Found My People: Life as the ARC Program Specialist at HFFSD

Rhonda, Dr McLeod and Nick helping with a free will donation vaccination clinic in Vermillion, where there is no vet clinic.

Every once in a while, a job becomes more than a job. It becomes a calling, a community, and a place where your heart finally says, “These are my people.” That is what it feels like to serve as the ARC Program Specialist at the Hanson Family Foundation of South Dakota (HFFSD). This is my dream job because it brings together animal welfare, human services, community partnerships, and the belief that pets are family.

In this role, I get to help connect people, pets, resources, and compassionate partners so families can access pet-retention programs. One of the most meaningful parts of this work is networking with human services case managers who are already walking alongside families facing hardship. They understand that when life feels unstable, a beloved pet can be a source of comfort, routine, and hope.

Through ARC’s Pay It Forward Fund, we help build a bridge between those families and essential veterinary care at Pet Wellness Veterinary Hospital (PWVH), South Dakota's first nonprofit veterinary hospital. When a pet needs an exam, vaccines, spay or neuter surgery, treatment, or support, ARC helps create a pathway to care that is compassionate and dignified. It is not just about appointments. It is about easing fear, preventing surrender when possible, and reminding families that they are not alone.

Another part of this work that fills my cup is working with our ARC Allies. These shelter and rescue partners are doing lifesaving work every day—taking in animals, finding fosters, coordinating care, celebrating adoptions, and showing up when the need feels overwhelming. ARC helps strengthen that network by connecting partners with resources, supplies, and veterinary support. What I love most is that this work is rooted in collaboration. When we come together, we can do more for pets and the people who love them.

This role has shown me what happens when compassion becomes a system. At HFFSD, I have found people who believe pet-retention programs are part of family stability, community health, and animal welfare. Every application, referral, partner conversation, and pet helped represents something bigger: a community choosing to care before a crisis becomes irreversible.

Being the ARC Program Specialist is a daily reminder that lifesaving work does not happen in isolation. It happens when case managers, veterinary teams, shelters, rescues, donors, volunteers, and community leaders decide to work together. Through HFFSD, PWVH, and our ARC Allies, we are helping more pets receive care, more families stay whole, and more partners feel supported in the work they do every day.

I found my people here. And every day, I feel blessed I get to go to work helping more families and pets in our community.