Meet The Volunteers
Meet Maury and Marcia Spieker
Maury and Marcia Spieker have been a blessing to our nonprofit ministry for almost 2 years
and we love their story!
and we love their story!
“Heartbreak led us to Bunny Blessings, but joy quickly patched that hole in our hearts.
We had lost our beloved 12-year-old rabbit, Nani in November of 2022. There was a lot of food, medicine and supplies we wanted to give someone who could use it. After searching around, Brittany at Bunny Blessings said they could use anything we wanted to give. We loaded up the car and met Janis at the barn. Janis did a great job recruiting us to join on bunny events and the rest is history! We really enjoy going to the nursing homes to share God’s love in the form of a little fur ball. The smiles on people’s faces make the effort worth the trip."
We had lost our beloved 12-year-old rabbit, Nani in November of 2022. There was a lot of food, medicine and supplies we wanted to give someone who could use it. After searching around, Brittany at Bunny Blessings said they could use anything we wanted to give. We loaded up the car and met Janis at the barn. Janis did a great job recruiting us to join on bunny events and the rest is history! We really enjoy going to the nursing homes to share God’s love in the form of a little fur ball. The smiles on people’s faces make the effort worth the trip."
"We have our roots in Nebraska. (Go Big Red). We were born and raised there, and we traveled extensively during our working years in Nebraska. We have visited 26 countries. We adopted our first rabbit in Nebraska, or rather he adopted us. He showed up in our backyard shortly after Easter and we could not locate the owner, so he joined our family. Upon retiring we moved to Maui, Hawaii and spent 9 wonderful years there. Our bunny Nani came from the Humane Society in Maui and then traveled 6000 miles to our next stop, Indian Land, SC.
We love taking road trips now to see God’s beautiful world. Maury loves to read history, theology and biographies. Marcia loves to sew, mostly quilts and some small crafts."
We love taking road trips now to see God’s beautiful world. Maury loves to read history, theology and biographies. Marcia loves to sew, mostly quilts and some small crafts."
"Recently we became the proud parents of Rexy, one of Bunny Blessings rabbits who needed a home. She is enjoying being an “only bunny” at the Spieker’s house and has decided giving lick kisses is a lot better than nips. And no, she is not spoiled….ok a little bit….ok a lot.”
We LOVE the Spiekers and are so happy that they joined our Bunny Blessings Family!
Meet Jen Korytkowski
Jen Korytkowski has been with Bunny Blessings for 3 years. Jen and her daughter Natalia discovered us after seeing a Facebook post when Gracie Mae had her 9 babies at the Bunny Barn. Jen and Natalia volunteered together for 1.5 years, mostly helping with Bunny Care shifts. Once high school started and Natalia’s schedule got busier, Jen continued the shifts solo. Jen notes they love Bunny Blessings for what we stand for and overall giving back to the community.
Jen says, “I love seeing the smiles on everyone's face when I talk about the bunnies. My favorite bunny is Scruffy as he is such a character and always into something. My favorite stories, of course, involve Scruffy…. Scruffy on the sign-in table trying to eat the straw in my drink or climbing into the refrigerator for self service.”
We LOVE Jen because she often covers our Friday evening shift and clearly loves our bunnies. She’s always willing to take extra steps to care for them and we deeply appreciate her! Thank you Jen!
Meet Rita Davis
Rita Davis has been with Bunny Blessings since the very beginning in 2019. God’s timing is always perfect and our ministry was just starting as Rita entered retirement from her career. Rita quickly jumped in to help Bunny Blessings as we worked hard to learn in the early days how to make this ministry thrive. Retirement for Rita did not mean a new life of bonbons and leisure, but a new journey to love others and serve her community even more.
Together with her own angora bunny Harry, Rita loves to go on visits and share God’s love and joy with people. Her smile and laughter always light up the room and are contagious. Rita enjoys encouraging people to smile and laugh. When she’s not at one of our events, Rita can often be found stocking the fridge and shelves at the Bunny Barn, grooming our bunnies, training new volunteers, providing bunny care or tending to sick bunnies. At home she still gets little rest as she has to repeatedly remind Harry that he isn’t boss.
Rita’s favorite memory is going into the memory care units with the bunnies and having someone speak for the first time in months because there’s something special about the bunnies that reminds them of a moment in their own life. She also always enjoys seeing a senior citizen smile because we have shared love and joy with them through a little bunny or just took the time to listen to them tell their stories. Her heart melts when they look up at her and smile.
Rita always says “I go out to give a blessing, but then I’m the one that walks away with the true blessing!”
