Laura is the Co-Founder and President of Caring Hearts. Laura responds to the incoming Caring Hearts calls, texts, FB messenger messages, and emails. Laura devotes time building relationships with other local rescues and small business owners in an effort to collaborate and affect positive change within the community. She works closely with our partner veterinarians to validate and communicate animal care pledges. She also writes our newsletter and enjoys volunteering at the Thrift Store as time allows. Laura lives at the lake full time, has four rescue dogs (Finn, Jake-from-State-Farm, Summer, and Otis) and has been an animal advocate most of her life. Her personal mission is to leave the world better than she found it.
Henry & Doris Zieman
Doris is the Treasurer and "Budget Keeper" of Caring Hearts. Doris meticulously records and analyzes our income and expenses to ensure we adhere to the Caring Hearts budget to maximize our investment in the community. She also distributes and collects the Caring Hearts donation cans around town. If you enjoy the “animal wall” at the Caring Hearts Thrift Store, you can thank Doris for that too. Doris lives at the lake full time with her husband, Henry, who is also a Caring Hearts volunteer. They have 2 rescue dogs (Sydney and Lacy) and have volunteered with Caring Hearts since we were founded in 2016.
Henry (Hank) is considered the "Fixer" of the organization and is lovingly referred to as "Mr. Wizard". If a donated item needs to be tested, repaired, or even identified as to what the heck it is, leave it to Hank, and he will figure it out. He has programmed computers, wired and repaired electronics, identified mystery objects, but his specialty is restoring vacuum cleaners to their original "suck-ability" (and we mean that in a good way). There's really nothing he can't do, and Caring Hearts is grateful to have him. He has been happily married to Doris since 1962, and likes to spend his spare time tinkering with a multitude of projects in his garage.
Leann Dunlop
Leann is the Secretary of Caring Hearts. Leann joined the Caring Hearts team in July of 2022. While growing up, Leann had chickens, cows, horses, cats and dogs. She has always found deep satisfaction helping animals of all kinds. Leann recently retired and moved to South Carolina, which has given her the time to do more of what she loves. Her current endeavors include aligning herself with organizations in Myrtle Beach to help the sea turtles. However, when visiting family in Missouri, one of her "must do's" is to spend time at the Lake and lending a hand at the Caring Hearts Thrift Store.
Pam Eads
Pam Eads is the Thrift Store Manager. Pam typically volunteers on Saturdays, but pops in often on other days as well. Pam keeps an inventory of store supplies to ensure volunteers have what they need to promote a positive experience at the shop. She works closely with the assistant manager to schedule sales and volunteer appreciation events. Pam has rescued many cats and dogs in her lifetime. She goes to great lengths to help sick, injured and abandoned animals. This is one of the reasons Pam is such a good fit for Caring Hearts. Pam lives at the lake full time with her 2 rescue dogs, Tiny and Art.
Beth & Jerry Bridwell
Beth is the Assistant Thrift Store Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. Beth is the friendly face you'll typically see at the Thrift Store on Fridays. She also schedules the store volunteers to ensure we have adequate coverage during business hours. Beth coordinates and leads "change-over" twice a year, which is a labor intensive effort. One of Beth's super powers is her ability to utilize donated items to make the store look warm and inviting. She has an interior decorator's eye for detail, which is why the store looks so nice. Beth is married to Jerry and they live at the lake full time.
Jerry, aka "Big Jerry" is the muscle of the organization. Jerry takes care of transporting heavy totes to and from the Thrift Store and our storage units, depending on the season and volume of donations in the store. Jerry also transports metal and cardboard to an offsite location to keep it from going into the landfill. Like Beth, Jerry likes things to look nice, and therefore keeps the shed and storage units organized and tidy. This makes it so much easier for the volunteers to locate items they need. Jerry is also a gifted builder, and a "jack of all trades", which has been a huge asset to Caring Hearts. We are so thankful for this power couple.
Sharon Speer
Sharon Speer is an Advisor for Caring Hearts Sharon volunteers at the Thrift Store on Thursdays, and is usually accompanied by her fellow volunteer Beverly Tevis. Sharon is a pillar of Caring Hearts, so it's not uncommon to see her at the shop Fridays and Saturdays as well. Sharon is a ray of sunshine, always smiling and happy. If you're having a bad day, just hang out with Sharon for a little while, and your mood will improve. Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, and lives at the lake full time with her husband, Neil.
