Members of PACU, SICU raise funds for local animal shelters

Back in 2022, Cassandra Cooley was working in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), when she and her four-year-old son decided to help animals in need during the holidays.

She told colleague Paige Sisk about her intentions, and Sisk offered her support.

“Before we knew it, multiple nurses were offering to donate money, so Paige and I decided to make it a unit-wide fundraiser,” Cooley said.

The duo repeated the effort in 2023.

Then in May 2024, Cooley transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The holidays approached and Cooley told new colleague Dannika Schauer about her past fundraisers.

“After speaking with Dannika, she offered to help get this started in my new unit,” Cooley said. “At this point, I reached back out to Paige to see if she wanted to pursue a joint effort with us, and that’s the story!”

That’s not exactly the rest of the story, though.

Cooley left out a massive detail: The group raised $5,000 this year for the Front Street and Bradshaw animal shelters, checking off multiple items off each shelter’s holiday wish list.

So, what does $5,000 in shelter supplies look like?

Items included:

• 700 pounds of dry dog and cat food
• Nearly 600 cans of dog and cat food
• Over 100 toys
• 8 dog crates
• 50 pounds of peanut butter
• 200 pounds of kitty litter
• 58 collars
• 64 blankets, and more!

Schauer explained her involvement.

“Our lives are dedicated to caring for humans. As healthcare providers, we are inherently empathetic individuals, and our empathy extends beyond humans,” she said. “We feel a strong connection to helping animals in need, too. Many of us have our own rescue animals, and we want to support the mission of animal shelters to protect and care for vulnerable animals.”

Schauer said donating to the community animal shelters reinforces the team’s “sense of communal responsibility and giving,” which one could say is...believing in better.