Rita always says “I go out to give a blessing, but then I’m the one that walks away with the true blessing!”
We deeply appreciate all that Rita does for our ministry and her support of our mission to Love One Another from John 13:34. Rita truly has a heart for service and keeps us HOPPING every day!
Meet Chantel Stevenson
(as interviewed by Scruffy!)
Scruffy: “Who’s your favorite bunny?”
Chantel: “Harley and you”
Scruffy: “So me, very good choice. What’s your favorite Bunny Blessings activities?”
Chantel: “I like visiting the assisted living centers and helping with our Reading with Rabbits program. I love to see the joy on people's faces when they see and touch the bunnies.”
Scruffy: “That’s beautiful! What do you love about Bunny Blessings?”
Chantel: “Well Scruffy, what’s not to love about Bunny Blessings? I love the mission to Love One Another and how we reach the community with bunny love!”
Scruffy: “How long have you been with our ministry?”
Chantel: “I think from the beginning! From bunny-sitting the original Oscar on Cramer Mtn. to loving and caring for Millie and Charlie and then the rest of the fluffy gang.”
Scruffy: “What else would you like to share with our readers?”
Chantel: “I'm blessed with a sweet daughter who loves rabbits and all animals. Sarah has taught me a lot about bunny care and it is a challenge to keep up with her in the Bunny Barn! Bunny Blessings has provided a venue for me to connect with my daughter through our community service at the barn. We love Bunny Blessings and we love serving the community with the most adorable bunnies ever!”
Scruffy: “Did you want to share with our readers where you keep the extra treats?”
Chantel: “Um, no”
Scruffy: “Okey dokey, I’m all done here.”
Chantel: “Harley and you”
Scruffy: “So me, very good choice. What’s your favorite Bunny Blessings activities?”
Chantel: “I like visiting the assisted living centers and helping with our Reading with Rabbits program. I love to see the joy on people's faces when they see and touch the bunnies.”
Scruffy: “That’s beautiful! What do you love about Bunny Blessings?”
Chantel: “Well Scruffy, what’s not to love about Bunny Blessings? I love the mission to Love One Another and how we reach the community with bunny love!”
Scruffy: “How long have you been with our ministry?”
Chantel: “I think from the beginning! From bunny-sitting the original Oscar on Cramer Mtn. to loving and caring for Millie and Charlie and then the rest of the fluffy gang.”
Scruffy: “What else would you like to share with our readers?”
Chantel: “I'm blessed with a sweet daughter who loves rabbits and all animals. Sarah has taught me a lot about bunny care and it is a challenge to keep up with her in the Bunny Barn! Bunny Blessings has provided a venue for me to connect with my daughter through our community service at the barn. We love Bunny Blessings and we love serving the community with the most adorable bunnies ever!”
Scruffy: “Did you want to share with our readers where you keep the extra treats?”
Chantel: “Um, no”
Scruffy: “Okey dokey, I’m all done here.”
We could actually go on and on about Chantel and her dedication to Bunny Blessings. She is constantly working to make things better for our ministry. Whether she is working on our website, tending to sick bunnies, creating fun stuff for Junior Bunny Brigade, managing our merchandise, leading Reading with Rabbits, taking the Bunny Mobile for an oil change or keeping all our details in order, Chantel does it humbly and with a smile.
She definitely keeps this ministry hopping and we love her!
Thank you Chantel for all you do for Bunny Blessings.
Thank you Chantel for all you do for Bunny Blessings.
Meet Sarah Stevenson
The Masterminds behind much of Bunny Blessings - Harley & Sarah!
We can’t let another day go by without introducing this young lady who is so important to our nonprofit ministry. Sarah and her mom have been with us since day 1, bunny-sitting the original Oscar, and now these days Sarah does it all! She’s the creative genius behind our Canva work, is more knowledgeable about bunny science and health than any of us (seriously), was invaluable in our first year of summer camps, is the president of our Junior Bunny Brigade and leads those meetings, does bunny care shifts every week, designs our calendars every year and helps with many of our events including Reading with Rabbits. Over and over you will hear us say, “Probably ask Sarah, she’ll know!”
A few things from Sarah:
My favorite Bunny Blessings bunny? They are all my favorite, but my go-to bun is Harley, of course, because he is the best!! (Harley is the abandoned bunny we rescued last year who now lives a charmed life as Sarah’s personal bunny).
My favorite Bunny Blessings bunny? They are all my favorite, but my go-to bun is Harley, of course, because he is the best!! (Harley is the abandoned bunny we rescued last year who now lives a charmed life as Sarah’s personal bunny).
