The Smiling Face of Red Bucket

You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, which is why we have a dedicated

and cheerful volunteer on hand to greet visitors when they first step foot onto Red

Bucket!

You may first notice the manicured grounds, well maintained buildings, and content

horses at Red Bucket; you will also always find an enthusiastic face to greet you at the

Visitor Center. This month we honor Lori McLaughlin, the smiling face who welcomes

you.

“Lori is an amazing volunteer who is always ready and willing to jump in and help out

any way that she can,” shares Michelle Smith, Apparel Coordinator for Red Bucket.

“She helps me out on Sundays by opening and running the Visitor Center at least twice

a month. Having a reliable person is very important; she is there to direct the guests

coming in and pair them up with our wonderful tour guide. She also helps out with other

tasks which include taking sales, helping to log inventory when apparel orders come in,

and maintaining the professional appearance of our Visitor Center. She is just a joy to

be around, with a friendly smile and an eagerness to help out.”

Lori found out about Red Bucket Equine Rescue last year through her church in

Montclair. She explains: “Red Bucket had been selected as one of their fundraisers. I

immediately signed up for the next volunteer orientation, where I was not only amazed

by the majesty and resilience of the horses despite their traumatic past, but I was also

struck by how passionate, dedicated, and professional everyone was who worked there;

I couldn’t wait to be part of it!”

As a young girl Lori took horseback riding lessons, but got bucked off and didn’t have

much motivation to continue after that. Her horse encounters have been limited to

vacations in Wyoming, until now! Lori mainly works in the Visitor Center, and she helps

with recycling and administrative tasks such as assembling and mailing holiday cards.

Her stepdaughter is also part of the amazing Junior Reds.

Susan Peirce explains how important Lori’s role is at the Ranch: “Lori is our face of

hospitality, she is the first person our visitors meet and she is the perfect representative

for our organization! In addition to welcoming guests to the Ranch that our horses own,

she is wonderful at setting a warm and welcoming tone.”

Kata Conlon, Ruby Red Committee Member, first met Lori last year when she graciously

offered to help with the Holiday card mailing. “Lori was so enthusiastic and eager to help

share the spirit of Red Bucket,” Kata recalls. “With her lead, we enlisted the Junior Reds

to tackle this project; they stuffed envelopes, affixed labels, and got our Holiday cards

out to our generous donors and dedicated team members. She even went so far as to

buy additional supplies to complete this Herculean task on time! Her step daughter

Amanda and my son Joe both participate in the Junior Reds, and Lori often volunteers

to host and coordinate projects for them.”

“She takes her role as the Visitor Center greeter very seriously,” Kata continues. “She is

the first person many people see when they visit the Ranch, and she truly embodies the

very nature of what we do at Red Bucket. Whenever there is an opportunity to help out,

she offers assistance. Just recently, due to an unscheduled absence, we needed

someone at the last minute to open the Visitor Center. Lori had just returned from a

vacation, but she took it upon herself to drive to the Ranch and make sure we were

open to the public. She always seems to be in a good mood, which is contagious. It’s

folks like Lori who make it easy to fall in love with Red Bucket.”

As is the case with most Red Bucket volunteers, Lori is madly in love with each and

every animal in our care. “It would be tough to choose just one, but I am definitely a

sucker for the donkeys,” Lori shares. “It makes my day to hear them bray! On the day of

my volunteer orientation, mama Charlotte and her baby Louie had just been brought in.

Louie had been injured and face was all scraped up…it was just heartbreaking to see

him. I would always visit them when I was there, and I’m so happy they recently found

their forever homes. I adored Maestro too, and I am glad he was adopted as well. Chili

Dog is super sweet; I love how he keeps an eye on me in the Visitor Center.”

The Red Bucket mission statement, “To save and rehabilitate horses, restore their trust

in humankind, and find them safe, loving, permanent adoptive homes,” resonates with

Lori. “I’ve always felt such empathy toward animals, including horses,” she shares with

me. “Restoring their trust in humankind seems like such an uphill battle, as there are

many who consider animals their property, and treat them accordingly. I sometimes feel

so overwhelmed and helpless seeing so much animal cruelty all around us. However,

just knowing Red Bucket Equine Rescue is around to give a voice to the otherwise

voiceless definitely gives me hope.”

We applaud Lori for being that voice for the voiceless, and for being the cheerful face at

Red Bucket that greets each new guest as they tour the facility that our horses own.

Thank you Lori for helping us share each horse’s story, and for being the change in the

world that we want to see.