Dawn joined the board of St. Francis CARE in 2013 after retiring from teaching junior high in the Chicago suburbs for 33 years. She fell in love with animal rescue after her first rescue transport. She then met the workers and volunteers at St. Francis and truly realized what it felt like to have a heart filled with love.

She started as a volunteer cleaning cages and caring for the animals at the shelter. She’ll never forget the night they rescued and started rehabilitation with Zeus, the paralyzed pup. He was what rescue is all about. 

Dawn loves organizing and attending fundraising events, and adoption events, and is involved with rehabilitation and behavioral training of the dogs. There’s nothing like looking into the eyes of an animal and seeing unconditional love. 

She often jokes that she traded unruly junior students in for animals because she likes the parents better.