Favorite part of the ministry? I love the Reading with Rabbits program especially when it is their first time reading with the bunnies!! Just seeing their faces light up is such a blessing! I also love helping with summer camp.
Sarah also does exotic pet-sitting. Her favorite client is the wonderful Barley who is actually our current Bunny Friend of the Month!!
Sarah also does exotic pet-sitting. Her favorite client is the wonderful Barley who is actually our current Bunny Friend of the Month!!
Sarah & Harley at Reading With Rabbits!
We could go on and on, but our point is, Sarah is an amazing volunteer who may be one of our youngest but is one of our most passionate. We adore her and are so thankful she’s part of the Bunny Blessings team!
Meet Kimm Santa
Kimm and Poppy
Kimm says, “I first met the bunnies in Oct. 2020. Rita Davis had put out a message about needing help when the lock down started and I thought this would be a good fit for my friend Janis, who had just moved here. Little did I know how much I needed the bunnies, too, and would fall completely in love with them! The surprise of the Gracie’s babies was a huge gift for the volunteers, adding so much joy to our lives that were interrupted. Poppy and Willie’s litter boxes were always on our scheduled cleaning days, so I spent extra time with them and they quickly became my favorites (although sweet little Charlie ranked right up there, too)."
Kimm continues to say, "I have pivoted to going to events and visits as my main bunny duty. I have always loved helping people, going on countless mission trips with my church, and Bunny Blessings offers the opportunity to minister to people in my own community! The smiles and love I see are the biggest blessing to me. Plus, I have had the privilege to reconnect with friends on visits that I hadn’t seen in years! I look forward to more outings with my furry friends in the New Year!”
Thanks Kimm! We always appreciate your smiling face and cheerfulness at our visits. You are a huge blessing to our ministry and are making a difference in your community . We LOVE Kimm Santa!
Meet Alex Yarosh Boone
Alex & Max
Alex Yarosh Boone has been with us for 2 years and is an amazing friend to our nonprofit ministry! You can find her almost every Saturday morning in the Bunny Barn spoiling and snuggling all of our bunnies. Alex also captures great bunny pics and videos and provides a fantastic garden for our always starving gang.
Alex’s favorite bunny is Buster because he once accepted the bribe of banana chips and briefly humored her by wearing a lobster suit. Alex’s favorite ministry memory was her first event at the Bunny Barn with a girl scout troop. She had been a bunny care volunteer for almost a year before she was able to do a community outreach event and was so amazed to see our bunnies in action.
Favorite bunny memory was getting to style Leo's hair (that’s pretty much a highlight for all volunteers ).
Alex works as a financial consultant in Charlotte, NC and when things are tough on the job, she sends her team pictures of the bunnies to spread some cheer. We’re pretty sure through Alex the bunnies will eventually take over corporate America.
Alex says, “I love that Bunny Blessings does good work in both the animal world and people world. Bunnies are rescued and loved and serve as great examples to educate others on rabbits. People open up to those around them more when the bunnies are around (myself included) which creates such positive, happy memories for so many.”
Alex works as a financial consultant in Charlotte, NC and when things are tough on the job, she sends her team pictures of the bunnies to spread some cheer. We’re pretty sure through Alex the bunnies will eventually take over corporate America.
Alex says, “I love that Bunny Blessings does good work in both the animal world and people world. Bunnies are rescued and loved and serve as great examples to educate others on rabbits. People open up to those around them more when the bunnies are around (myself included) which creates such positive, happy memories for so many.”
Alex & Oscar
We love you, Alex and are so thankful for you and all you do for our nonprofit ministry!!!
Meet Charly Carpenter
Charly Carpenter found our nonprofit ministry on Facebook in 2019 and immediately loved that we visit nursing homes where people are sometimes lonely. After the Bunny Barn was built in 2020, Charly came to visit for the first time. One of her favorite memories is being introduced to our Netherland dwarf bunny named Charlie, “Charly meet Charlie.”
Charly & Baby
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Charly & Charlie
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When we posted in January 2021 that we were looking for more volunteers, Charly jumped on board to join our team! We love having her and she is always one of the first to step up to take extra shifts, pitch in for events and support us in any way she can.
Charly says, “Every bunny is special to me for different reasons, but I love me some Buster. He is so sweet and does some great binkies!”
Charly says, “Every bunny is special to me for different reasons, but I love me some Buster. He is so sweet and does some great binkies!”
Charly & Scruffy
We love you Charly and are so thankful you are part of Bunny Blessings!