What she lacks in size she makes up for in grit and determination. Meet our featured volunteer, Julie Shields!

Her energy is pure electricity pulsating through the phone line. Julie Shields brings such a high level of commitment and passion to Red Bucket, traits that are becoming contagious amongst fellow volunteers. “Julie is a tiny slip of a woman with the biggest heart. She is a petite gogetter,”
explains Susan Peirce. “She first approached us when we were in Huntington Beach. She had worked with another horse rescue group and was a bit tentative to join us based on a bad experience.” Julie soon realized that Red Bucket is like no other animal rescue group she had EVER worked with, as was evidenced by our solid business plan with long term attainable goals. Julie is currently on the Leadership Team and is our donation coordinator extraordinaire, playing an important role in raising money and donation items for the 2nd Annual Ruby Red event.

Susan Peirce elaborates on why Julie is so special. “Julie fits in perfectly with our culture; she is such a dedicated and gracious woman. Her level of service is aligned with Red Bucket. She is always wearing red and is always offering positive enthusiasm. She solely is responsible for over 50% of the silent auction items for the Ruby Red event. Her husband Alan is also a proud supporter of Julie’s hard work and of Red Bucket’s mission.

Julie has a background in banking and real estate, and she has also been involved with several other animal rescue and welfare groups throughout
California. She just fills a room with her energy and enthusiasm, she is always positive, and she truly, genuinely cares about the welfare of the
group and the horses.”

Aileen Sheron concurs that Julie is an integral part of Red Bucket’s success. “Julie has been instrumental in fundraising, which is the lifeline of
our group,” Aileen shares. “Personally I just recently became involved in this facet of Red Bucket, and Julie has been a great mentor. She doesn’t
take no for an answer, and she just hits it out of the park with her fundraising efforts! She is like a tenacious puppy and is a fundraising queen. We are fortunate to have her on our team! She has helped us all so much in honing our skills. Julie always marches on and never, ever gives up; she is a dynamo!”

Julie’s drive has been developed over the years, and she is just now hitting her stride. In her words, “I’ve had 8 years in real estate sales and 25 years in the lending business, but that pales in comparison to the work I’ve done in the animal rescue world! I started my fundraising career in the mid ‘80s when I helped open the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, and have worked with numerous rescue groups throughout the years including one other California horse rescue group. Red Bucket is a completely different story; the leadership team has developed a successful rescue model and runs a tight ship. I’ve never seen a more organized or a better run rescue group in my life! Every single individual involved with this group works their tails off, like they are getting paid for it! I’ve been watching the group evolve for the last 4 ½ years. I’m so happy I took the plunge because these have been the best years of my life!”

Susan Knox, our marketing director, sums up Julie perfectly: “You cannot describe Julie in a couple of sentences. She is an amazing woman. I have
never seen someone so dedicated and willing to roll up her sleeves to do anything you ask. Julie is one of our key committee members for the Ruby
Red event, and this year alone she has secured over half of our donations, not including personal donations from her and her husband as well. She is
truly a gem, a ruby red gem, and Red Bucket is very fortunate to have her. I know without a doubt that we could not have pulled off the Ruby Red
fundraisers without her!”

Kata Conlon shares in singing Julie’s praises. “I’ve never met a more committed volunteer. This is the second time I’ve worked with Julie for the
Ruby Red Gala, and her drive and dedication are positively contagious! She has a way of keeping us motivated; she really helps us to step up our
game and do all we can do to raise funds and increase donations. Julie gives 110% all of the time, which inspires the rest of us to try to keep up
with her. Our mission speaks to her heart. She is all about saving abused and abandoned horses, which fuels her passion to work so tirelessly.”

Julie started at Red Bucket like everyone else, with the orientation program, grooming and mucking stalls, basically doing whatever needed to
be done. As she became more familiar with the program, she realized her strength lay in fundraising. “I started out working events, and co-chaired
last year’s Ruby Red event. I’m doing the same this year just with more responsibility. My grandchildren are older and my husband loves to play
golf, which frees me up for HOURS that I can dedicate to fundraising.”AND to spending time with her own sweet Nikki whom she adopted from
Red Bucket about four yeas ago. Julie gushes. “We have such a special bond! If I’m ever away for too long, she has a spoiled girl routine for me.
She will give me an evil stare, lay her hoof gently on my foot, and then nip ever so lightly on my shoulder. When I tell her I’m sorry for being gone for so long, she forgives me and gets all lovey-dovey. It is the cutest ritual and I am so grateful to have her in my life!”

Julie continues to explain why Red Bucket is so successful: “In addition to the business plan and the well run Ranch, the horses are clear evidence of the success of this group. Nikki is a case in point, and every horse tells a different story, yet they all share the same happy ending. Every single volunteer at Red Bucket takes the Mission Statement to heart: To save and rehabilitate horses, restore their trust in humankind, and find them safe, loving, permanent adoptive homes. We are a separate culture that is dedicated to the horses and to each other, which is critical for our success. Despite physical challenges or unforeseen circumstances, we march on, united in our cause. Even though I can no longer ride horses I will do whatever it takes to keep the Ranch running, be it mending fences, grooming horses, or soliciting donations from strangers. The dedication of
this group is infectious, and is the core to its success.”

We are grateful to have been bitten by the Julie Shields bug! As her enthusiasm, passion and drive continue to affect all of our members, we take this time to thank Julie for joining our cause and taking us to the next level.