Donna Wilkins

Our goal is to become stewards for animals who cannot speak for themselves and to educate the community to do likewise.

— Donna Wilkins

Donna has lived in Tennessee for the past 47 years, developing a strong spirit of volunteerism and a great love of animals. These two parts of her character came together last year when Robertson County Animal Control was on the verge of losing its funding. Donna, along with other animal advocates, convinced the county to keep the facility open, promising strong volunteer participation and energetic fund raising. She founded the "I Could Have Been Adopted" program to make sure the shelter would not only survive but prosper. Donna's husband Winfield supports her efforts by providing transport for rescued and adopted animals…and bringing her lunch each day! Winfield will join her on the cruise.

The mission of "I Could Have Been Adopted" is to save every adoptable animal that enters the facility. They have a remarkable success rate of over 85%. Says Donna: "We network with fosters, rescuers, and private individuals. You can find our furry friends everywhere. Georgia, New York, or anywhere in between. We will do anything to find a good home." "I Could Have Been Adopted" has about ten "hands on" volunteers working in the shelter, and a local Girl Scout troop is currently earning a merit badge for their work at the facility. Other volunteers transport and socialize the animals while still others raise funds to maintain the health of the animals. Their biggest desire is to build an isolation wing for assessing the health of new arrivals before moving them into the general population in order to avoid compromising the health of both. Those kennels are now in reach.

Says Donna: "It's a wonderful thing to see all the pieces come together. It brings us all great joy to see our dogs and cats go to a loving forever home."