. Dogs sometimes come into are Shelter that look like they have given up,  have no interest, are scared and take a lot of time to earn trust. She has been able to establish a connection with these dogs again, giving them a second chance and a sparkle back in their eyes. Alyssa also does this with her other co-workers. When we are feeling overwhelmed, she has a way of making you laugh and letting you know you are not doing this alone and everything is going to be ok. We are very fortunate to have Alyssa on our team.

2020 Volunteers of the Year: Karl and Tricia Larson

Karl and Tricia Larson are long-term volunteers at the Humane Society, with Tricia starting as a volunteer in 2011 and, as any good wife does, convincing her husband Karl to do the same shortly thereafter.  The Larsons’ have shown an unwavering commitment to the Humane Society and have filled a variety of volunteer roles.  Both are trained to walk our more challenging dogs and train new volunteers.  Karl acts as a team lead for the dog walkers.  Both always make themselves available for special projects and events.  The Larsons’ are also foster parents, and their pack of furbabies at home include their most recent “foster fail” Davey, a Great Dane Mix.  Words used to describe the Larsons’ by staff include dedicated, positive, dependable and supportive.   Thank you, Karl and Tricia, for your continued support and congratulations!

2020 Foster Parent of the Year: Hannah Forsyth

Hannah first became involved with the Humane Society of Harrisburg in 2017 when she adopted two pit bulls, now named Koda and Kenai, from the shelter. Koda (we knew him as Megatron) was an extremely anxious dog when he was at the Humane Society. And Kenai (aka Minitron) had already been returned to the shelter once before for behavior issues. But Hannah was eager to commit to both of them. Once these two were in her home they made great strides thanks to her patience and hard work. Later that year Koda even became the “poster dog” for the Humane Society’s annual fundraising event, the Penguin Plunge, attending the event along with 100’s of other people and pets.

Through the experience of adopting Koda and Kenai, Hannah developed skills that she realized she could use to help even more shelter dogs. In 2019 she decided to try fostering, offering to take on those that so often get overlooked- the kennel stressed pit bulls.  

Since 2019 Hannah has fostered multiple dogs from our shelter, providing them respite from shelter life and helping them to become confident, well-socialized, happy dogs. Many of these dogs come to Hannah’s home stressed out and on multiple medications to manage their anxiety symptoms. Most leave her home un-medicated, well-trained, and able to acclimate successfully to their new forever homes. 

It takes a very special person to open your home and heart over and over again to dogs in need. To put in countless hours of work and love only to eventually let them go and send them off to their forever homes, hopefully a little better than when you first met them. We thank Hannah for the many lives she has improved over the years by awarding her the 2020 Foster of the Year award.

And special shout out to Koda and Kenai for being excellent foster brothers – for sharing their space and their toys and their human with so many less fortunate dogs.