Stacey Carver owns a business with her husband, but she also finds great fulfillment as a volunteer
By Tony Dobrowolski, The Berkshire Eagle November 18, 2022
PITTSFIELD — Stacey Carver owns a successful investment business with her husband. But she still finds time to volunteer.
You can often find the Dalton resident at the Berkshire Humane Society in Pittsfield, where she heads the Community Cat Program of the Berkshires, an all-volunteer organization that became part of the Humane Society in October 2021. The Community Cat Program is a feline trap, neuter and return organization that works with the Berkshires’ sizable feral cat population.
We asked Carver why she volunteers, how much time she spends doing it, what she gets out of it, and advice she has for those who interested in spending their free time helping others.
Q: Why do you volunteer?
A: It’s kind of a long answer. I started with an organization called Animal Dreams that was another nonprofit, a feline trap, neuter, return organization. I was a board member and a volunteer. Eventually the founder retired and I became the executive director. We partnered up with the Berkshire Humane Society. It just made sense. We did something Berkshire Humane didn’t do because we worked with feral and stray community cats. It made sense for us to partner up.
Q: But what motivated you to volunteer?
A: It’s mostly my love of animals and my love for the underdog, animals that need a little more extra help.
Q: Volunteering can take a lot of time. Why did you choose to do this when you’re off?
A: I guess I just really feel I’ve had a good life. I’ve been very fortunate. I have a successful business. I don’t feel like it’s my duty, but I feel that giving back is the best thing to do.
Q: Why is giving back important to you?
A: I just feel that’s it’s the right thing to do. If more people gave back in different ways then we’d be a much happier country. There’s a lot of need for help in different areas, and if more people could just give a little more of their time and help out I think we’d be a little more stable and better off …
