Board of Directors

Beth Springer, Executive Director

Hi, I’m Beth Springer and I’m the director of Good Samaritan Pet Center. After volunteering at a local shelter for several years, I decided to start up a rescue group that would care for homeless dogs and cats through foster homes. Fostering is an ideal way to Fostering is an ideal way to get to know an animal and to determine their special needs and personality traits. Our ability to match people up with pets is in large part, due to the fact that we know our animals well. We’ve had some challenging animals, but with lots of work and devotion on the part of the foster parents, the great majority of them are placed into loving homes.

I have a nine year old English Springer Spaniel named Chip. Even though cats are not his favorite, he graciously allows me to foster one adult cat at a time in our spare bedroom. Many adult cats have passed through our home over the years. You never forget the cats who’ve come into the program with complex medical issues and are successfully treated and rehomed. What a privilege to give these animals a second chance at life.

The Denver community is a great animal loving community and we work together with many shelters and rescue groups toward one common goal, saving the lives of animals. Our group primarily helps local animals, but we have also helped Katrina animals, dogs from Goodland Kansas and currently, dogs from Elizabeth, Colorado. It’s hard to be a stickler on boundaries when an animal is in need.

I am involved in about every facet of the organization from fostering, to organizing fundraisers, to answering calls from the public wanting to adopt or surrender an animal, to working with foster parents who have challenging animals. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, but by far the most rewarding. Everyday is a new challenge.

Our ability to help animals is limited only by the number of foster parents we have. Won’t you consider helping a homeless animal? It’s a selfless gift that can change lives one at a time.

Carol Vogel, President

I’m Carol Vogel and I am one of the original members of the Good Samaritan Pet Center. I currently serve as Board President. Good Samaritan began in 2000 and continues to be a quality animal welfare organization. Each year we look back with pride at the many abandoned and homeless pets that we have saved, provided medical care for and placed in new, loving homes. We are also happy to help families who have legitimate reasons for rehoming a beloved pet through our flyer program. We are non-profit, and nothing can be accomplished without help from those who support our mission. A monetary donation and/or an offer to volunteer are always appreciated.

As a volunteer with Good Samaritan I currently maintain our website. I have fostered, worked the fundraisers, done mobile adoptions, photographed dogs and cats for the web, helped with the newsletter, and presented pet care programs to youngsters. And, like many others, could not resist adopting two charming Good Sam critters—Willie is our 7 year old tuxedo cat who we fostered then adopted 6 years ago and Sunny is our 4 year old Lab/Heinz 57 who we adopted three years ago as part of Good Sam’s partnership with a Kansas rescue group. We adopted Cookie, our Shepherd mix 11 years ago when we found her as an abandoned puppy at a Taos motel. We also have two rescued house rabbits, and a Good Sam foster/ “hospice” cat named Angel who was born with an inoperable hole in her heart. She is 3-1/2 years old and still going strong!

Helping to save the lives of homeless animals is especially rewarding!! If you think it might be the volunteer activity for you, give us a call. We always need more volunteers to help us accomplish our mission. Take a look at our website and our newsletter and see if there is something you might want to help with.

Gail Carissimi, Vice-President

I’m Gail Carissimi and I serve as Vice President of the Board. I got involved about five years ago when I saw a flyer on a vet’s bulletin board about a dog that needed a home. That dog was already taken but my husband and I became interested in being a Good Sam foster family. Our first foster dog was a Chow mix sweetheart named Ayla, who with her “sister” had lived in a veterinary clinic on cold, hard concrete. In part because of that Ayla developed a severe hip problem. We adopted Ayla and, though she was with us only 18 months, her life impacted us greatly. Ayla’s story was featured in a U.S. Humane Society story about the joys of adopting older animals.

Our second foster dog Smokey, a Gordon Setter/Aussie Shepherd mix, came to us to rehab after a talented veterinary surgeon mended her shattered leg after a motorcycle hit her. Good Samaritan paid for that procedure and Smokey can now run all over the dog park! We fell in love with Smokey and adopted her into our family. Our third foster dog Cooper, a Corgi mix, was an “emergency rescue”: his time was up at a local shelter and euthanasia was the next step. Thankfully, Good Samaritan intervened. We adopted feisty Cooper, too. My husband and I get teased for being “foster flunkies” – families who sometimes can’t bear to give up their foster animals for adoption.

Being a foster parent for Good Sam is awesome but there are many other ways that volunteers can get involved. You CAN make a difference for these wonderful animals!

Chuck Anderson, Treasurer

I'm the newest member of the board and serve as the Board Treasurer.  I
believe in Good Samaritan's cause and feel that this organization is still
in its infancy and will eventually become a leading advocate for humane
treatment of animals in the future.

 In 2007 when my wife and I wanted to adopt a dog we looked for a small
organization with a big heart.  We came across Good Samaritan and knew this
was the place we sought.  We were so impressed with how efficient the
organization operated we ended up adopting 2 dogs.  Hayden and Yahzi are
friendly dogs who now have a fan following throughout the neighborhood.  Not
everyone knows their names but everyone knows they are the "Frisbee dogs".
I sometimes wonder if we made their lives better or they make our lives
better; maybe it's mutual.
 

Lori Underwood, Secretary

My name is Lori Underwood and I'm the board secretary. Currently I have one elderly cat who I adopted from Good Samaritan after providing foster care for him. He was so awesome I just had to keep him even though he was already 10 years old! Tigger has been the best cat I've ever owned, and I consider him excellent "therapy" when I get too stressed out. I’ve only been with Good Samaritan for a short time, but I have been interested in animal welfare for as long as I can remember. My heart aches when I see animals neglected. I am excited to be able to take a more active role in helping abandoned animals find their "forever" homes through my service to Good Samaritan Pet Center.