RAPS News

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Meet the photogs!

RAPS has been so incredibly fortunate over the years to have volunteer photographers who capture the essence of so many of our animals!

At the RAPS Animal Hospital, for example, there are giant portraits of some of the animals we have cared for over the years. These pictures are by Michele Wright (Furry Friends Photography) and Radina Droumeva (Radina Photography) – both of whom have also provided the photos for RAPS calendars in the past.

The 2022 RAPS Calendar features photos by Marla Jenkins and Karen Nicholson! Here is a bit about each of these superb volunteers!

Meet Marla …

I am a wedding photographer so photographing animals is a great stress reliever for me. I get to do my photography strictly for the love of it and of course for the love of animals.

The most challenging part is the waiting game. Waiting for them to be in the best light, waiting for them to have happy ears and when I can get them to look straight to the lens … GOLD!

I started volunteering at RAPS this past year. I live in Hawaii for half of the year and I volunteer with an organization called Abay Kitties, on the Big Island of Hawaii, feeding and caring for feral cats.

When I got home this year, since the wedding photography has been slower due to COVID-19, I decided to volunteer here as well. I am so happy I found RAPS!

I choose to support RAPS as I am volunteering my time and talent. I hope that they can see how loved and cared for the cats at RAPS are.

The picture of me is with my own little kitty, Sammy. He unfortunately died from FIP at eight months old. Forever my kitten. ❤

Meet Karen …

I like being able to show people the wide range of personalities of the cats living at the sanctuary.

The most challenging part is that my subjects are always moving and they don’t take directions well (and some are feral).

I’ve been associated with RAPS since 2014, when I started volunteering at the Shelter for high school graduation requirements. After that, I was a summer intern at the Sanctuary in 2017, 2018 and 2019, while volunteering and attending university each fall. I was hired on as full-time staff at the end of summer 2019, and this is where I’ve been ever since!

I support the cats and I hope people learn that there is more to cats than meets the eye. They are incredibly complex, intelligent creatures but are often portrayed as nothing more than lazy potatoes that scratch the furniture.

The photo is of me and my sponsor cat, Jasper, in the back pens at the Sanctuary.

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