Several years ago, the Board of County Commissioners elected to create a program to recognize County employees and citizens for their volunteerism. Each County department is contacted annually and asked to submit nominations for the Volunteer of the Year. Five nominations were made this year and those nominations were submitted to a panel for consideration.
Ms. Pat Nolta of Fernandina Beach was selected as Nassau County's Volunteer of the Year for 2015 due to her outstanding service and dedication to Nassau County Animal Control. Pat was recognized at the Volunteer Center's Annual Luncheon on Thursday, April 16th, and will be recognized by the Board of County Commissioner's at their Board meeting commencing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 27th.
It is estimated that in 2014, Pat volunteered more than 500 hours at the Animal Shelter. She is actively involved in several different programs. As an Animal Ambassador of the Seniors for Seniors Program, Pat dedicates numerous hours matching senior animals with lonely seniors in our community. She goes and above and beyond to insure that the animals are perfectly matched to a senior needing companionship. For the Canine Heart Worm Treatment Program, Pat fosters animals with heart worms by bringing them home and caring for them and often pays out of pocket for the medical costs associated with the treatments. After insuring they are healthy, she assists the Adoption Program by photographing and creating videos of adoptable pets and posting them online for everyone to view in an effort to increase their chance of being adopted. Because of her efforts, the shelter had an all-time high of 956 adoptions during the last fiscal year. The shelter has also received attention from animal lovers as far away as Missouri.
Pat is a one of a kind animal lover her also dedicates her time and heart to enriching the lives of animals while waiting to be adopted. Through the Canine Enrichment Program, Pat transports pets to grooming appointments when necessary to insure they are always presentable to anyone visiting the shelter. She also serves as the Coordinator for the Volunteer Dog Walking Program. Those duties include recruiting other volunteers and coordinating walking schedules to insure that each dog receives daily walks, thus helping them stay active, happy and healthy while waiting for their forever home.
Thanks to Pat's dedication, staff at Nassau County Animal Services is able to spend more time focusing on animal care. Employees there have indicated that Pat always maintains a very positive and friendly attitude towards staff and potential adopters visiting the shelter. They also indicated that they have never seen her turn away an animal in need.
Congratulations Pat! The dedication you have demonstrated is truly admirable and all the citizens of Nassau County are indebted to you for all the contributions you have made to our community, and the County as a whole.
-Sabrina Robertson
County Manager's Office
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